News and Events

1 May 2008 | Stay Informed Up and Runing on Member Pages!!

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1 May 2008 | 2008 AMGA Annual Meeting

Smith Rock ~ Bend, Oregon
October 19-21, 2008

The AMGA Annual Meeting is a time-honored tradition that brings together the largest gathering of American mountain guides. It is the perfect opportunity for AMGA Members and guides to participate in professional development clinics, share ideas, discuss current issues and celebrate the guiding community.

This year’s Annual Meeting will take place in Smith Rock, Oregon. Smith Rock State Park encompasses 651 acres on the Oregon high desert plateau. There are over 1500 climbing routes in and around the park with some of the best sport climbs in the world. So mark your calendars, buy your tickets….we look forward to seeing you all in Oregon this fall!

Annual Meeting Schedule

Oct. 15-16 ~ SPI Program Instructor Training (new instructors)
Oct. 15-17 ~ WFR Recertification
Oct. 16-17 ~ Leave No Trace Trainer Course
Oct. 17 ~ Board of Directors Climbing Day
Oct. 18 ~ Technical Committee Meeting
Oct. 19 ~Board of Directors Meeting & Opening Night Event
Oct. 20 ~ Professional Development Clinics & Annual Meeting Main Event
Oct. 21~ Professional Development Clinics & Guide Olympics
Oct. 21 ~ SPI Program Director Training (current instructors)
Oct 22 –23 ~ Instructor Pool Training

30 April 2008 | AMGA Board of Directors Upcoming Elections

Nominations Now Being Accepted

As you are enjoying spring and getting ready for your summer guiding season, put some thought into AMGA nominations for the Board of Directors this year. Nominations are due, to Katie Kelly at katie@amga.com by Wednesday, May 28th. Nominees need 6 nominations to make the ballot. This can come from other AMGA members or the BOD. This year we have 5 seats on the ballot. Two current BOD members are eligible to run for a second term.

Each member of the board brings unique perspectives, expertise and skills to help the AMGA chart it’s course and represent you as a professional guide. Perhaps you, or someone you know who would be interested in serving on the BOD? Participate in your professional organization by running, nominating someone, or making the effort to read each candidates position statement and voting this year.

If you have any questions about the BOD, contact Angela Hawse, AMGA Vice President at anghawse@ascentdesigns.com or Katie Kelly, Membership Director, at katie@amga.com.

30 April 2008 | AMGA Forum is LIVE!

All right folks, you asked for it and so here it is. The AMGA Forum is live, up on our website, located under resources. Here you will find:

Announcements and General Information
AMGA Program Information
Regional & International Route Conditions and Beta

The forum page is open to all AMGA Members to provide content and observations. We highly encourage folks to ask questions about programs, arrange car pools for peoples next course or exam, and submit observations/beta from your local areas.

The information contained on our forum has either been given to us or obtained from sources that we deem reliable. We have no reason to doubt its accuracy, but we do not guarantee it. The prospective user of the information should carefully verify each item and all other information contained or referred to on our resources and forum page.

30 April 2008 | AMGA Scoping Comments

Proposed Directives for Forest Service Outfitting and Guiding.

The American Mountain Guides Association offers comments and insights to the officials at the USDA Forest Service in help of the preparation of Proposed Directives for Forest Service Outfitting and Guiding. Attached is a (PDF) of the draft Directives.

Use on land and waters administered by the USDA Forest Service (FS) has historically fallen into three categories:

Special Use Permits (SUP) or Priority Use or commercial use held primarily by outﬁtters and guides. Groups were required to have a SUP if:
- They charged a fee for their services
- Paid their staff
- Advertised to the general public
Thus, many non-proﬁts such as the Sierra Club, NOLS and Outward Bound were required to hold SUPs alongside more traditional for-proﬁt outﬁtters and guides.
Institutional Use. Institutional groups were basically all groups not required to have a SUP – colleges, Scouts, church groups, camps, county recreation programs.
The general public
Predictably, this national policy – attempting to administer thousands of outﬁtters, guides and other groups – developed a number of serious ﬂaws over the decades it was in place:
- Institutional: The FS is by design a decentralized agency. A great deal of authority and discretion is delegated to the ﬁeld. The Institutional category became too large and ill deﬁned. In the eastern states, many colleges were required to secure SUPs. In the west, most colleges ran as institutional users. Confusion reigned over who was required to have permits.
- Access: As the outdoor recreation community has grown, more groups demanded access to FS lands and waters. Predictably, these groups lobbied for simple, reliable access and administrative procedures.
- Administration: As use ballooned, the FS recognized their need to administer and control group use. Managing for resource protection and quality experiences became the order of the day.
- Fees: In the last decade, the FS was granted new authorities to collect and retain user fees. With fee revenues and increasingly important element in their budget the FS had the incentive to bring more groups under administration. As fees have proliferated, many “institutional” groups have lobbied the agency for waivers from fees and any permit requirements.

