Mountain Guide Certification - Does It Matter?

by Nate Disser

Mountain guiding is a profession.  That seems like an easy thing to say, but the truthfullness of that statement was more difficult to realize than one might imagine.  Historically, the job of being a mountain guide has generally been viewed by the public as a "summer job" or "part-time", something someone did with their time off or in addition to their other "real" job. 

While there certainly are still people who do only work as a mountain guide in those capacities, during the past decade that view has shifted towards a realization that year-round mountain guides are professionals, similar to nurses, doctors, lawyers, or welders. 

Similar to the above listed occupations, professional mountain guides have the opportunity to become certified.  The professional organization for mountain guides in the US is the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) who is supported or endorsed by the governing body for mountain guides working throughout the world, the International Federation of Mountain Guides (IFMGA). 

The AMGA mission statement reads:

"The American Mountain Guide’s Association (AMGA) is the premier source for training, credentials, and services for professional mountain guides and climbing instructors in the United States."

The AMGA sets the standard for professional mountain guides working in different types of terrain: rock terrain, alpine terrain, and ski mountaineering terrain.   

To become a certified guide in any individual discipline a guide must take and successfully pass multi-day basic and advanced level courses, and then pass an exam in each discipline for which they are being certifed.  It is an incredibly challenging process, one that requires absolute commitment on the guide's part to attaining a vast array of skills, from climbing or skiing ability to companion rescue, and the ability to demonstrate mastery of those skills to a group of AMGA examiners and peers.

Why should this matter to someone who is thinking about hiring a guide or joining a guided trip, whether it be for rock climbing instruction or a climb of a high altitude mountain?

By choosing to climb with an AMGA or IFMGA Certified Guide, you are assured of the fact that your guide has had his or her mountain guiding abilities observed, judged, and objectively verified as sufficient by a jury of their peers. 

Let's face it, climbing and mountaineering is potentially dangerous and though the goal of a particular climb or trip may be to get to the top, the ultimate goal is coming back so that you can go on to climb again in the future.  A certified guide has taken the steps to assure that they have the best possible skill set to get up and down the mountain safely and successfully.

That's not to say that other mountain guides who have not chosen the certification route can't also perform this task in an equally competent fashion, and in fact there are many guides working in this country and around the world who are perfectly competent at their jobs.  It is also important to note that AMGA certification is not a substitute for experience gained in the mountains actually guiding trips and clients.

The question for the consumer is then, how can I get the best possible value for my money when paying for guiding services, and does the guide or guide company I am going with have the experience, credentials, and credibility to successfully and safely manage all the aspects of a particular climbing or mountaineering adventure?

That's a fairly subjective point to be sure, so it's incumbent upon the consumer to ask the right questions of the guide and guide company in question.  The basic premise is that by choosing to climb with either an AMGA Certified Guide or AMGA Accredited Company, you're taking some of the guess work out of the equation, and in the mountains, eliminating guess work can make all the difference in the world.

For a complete description of the differing terrain guidelines (rock, alpine, ski mountainering), and the benefits of hiring an AMGA Certified Guide please visit the following link:  AMGA Certified Guides

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Nate Disser has been the Director and Head Guide of Southwest Adventure Guides LLC, based in Durango, CO since 2004.  He is an AMGA Certified Rock & Alpine Guide. He is also a Wilderness First Responder, and AIARE Level 3 Avalanche Certified.

To read more about Southwest Adventure Guides and the trips they offer please visit their website at www.swaguides.com.