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AMGA
Guide Courses
The
American Mountain Guides Association has privatized some of it's guides
courses. This began with the top rope site management course and now
includes the rock instructor, alpine guide and ski guide courses. This
is good news for the climber who wishes to begin a career in guiding
with some formal education. There will now be more courses offered regionally
and with schools and guide services competing for course trainees, prices
should come down some. This also allows the participant to pick and
choose who thier instructors will be so they can get the best course
for thier money. None of these courses except for the top rope site
manager include an exam so guides will not be able to choose thier examiners.
To ensure a quality course, someone wishing to begin guiding with a solid foundation of formal training should be sure that their course instructors have taken exams to become certified. Exam certified guides have proven that they meet minimum standards in all the areas necessary to be a safe and competent guide. Also, a guide who has been certified through an exam process has seen the exam through the eyes of an examinee and knows what it takes to successfully pass the rock instructor exam. If you are interested in becoming a certified guide someday, it's also critical that your instructors know the course curriculum and know what the standards are. These AMGA guides courses are the best way to begin a career in guiding. We believe that these formal courses are indispensable to someone who is serious about guiding. But, they are fairly expensive, time-consuming, and challenging to complete as well as to teach. To get the most out of these courses be sure that your guide has the experience and background in guide's training and examining to give you the best course possible.
Marc Chauvin teaches these courses and is
a IFMGA Mountain Guide having passed his exams in the rock, alpine and
the ski discipline. Lately Marc has been teaching and examining for
the AMGA in the Alpine Discipline in the North Cascades. Marc has been
a member of the AMGA technical committee that is responsible for developing
and maintaining the standards of AMGA courses, exams, and instructors.
He was instrumental in the development of the AMGA's courses and exams
back in the early '90s. He has formally trained and examined guides
at both the rock instructor and rock guide and alpine guide level for
years.
AMGA Top Rope Site Management Course
This
is an entry-level course emphasizing the educational and technical proficiency
necessary to instruct top rope climbing in a group setting. It is a
forty-five hour, five day course intended to help transition
recreational climbers into becoming model climbing instructors. All
participants have the option of receiving an evaluation at the end of
the course which will grant them an AMGA certification as a top
rope instructor. This certification is valid for three years from date
of issue. After three years, participants will need to maintain their
skills through participation in another top rope site management course
or upgrade their skills through another AMGA guide course. All participants
will also receive a one-year associate membership in the AMGA.
This course would be beneficial to all outdoor instructors, aspiring
guides, and climbers who facilitate top rope climbing programs in group
settings such as camps, schools, institutions, and climbing schools.
This course will review and improve existing personal recreational climbing skills and introduce guide specific skills. Topics include belay systems, knots, harness choices, and rappelling methods. In this course you will explore and practice methods of teaching and modeling the skills; coaching participants effectively, and noting external and internal hazards. The course covers all the administrative, legal, and ethical expectations and responsibilities associated with being a climbing instructor. We will help you to develop quick and effective anchoring techniques using natural and artificial anchors while practicing a variety of anchor configurations and learning the many subtleties about anchoring. During the course various belays and backup methods will be demonstrated and practiced for both top and bottom belays. The course also covers numerous methods for assisting and rescuing climbers and much more.
Participants in this course should have prior top rope climbing experience that includes an ability to comfortably set up climbs, to belay, and to rappel without guidance. Familiarity with anchoring principles with both natural and artificial anchors is also required. If you are unsure of your skill levels, we suggest hiring an exam certified rock guide to evaluate and/or enhance your skills prior to participation.
Dates: Contact
us for dates
Price- $675, price includes AMGA membership
AMGA Rock Instructor Course
We
highly recommend that anyone seriously interested in becoming a rock
guide take this course. We know that formal training and certification
has made a tremendous difference in our guiding skills and
believe that the profession of guiding, individual guides, and clients
all benefit when a guide has taken the time and effort to go through
this process. Guiding is so much more than just climbing with another
individual and this course is designed to help climbers make the difficult
transition from climber to guide. This course is the important first
step in the process of becoming a certified rock guide. Ideally, this
course would be followed by actual days out on the rock guiding under
the supervision of an exam certified rock guide who would be able to
further supervise and monitor your training and progress prior to your
taking the rock instructor exam.
We offer this course at a 2:1 ratio instead of the usual 3:1 ratio to increase the amount of attention we can give to each trainee and to increase the amount of time each participant is out in front guiding. At the same time we also lower the cost! This ten day course is intended for experienced climbers who wish to make the transition from recreational climbing to professional guiding. Another benefit is CGI provides proprietery handouts, here is a sample . The course is also designed to expand and refine the skills and tools of those who may already have some experience guiding and wish to improve their skills. We will introduce the tools and techniques required to guide and teach clients on rock routes up to Grade III in length. Two of the major goals of this course are to develop the guide's skills in application and transition. Application is choosing an appropriate technique for the given circumstance and transition is the ability to smoothly change from one technique to another. These application and transition skills will be demonstrated and practiced throughout the course. You will be taught how to use these skills to maximize client and guide safety, client comfort, and client reward.
The
cutting edge techniques and procedures used and developed by
CGI guides combined with our emphasis on guiding independently of
inflexible protocols will give you a head start on your way to becoming
an excellent guide. Throughout the course we maximize the opportunities
for hands-on training and encourage participants to provide their
input. Typically a skill or procedure will be first demonstrated,
then practiced on the ground, and then practiced on a climb. Some of
the material covered on this course includes; information on client
orientation and preparation, equipment selection, and time and pace
management. We will discuss and practice anchor construction as it relates
to guiding, choosing appropriate belay methods, and techniques for stance
management and rope management. The course covers various methods of
descending with clients and ways to improve safety in third and fourth
class terrain. Belay escapes, methods of raising and lowering clients,
ascending methods, and various methods of small party self rescue will
all be demonstrated and practiced. Trainees will actually spend a large
portion of the course guiding other participants and the instructors
on the cliffs.
Climbers interested in taking this course should be able to meet the following prerequisites. Participants must be a current member of the AMGA with at least five years of rock climbing experience in at least a couple of different areas on different types of rock. Participants should be able to safely and comfortably lead most traditional, multi-pitch routes that are rated 5.10a or b. There are other prerequisites as well but the ones mentioned above are the most difficult to meet.
If you are serious about a career in guiding, let the guides at Chauvin Guides International give you the best training possible. CGI and it's guides have always been in the forefront of the push for formal training and certification of mountain guides in the U.S. Although these privatized courses are new, the training and instruction involved in them are not new to us. We've been volunteering our time and effort for years now to learning, teaching, and developing these courses because we believe training and certification creates better guides who can better provide for their clients. We've taken these courses and exams, we've taught them, and helped to develop them. We believe in them. If you're interested in becoming a guide, let us make a believer out of you too!
Dates:
Contact us for dates
Price- $1,850
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© Chauvin Guides International, P.O. Box 2151, North Conway, NH 03860 Voice: 603-356-8919