FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Soldiers in training are once again conquering the Slide for Life, after being closed for nearly a decade.
Combat Training Company Executive Officer 1st Lt. Kamryn Brinson said the company is “thrilled” to be able to use the obstacle again as the Confidence Course’s culminating task.
The Slide for Life, located on the Confidence Course at Training Area 97, is part of the Warrior Tower Complex and is designed to test endurance and build confidence while negotiating an obstacle above 20 feet. To conquer the task, trainees leap off a 30-foot-tall platform before zipping about 80 feet to the ground.
According to Brinson, to use the equipment again, the CTC had to update the Slide for Life standard operating procedures, draft and execute physical improvements to the obstacle and conduct multiple rounds of testing, to include inspections from the installation Safety Office.
“The Basic Combat Training Soldiers allowed to go down the obstacle will be selected by their unit leadership as the best of the best, top 5% of trainees of their cycle,” Brinson said.
Five trainees from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Chemical Brigade, were among the first to zip down the obstacle Feb. 3.
“It provides trainees a different challenge than the other obstacles, and once they’ve successfully navigated the first portion, they’re rewarded with an incentive at the end — the zip line,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Baxter, Warrior Tower Complex noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “This obstacle helps Soldiers get over their fear of heights and push them out of their comfort zone.”
Baxter said trainees could reach speeds up to 30 to 40 mph while zipping down.
After conquering the Slide for Life, Pvt. Riderigo Ramos, a trainee with Company C, 3rd Bn., 10th Inf. Reg., said he wanted to climb the tower and “go again.”
Just starting Red Phase, the second Army Basic Combat Training phase, Ramos had only been at Fort Leonard Wood for about three weeks when he navigated the obstacle Feb. 3.
He said so far, the Slide for Life has been the highlight of his time at Fort Leonard Wood, and he feels “privileged” to have been one of the first trainees to experience the obstacle after it re-opened.
The Michigan native said he is glad he joined the Army because he never had the opportunity to do “fun and exciting things like this back home.”
As for the confidence building aspect of the obstacle, Ramos said he hesitated for a moment when it was time to take the leap off the platform.
“But I did it and the harness caught me. It was a smooth ride coming down. I did it, I jumped. It was awesome,” Ramos said.
To learn more about BCT on Fort Leonard Wood, visit Fort Leonard Wood’s training information page.
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