Boy Scouts of America

Risk Advisory for High-Adventure Activities

SUMMARY

Make sure you and your entire group read and understand the Risk Advisory before you begin.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Signing up for a high-adventure trip just because it sounds great might be problematic if you aren’t healthy or physically prepared to complete it. Understanding what you will experience and what will be expected of you during a high-adventure activity is the first step in making sure that everyone has a great time.

Ask yourself, “Am I capable of completing this trek both physically and mentally?” Heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, not meeting the height and weight guidelines, allergies, or seizures are common medical conditions that might make your experience difficult. Start planning early to make sure your entire crew is ready and able to complete the high adventure.

The Risk Advisory is a great place to begin your preparation. The Risk Advisory is the last page of the Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR) form. Download the AHMR form that is shown next to the symbol of the BSA high-adventure base you plan to attend. Read it carefully, since many of the common physical elements you will encounter on your trek are described in the Risk Advisory. Developing a plan for the trek is different for each group and each high-adventure base. For example, if everyone in your trek lives near sea level and is traveling to Philmont for a 10-day mountain trek, you must plan on getting acclimated to the altitude change.

Review the Annual Health and Medical Record early in the planning phase. Making any necessary health changes early will help you complete your adventure safely. Bring the Risk Advisory to your health care provider and discuss the specific trek with them. Be sure to talk about anything you think might be difficult for you and ask if you are physically able to go. Complete parts A, B, and C of the AHMR.

Make sure your crew, too, is prepared for the trail. Be sure that each youth member’s parent or guardian has reviewed the Risk Advisory to be sure they understand the risks and can help their youth plan for the adventure.

The Risk Advisory will help you develop a plan on how to physically train for the event, explain the nature of the trek to others, and inform you about how to prepare everyone and everything for your adventure. Get everyone involved in getting physically and mentally fit for participation.

Risk advisories are great tools for other events as well. Your council might already have developed its own risk advisory for a high-adventure program, summer camp, or an event like a camporee. If not, an easy-to-use risk advisory template is available for your council to use.

A high-adventure excursion can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Understanding what to expect and how to prepare are important parts of all successful high-adventure experiences. Risk advisories help adult trek leaders, parents, older Scouts, and their health care providers determine which adventures are best suited for the participants so everyone has a great time.

RESOURCES

 

Reviewed January 26, 2024. 

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.