The Proposed Directives:
The key element in the FS proposal is the division of commercial use into two categories: Priority use and Temporary Use.

Priority Use is essentially unchanged.
Temporary Use: This new category of commercial use is intended to serve groups looking for smaller amounts of intermittent use on a forest.
Institutional Use: An institutional category would remain in place under these policies. Not all groups would be required to register or secure permits. A truly “volunteer” organization that charges no fees – such as a Scout group – would remain free of administration.
Public Use is unchanged.

Temporary Use
Core elements of the Temporary Use category include:

Groups are deemed commercial if they are engaged in the sale of goods or services.
All commercial groups would be required to secure either Priority or Temporary Use. One group can hold both types of permits.
Each forest could create a pool of user days for Temporary users to draw from.
The forest has the authority to design the pool and how use will be allocated: First- come, ﬁrst-served, lottery or “some other method of allocation”.
Applicants are allowed a maximum of 100 days per season or per year [there is a conﬂict in the Directives that needs to be clariﬁed].
Fees will be charged based on the amount of use requested. $150 for up to 50 days. $300 for 51 to 100 days.
While no operating plan is required, FS would control itineraries for all commercial users. Directives are unclear on what kinds of itineraries Temporary groups would qualify for and how Temporary groups would clear requirements for NEPA review.

The AMGA strongly supports Accountable Group Use and Streamlined Access. Under the Streamlined Access draft Directives, the AMGA supports:

Additional commercial access
Potential access for additional/new commercial entities
Streamlined access to new forests and districts
Streamlined administrative procedures and fees

The AMGA offers recommendations and insights on the following topics regarding this draft Directives:

Protecting the Public and Forest Service Resources
Accreditation and Certification Limit Risk
Performance Evaluation
Existing Temporary Permits
Delegation to the Field
Consistency in Policy and Permitting
Insurance
Itineraries
NEPA
Allocation and Non-Use
Increasing Allocation
Priority Use Pool

4 April 2008 | International Guide Festival

Oisans-Ecrins, France May 8-10, 2008

More Information (PDF)

UIAGM Flyer

18 March 2008 | Spring IFMGA Meeting

The spring general meeting of the IFMGA will be held May 7-11, 2008 in La Grave, France

Details:

Wednesday — 7 May meeting of the technical commission
Thursday — 8 May general meeting of the IFMGA 18.00h memory of C. Rey
Friday — 9 May off piste-skiing to St Christoph, buffet museum
Saturday — 10 International mountain guide ski race

Inscriptions and information: www.montagne-oisans.com or c.sillon@tourisme-oisans.com

The IFMGA info-brochure is printed. For each mountain guide we will hand out one in La Grave. Please tell me how many you need for your associations until end of march: ivbvuiagm@bluewin.ch

Please send all your agenda of the mountain guide training in your association to the president of the technical commission, Alexis Mallon: alexis.mallon@wanadoo.fr

On the 23/25 May in Arnes, Tarragona, Spain, will be held an international Canyoning meeting. Look at www.feec.org/Activitats/barrancs/gorgs.php?_lang

The cable cars from Pila, Aosta, Italy makes a reduction of the prices of 75% for the mountain guides, please present your valid carnet.

The annual fee must be paid until 15 April 2008 I will no send invoices. The fee is CHF 20.- or €12.- for each guide who is not older then 60 years!

Please inform your functionaries delegates and members Thank you for your collaboration.

Best regards, Armin Oehrli, secretary IFMGA

18 March 2008 | Petzl ~ Official Headlamp Sponsor of the AMGA

Boulder, CO- Petzl America becomes the Official Headlamp Sponsor of the AMGA.

