Stranded on a Mountain - the team building survival game
As well as being a fun exercise, this will also give team members the chance to see what type of role they naturally take
within a group. This will help with deciding on roles. You could either do the activity with the whole group or split the
groups into two smaller ones.
Explain the exercise like this:
After your small light aircraft crashes, your group, wearing casual clothing, is stranded on a forested mountain in
appalling winter weather (snow covered, sub-freezing conditions), anything between 50 and 200 miles from civilization
(you are not sure of your whereabouts, and radio contact was lost one hour before you crashed, so the search operation
has no precise idea of your location either). The plane is about to burst into flames and you have a few moments to
gather some items. Aside from the clothes you are wearing which does not include coats, you have no other items. It is
possible that you may be within mobile phone signal range, but unlikely.
Your aim is to survive as a group until rescued. From the following list choose just ten items that you would take from
the plane, after which it and everything inside is destroyed by fire.
First you have five minutes by yourself to consider and draw up your own individual list of what the team should have,
without consulting with other members of the group. Keep this list after presenting it briefly to the group. Then you have
15 minutes as a group to discuss and agree a list on behalf of the group. Nominate a spokesperson and present this
new list.
Afterwards, you can discuss with the team as a whole the benefits of discussion, teamwork, collective expertise, group
communication skills, etc., in the team approach to compiling the list, compared to each individual working alone to
establish a list.
List of items:
Pack of 6 boxes x 50 matches
Roll of polythene sheeting 3m x 2m
1 bottle of brandy
1 crate of bottled spring water (twelve litres in total)
Small toolbox containing hammer, screwdriver set, adjustable wrench, hacksaw, large pen-knife
Box of distress signal flares
Small basic first-aid kit containing plasters, bandages, antiseptic ointment, small pair of scissors and pain-killer
tablets
Tri-band mobile phone with infrared port and battery half-charged
Clockwork transistor radio
Gallon container full of fresh water
Box of 36 x 50gm chocolate bars
Shovel
Short hand-held axe
Hand-gun with magazine of 20 rounds
20m of 200kg nylon rope
Box of 24 x 20gm bags of peanuts
Box of tissues
Laptop computer with infrared port, modem, unknown software and data, and unknown battery life
Inflatable 4-person life-raft
Compass.
Large full Aerosol can of insect killer spray
Small half-full aerosol can of air freshener spray
Notebook and pencil
Travelling games compendium containing chess, backgammon & draughts
Sewing kit
Whistle
Torch with a set of spare batteries
Box of 50 night-light 6hr candles
Bag of 6 large blankets
