John Bicknell

As of 2007, John Bicknell is the current AMGA Board President. He is a certified AMGA Rock Guide who teaches in the Rock Program and one of the mentors in the TRSM program. He has also been involved in the development of the highly regarded American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education since their start. During his 15 years as an instructor, course director and lead technical trainer for Outward Bound, John created several new courses involving higher levels of mountaineering and rock climbing As a present owner of the Colorado Mountain School, John devotes considerable time and energy to developing guide training and curricula standards. In one of his first actions as CMS owner, John created a fund to help our guides pursue AMGA training and certification. “I strongly believe U.S. guiding needs to become more professional; the AMGA provides that path, and CMS guides are firmly on that path.”

Before climbing, John played college baseball at Harvard and three years of pro ‘ball. He then earned a master’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and worked as an earthquake geologist, but found himself increasingly drawn to outdoor adventure. By 1991 he was climbing and guiding full-time. Married and a father of three, John has guided in Alaska, Nepal, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and throughout the lower 48 and climbed all over the world.