The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) is pleased to announce that Petzl America has joined the AMGA as its newest Diamond Level Partner.

As the Official Headlamp Sponsor of the AMGA, Petzl America will help keep dark nights in the mountain alight by providing headlamps to core members of the AMGA Instructor Team and to select Certified Guides. In addition to the headlamp provisions, Petzl will offer a one full-tuition scholarship to an AMGA member per year. "As a Diamond Partner, we will actively participate in promoting the highest standards of professional guiding through education and certification," says Mark Givens, Sports Division Manager for Petzl America.

Petzl's core values of safety, education, and innovation are consistent with the AMGA mission and the fact that Petzl has been supporting the AMGA since 1990 shows their level of commitment to the guiding profession in the United States. "We are very excited to name Petzl the Official Headlamp Sponsor of the AMGA. We hope that other companies will see Petzl's proactive approach as an opportunity to support working guides and instructors," says Betsy Novak, Executive Director of the AMGA.

Petzl has joined the AMGA as one of eight Diamond level Partners.. A large percentage of the Diamond level partnership funds go directly to AMGA members in the form of subsidized exams and full tuition scholarships.

Petzl America is the U.S. division of Petzl, headquartered in France. For over 50 years, Petzl has been developing innovative tools and techniques used by those entering the vertical world. Today, the Petzl brand is closely associated with adventure, exploration, rescue, and many notable exploits in the worlds of rock climbing and alpinism. Petzl climbing hardware and headlamps can be found in outdoor specialty shops and premium sporting goods retailers around the world. For more information, log on to www.petzl.com.

The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) is an educational non-profit organization that supports the climbing and alpine community by training climbing instructors, skiing instructors and mountain guides. Using internationally accepted standards, the AMGA provides certification and accreditation to enhance the quality of services available to the public, while serving as a resource for accessing and protecting the natural environment. For more information please visit www.amga.com.

18 March 2008 | New Partners Join AMGA in 2008

Please welcome New Partners to the AMGA

Please welcome New Partners to the AMGA The AMGA continues to grow our Corporate Partner Program and after meeting with current and potential partners at this winter's Outdoor Retailer Trade Show we would like to thank our core partners for their continued support and welcome on board new partners for 2008.

Petzl America signed on as the newest Diamond Partner of the AMGA and will become the official headlamp sponsor of our organization. Our Diamond Partners are committed to making a difference in the AMGA mission and the impact of its certified guides throughout the world. Diamond Partners contribute at least $10,000 each year and might sponsor courses and exams for an entire calendar year in a specific discipline, create a scholarship program in their company's name, or provide essential gear for the Instructor Team and programs by becoming a proud product sponsor of the AMGA.

Montrail came back on board for 2008 as a Benefactor Partner increasing their annual contribution to include one full-tuition scholarship open to candidates enrolled in any Rock or Alpine Program. Our Benefactors play a vital role in AMGA's continuing success by contributing at least $3,000 each year to our scholarship programs or extending our education, training, and certification activities. The AMGA counts on the critical mass of its Benefactor partners to enhance AMGA activities throughout the world.

Five Ten, Trango and Security National Insurance raised the bar by becoming Patron Partners of the AMGA. Our Patrons contribute at least $1,500 each year to support AMGA initiatives across a wide range of activities.

Atlas Snow-shoe Co., Kahru and Life Link have signed on as Supporting Partners of the AMGA. Becoming a Supporting Partner is a great way for individuals and companies alike to make a difference for the guiding community, Supporters contribute at least $500 each year to sustain AMGA's activities and programs.

We would like to give a warm welcome to all new AMGA Partners as well as a big thanks to all our current AMGA Partners. We could not do what we do without your support and generosity....!

12 March 2008 | Inaugural Certified Guides Federation Newsletter Now Available

Download Copy of CGF Newsletter Today

CGF Newsletter (PDF)

12 March 2008 | Climbing Wall Summit — PROVIDER WORKSHOP for CWI Instructors

Special Post-Conference Two Day Workshop

Title: Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program Provider Course
 Dates: May 5th — 6th
 Location: Boulder Rock Club, Boulder, CO 
Start Time: 8 a.m. May 5th
 End Time: 5 p.m.
 Cost: $195.00

Presenter: John Bicknell, Owner, Boulder Rock Club and Colorado Mountain School
 Email: jbicknell@totalclimbing.com
 Website: www.totalclimbing.com

Presenter's Bio:

John Bicknell is the owner of The Colorado Mountain School and The Boulder Rock Club (Total Climbing). Unlike most business owners, John spends nearly all his time on rock, ice and snow and is an AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide. John devotes considerable time and energy to leadership in the field and serves as the Board President of the American Mountain Guides Association. John has also been trained as a first responder; Outward Bound Instructor, Course Director and Lead Technical Trainer; and is an expert in avalanche safety. A father of three, John enjoys working with climbers of all ages and abilities.

