Cityscape Adventure Base

Which logo will it be? These are leaked potential logo designs for the latest BSA property.

BSA is secretly developing a 5th high adventure base. We currently have Philmont in New Mexico, Northern Tier in Minnesota, Sea Base in Florida, and The Summit in West Virginia. For years, these locations have been at capacity with lotteries to choose visitors. To complement these amazing venues, and to allow more scouts to participate each year, the new Cityscape high adventure base will be built in Chicago, Illinois. Groundbreaking is to begin in September, 2022 and the base should be finished by spring 2024.

The BSA has quietly purchased a few key properties in downtown Chicago and will use public infrastructure to tie these properties together into a cohesive adventure park. While plans are not yet being shared publicly, I was able to pull the following details from my mole on the inside at National in Texas. It looks like the activities will be a great way to challenge scouts searching for more dramatic treks than hiking or sitting on a boat or canoe for 10 days.

Many tried and true summer camp activities, such as rifle shooting and climbing, will be offered. But, in an effort to amp up the adventure level, twists on these activities as well as brand new ones will be available. Here are a few of the highlight features of Cityscape I was able to gather:

• Wall Climb - Recognizing that scouts are tired of the same old climbing wall at every summer camp, magnetized boots allow scouts to literally run up a 100 foot vertical surface. A great competition between SPLs from different troops! The Zip Line loading area is a short walk along the top of the wall.
• Zip Line - Nothing like the zip line at the Summit, this one flies participants through cutout holes in buildings, past flashing neon lights, and even includes sharp turns and spirals thanks to advanced new geo-orbital tech from a generous Tesla grant.
• Ferris Wheel Climb - After completing the Wall Climb, scouts can advance their skills by climbing the exostructure of a 115 foot tall ferris wheel. The views from the top are wonderful. From the top, scouts can either climb down a ladder, or traverse a short catwalk to the Leap of Faith staging area.
• Leap of Faith - Scouts free fall 5 stories from the roof of an abandoned Sears warehouse onto a movie stunt airbag. Sure to be a favorite!
• Train Jump - Scouts load into a repurposed elevated train car and then jump off, aiming for scored targets on a shock-absorbing polymer landing pad. Top scores from each week are announced at the closing campfire.
• Knife Throwing - Tomahawks are also available, but the knifes are perfectly balanced and make hitting the non-human moving targets an easy win.
• Rifle Range - What scout venue does not have rifle shooting? Cityscape developed a new rifle specifically for Scouting. The cartridge can be loaded with BBs, .22, or .30-06 caliber ammunition. For Venturers, a security key enables semi-automatic fire capability.
• Tattoos - To remember their week at camp, Cityscape campers can choose from over 50 tattoos and have them inked by an AutoTat3000 in less than 5 minutes. If these designs aren't just what a scout wants, personal designs can be created, loaded, and inked but there is a small additional fee for this.

I believe the summer 2024 dates will fill quickly, so expect a lottery announcement in about a year. Good luck, and enjoy your April 1st.

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