Teamwork is most effective in pairs, from the vaudeville acts of Laurel and Hardy to the crime-fighting melodies of Batman and Garfunkel. Work on the relationship with your sidekick with this Groupon.
$117 for Six-Hour Couples Retreat (Up to $250 Value)
An outdoor challenge designed to strengthen relationships, the couples retreat runs from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, May 26, July 7, August 4, September 1, and October 13. Pairs convene to navigate a four-hour ropes course designed to build trust and confidence. Afterward, couples spend 30 minutes relaxing and reflecting on the experience before a group dinner. A guest speaker then chats with the group about building relationship awareness, improving communication, and controlling rage after a Monopoly loss. Before and after the ropes course, couples can head to the adjacent docks to board a canoe and traverse as much as a mile of the river's length in either direction—and potentially encounter wildlife such as beavers, mink, or great horned owls. The experienced staff will equip duos with all necessary gear, including harnesses, life jackets, and paddles.
CLAS Ropes Course
Benjamin Allen believes outdoor pursuits can positively influence those in need. This belief has led him all over the continent, building a ropes course for an orphanage in Mexico and setting up many courses a bit closer to home. Wanting to share his knowledge of nature with the public, he set up a course, CLAS Ropes Course, near Utah Lake nearly 24 years ago. Benjamin and his crew have since erected more than 100 ropes courses around the country, continuing to inspect courses and train others how to run them.
CLAS Ropes Course continues to grow each year, creating obstacles such as a giant swing that releases passengers 40 feet in the air, a 400-foot zipline that whizzes through forest canopy, and a "leap of faith," where adventure seekers jump from a treetop platform to a trapeze. A brand new Aerial Adventure Park with 16 challenging elements and a 24-foot-tall rock-climbing tower test agility and endurance, and a fleet of 20 canoes lets paddlers navigate a mile and a half of river. Many of these structures play host to team-building activities focused on developing a group's creativity and tolerance for hearing one another sing. Staff members tailor their instruction to families, dating groups, or athletic teams. They often apply their approach to athletes, such as a professional golfer who traveled all the way from Texas hoping to conquer her fear of not qualifying for tournaments. She defeated the log balance beam, departed victorious, and qualified during her next tryout two weeks later.