Before climbing, John played college baseball at Harvard and three years of pro ball. He then earned a Master’s degree from the University of California 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. He and his wife, Patty, eventually bought the BRC and CMS. He’s guided in Alaska, Nepal, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and throughout the lower 48. He’s also climbed in Africa, Canada, France and Switzerland. Wherever he is, all forms of climbing interest him: "Rock, ice, alpine, plastic -- I love it all."

Workshop Description:

This training will provide an overview for the AMGA/CWA Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI) Certification Program for prospective instructor pool members. It is intended that as the program evolves, this training will also serve as continuing education option for Instructor Pool members. The provider training will not be stand-alone; prior to teaching a Climbing Wall Instructor Certification course, prospective instructor pool members must also co-teach/observe a complete Climbing Wall Instructor course.

This training will review Program and Instructor Pool policies, the CWA Industry Practices, the student manual and curricula, and general course flow. A significant portion of the training will be spent in scenarios to develop provider skills in consistent nationwide delivery of course content, fair student evaluation, providing effective student feedback, risk management and student safety during the course, and in developing instructor pool consensus in pass/fail standards.

Training Goals

To educate Instructor Pool members in the Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program and to prepare Instructor Pool members to be effective advocates for the program. 
To help Instructor Pool members understand the program's policies and procedures.
To train Instructor Pool members to administer and deliver courses within the CWI Certification Program and to familiarize candidates with program materials. 
To train Instructor Pool members in the CWA Industry Practices.
To train Instructor Pool members in the Program curricula.
To train Instructor Pool members in evaluating and applying course standards, use of the evaluation instrument, and how to assess climbing wall students consistently and fairly. 
To communicate the risk management and safety measures to be employed during the course. 
To ensure that the Climbing Wall Program is delivered with consistency and the highest quality possible.
To provide a forum for Instructor Pool members to have questions answered and discuss program issues.

Training Format

Two day, sixteen hour course. Some lecture, but emphasis on group discussion of program and curricula. Second day primarily review of course flow and scenarios to help prospective Instructor Pool members be able to provide a consistent course, consistent feedback to students, and agree to a consistent standard of examination.

Workshop Outline:

Overview of CWI Certification Program

Rationale for Program
Nature of AMGA/CWA partnership
Place of CWI Program within framework of US Climbing Instructor Training
Discussion of Program Choices, e.g. Climbing Wall Instructor vs. Climbing Wall Manager

Maintaining the Program

Program policies and procedures
Instructor Pool policies
Training trainers - creating an open instructor pool while maintaining consistency and standards.
Trainer/Course review - quality control issues
Adequate facilities - quality control issues.

The CWA Industry Practices

The purpose and limitations of the Industry Practices
The topics covered by the Industry Practices
Review of practices pertinent to the CWI Certification Program
Client Orientation, Training, and Assessment
Personal Protective Equipment
Climbing and Facility Operations
Annexes

The Curricula - CWI Certification Program Student Manual

Manual Review
Course Topics and Goals
Course Prerequisites - discussion: dealing with disabilities
Understanding practical risk management
Indoor vs. outdoor climbing
Climbing movement
Facility review and equipment use
Belay skills
Orientation and instruction
Bouldering and spotting
Rescue and emergency procedures
Incident response and documentation
General Discussion - what to include and leave out

Sample Course Flow

Pre-course assignments. Written quiz and lesson plan assignments.
Goal - to help students arrive on course prepared to present and teach

Scenarios and Exercises

Sample CWI candidates teaching a bouldering session. Demonstration of trainer review and feedback.
Developing consensus on standards. Risk management concerns.
Review of belay techniques using a tube or plate device and an auto-locking device to develop Instructor Pool consistency. Discussion: What techniques are common in a climbing gym, but not preferred?
Defeating the cam in auto locking belay devices, how and under what circumstances. What to include and exclude?
Sample CWI candidates teaching indoor top rope class. Trainer review and feedback. Pass/fail standards
Risk management concerns - when to intervene?
Sample CWI candidates teaching indoor lead climbing class. Trainer review and feedback. Pass/fail standards.
Risk management concerns - when to intervene?

