The day usually starts in a hotel.
Breakfast, quick check of emails, and then the first real job, checking the weather, because it dictates how the day is going to feel. Wind, rain, heat, it doesn’t usually stop training going ahead, but it does change how it’s delivered. Every now and then, extreme conditions can cause for the session to be postponed. That’s part of the job too.
By the time we arrive on site, the team is already starting to gather. Introductions are straightforward. Some have experience, some don’t, and there’s usually a mix of confidence levels from the outset.
Before anyone leaves the ground, there’s a process to go through. Course checks, equipment checks, harness fitting. It’s not rushed. Getting this part right sets the tone for everything that follows.
Then we get going
Training is almost always outdoors on the actual equipment the team will be using day-to-day. That’s deliberate. It’s one thing understanding procedures in theory, but it’s very different applying them when you’re clipped on, several metres up, with the weather doing its thing.
There’s a moment early on, usually halfway up the first set of stairs, where it becomes real. You’ll often see one person pause, maybe take a step back, quietly questioning whether they’re comfortable going any further. It’s not uncommon, and it’s not an issue. It’s part of the process.
For some, it clicks straight away. For others, it takes a bit longer. The role of training at that point isn’t to push people through, but to support them properly so they can move forward with confidence. Because later, they’ll be the ones responsible for others in that exact position.
Lunch tends to be practical. Whatever’s nearby, quick, and fits around the day. Nothing planned.
In the afternoon things step up
If it’s high ropes training, the afternoon shifts up a level, literally. This is where rescue training comes in. It’s also where the difference between understanding and competence starts to show. Procedures that seem straightforward on the ground become more involved when they’re carried out at height, under a bit of pressure.
High ropes training runs over multiple days for that reason. There’s too much to cover, and too much responsibility, to compress it into anything less.
Climbing wall training, by comparison, is more contained. It can be delivered over the course of a day. Still structured, still thorough, but the environment and systems are different, and that’s reflected in the training.
By the end of the day, there’s usually a noticeable shift in the group. The hesitant ones are moving more freely. The more confident ones have a better appreciation of the detail. And as a team, they’re starting to operate with a bit more consistency.
Proper training isn’t about ticking a box. It’s about maintaining high standards.
Yes, it meets health and safety requirements, but more importantly, it produces staff who can run the attraction properly: consistently, confidently, and without second-guessing themselves. That has a direct impact on how smoothly a site operates and how customers experience it.
There`s also a steady sense of progress throughout the day
Being outdoors, working through things practically, and seeing improvement within a short space of time changes the dynamic completely. It doesn’t feel like a tick-box exercise. It feels like something earned.
By the time the kit is packed away, the weather has usually had some input, rarely ideal, but always useful. Because if a team can operate properly in those conditions, they’ll be ready when it matters.
Evenings are a different story.
Over time, Innovative Leisure team has built up a fairly reliable, if unofficial, list of restaurants across the UK. It’s one of those small things that comes from doing this week in, week out. Wherever we are, Cornwall, the Lakes, the outskirts of Glasgow, there’s normally a go-to option that someone’s already tested.
It sounds like a side note, but it’s a reflection of something bigger. We’re on sites across the country, working with different teams, different layouts, different challenges. That experience feeds directly back into how we train.
If you’re investing in equipment, make sure you’re investing in the training behind it.