Technical Rescue

Review of belay escape and snatch to develop Instructor Pool consistency. Discussion: what to include and exclude?
Review of essential safety measures to employ when teaching belay escape and snatch to develop  Instructor Pool consistency.  Scenario to develop pass/fail standards and risk management consensus.

Training Review and Debrief

14 February 2008/ For Immediate Release

CWA and AMGA CREATE Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program

Contact: Betsy Novak, Executive Director
Phone: 303.271.0984
Email: betsy@amga.com

Boulder, Colorado, 2/12/2008 — The Climbing Wall Association (CWA) and the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) signed an MOU to establish a Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI) Certification Program for climbing instructors throughout the USA.

The CWA/AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program has been piloted since April of 2007 in Colorado, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Seven courses have run to date with more scheduled for 2008 as the program gains momentum. Over thirty students participated in the initial courses which were used to evaluate the concept of a climbing-wall-specific certification. The courses were well-received by the students and were quite successful. The first course to train future CWI providers will be offered at the 2008 Climbing Wall Summit in Boulder, Colorado. The course will be taught by AMGA President and Certified Rock and Alpine Guide John Bicknell.

The program addresses the basic technical skills necessary to manage an instructional program at a climbing facility. The course covers general topic areas such as: client orientation and instruction; teaching general climbing skills including movement; teaching top-rope and lead belaying techniques; equipment and facility use; and rescue and emergency procedures.

“This joint program with the CWA will be a great addition to the programs currently offered by the AMGA,” stated Betsy Novak, Executive Director of the AMGA. “This program will provide for a definitive, nation-wide certification for climbing instructors. The AMGA is a great partner in this effort given their internationally recognized experience offering credentialing programs,” stated Bill Zimmermann, Executive Director of the CWA.

About the AMGA

For over 25 years, the American Mountain Guides Association has been dedicated to supporting the guiding community through excellence in education, standards and certification to enhance the quality of services provided to the public while serving as a resource for accessing and protecting the natural environment. As a group, the AMGA presents a strong, unified voice for high standards of the professionalism of guiding and climbing instruction in the United States. The AMGA is our nation’s sole representative to the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), the international governing body responsible for guiding standards and education around the world. For more information please visit www.amga.com

About the CWA

The CWA is a 501(c)(06), non-profit, industry trade association for manufacturers of climbing wall equipment, builders of climbing walls, operators of commercial climbing gyms, and others involved in the climbing gym industry. The mission of the Climbing Wall Association is to support the development of the climbing wall industry, to promote the sport of climbing, and to advocate for the interests of our members. The CWA offers standards for the operation of climbing walls, an insurance program for climbing facilities, standards-based training, and risk management consulting for member organizations.

18 January 2008/ 2008 AMGA Program Catalog Now Available

--Download PDF Copy of 2008 Catalog--

The All New 2008 AMGA Program Catalog is now available for download. Sporting all new photos and updated content, as well as the newly revised Program Application, this catalog is sure to become a collectors item. Click on PROGRAMS in the menu bar above and then select 2008 Program Catalog.

3 January 2008/ Bela Vadasz: 30 Years of Alpine Guiding

From Cowboy Guide to the Peak of His Profession, This Nor Cal Alpinist Has Led the Way

An only child, Bela’s formative childhood years were spent exploring the Sierra with his father, Bela, and mother, Eva.

“My family immigrated when I was three and I grew up in San Francisco and I had a really good opportunity with my parents to visit the Sierra — a lot. … In 1959, I pretty much started skiing and backpacking and peak bagging with my parents, and so I just got that deep-rooted love for the Sierra.”

Around this time, the backpacking boom of the ‘60s was getting underway. A young Bela was able to tag along on harder core trips with his dad’s Austrian friends, who shared a lot of their mountain savvy with him. “They inspired me tremendously,” he recalls.

Common destinations included the Tuolumne Meadows high country, Cathedral Peak and Mt. Lyell in Yosemite.

“We’d do like an 1l-day trip from Tioga Pass to Devil’s Postpile by Mammoth,” Bela remembers. “When I got a little older, about 10, we’d do a lot of peak ascents along the way – Class 2 (off-trail scrambling), Class 3 peaks (hand/foot holds needed), until we had to turn back … We didn’t know how to use a rope, didn’t have a rope.”

--All Inventory Lost--

--Subscriptions and Company Operations to Continue Without Interruption--

On December 5, at approximately 11 a.m. CST, an Oregon, Illinois, warehouse that contained all of Alpinist Magazine's inventory--back issues, hats, shirts, water bottles, stickers, coffee mugs--burned to the ground. Nothing was salvaged.

According to news reports, a forklift operator backed into a gas line in the warehouse, which was owned by the Kable News Company, a fulfillment company that provides subscription services for magazines such as Alpinist. The forklift punctured a gas line; the escaping gas was then ignited by a nearby space heater. The warehouse's twenty employees escaped without injury, but by the time the 200-plus firefighters arrived from twenty area fire departments to combat the blaze, there was little they could do but let the two-story building burn to the ground.

Rockford, Illinois', WREX-TV reported Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller as saying that the building was essentially "a box of timber." "And we're still trying to figure out why the sprinkler system was shut off in this building," Heller, who estimated the damage at as much as $8 million, was quoted as saying.

For the Jackson, Wyoming-based Alpinist LLC, the fire came at a particularly critical time.

"The destruction of our entire inventory, including all our back issues, would have been bad enough. This one, though, came in the middle of the holidays--our bread-and-butter season," said Alpinist publisher Marc Ewing. "We're dealing with details such as insurance and inventory loss at the moment, but the fire hasn't affected subscription fulfillment in the least."

"The silver lining has been the response from the climbing community," said Alpinist co-founder Christian Beckwith. "We've received emails of support from around the world, and numerous readers have resubscribed or subscribed for the first time. Regardless of what it means to us as a business, as climbers the value of such responses is immense."

Alpinist owners and employees are continuing to finish work on Issue 23, which is due to ship to the printers on December 13 (it will be in stores March 1, 2008). They are also continuing their work on The 2008 Alpinist Film Festival, which is being held January 17-20, 2008, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

"We've put far too much work into Alpinist to let a fire slow us down," said Ewing. "But we are thinking of creating a commemorative t-shirt that reads, 'Official Alpinist Fork Lift Operator'. One day, we want to look back on this and have a good laugh."

About The Alpinist Film Festival

The Alpinist Film Festival celebrates the adventure lifestyle across disciplines and generations with three nights of film in skiing, surfing and climbing. The Festival's mission is to advance the art of cinematographic storytelling as it underscores the unity among the adventure lifestyle communities. A portion of every year's proceeds are donated to charities that help preserve the places of our inspiration. Because one of these places is our planet, beginning in 2008, the Festival will purchase carbon offsets to counteract its carbon footprint. Film Festival information can be found at www.alpinist.com/film_festival.

About Alpinist Magazine

Hailed by Italian climbing legend Reinhold Messner as "The best climbing magazine in the world today," Alpinist Magazine is an archival-quality, quarterly publication dedicated to world alpinism and adventure climbing. The pages of Alpinist capture the art of ascent in its most powerful manifestations, presenting an articulation of climbing and its lifestyle that matches the intensity of the pursuit itself. Alpinist has been awarded three Maggie Awards, for Best Quarterly/Consumer Division, Best Overall Design, and Best Electronic Newsletter, and was featured in a seven-page article in Outside Magazine ("The Purists") in March 2005. The magazine's editorial and publishing offices are based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and online at HYPERLINK "http://www.alpinist.com" www.alpinist.com.

3 December 2007 | New AMGA Logo Use Policy

The AGMA has created a new logo use policy. Standardization of the AMGA logo and terminology used with it will help the public have a clear understanding of the AMGA and its various certification levels.

During the 2007 Annual Meeting the Board of Directors elected to create individual logos for each certification category. These logos are in the final design stage and will be available soon to our certified members. Along with the new logos, the Board of Directors also decided to adopt a licensing agreement stipulating how the logos are to be used. The logo use policy can be found here.

When requesting a logo for a discipline you are certified in, you must first submit a signed copy of the licensing agreement which will be available soon as a PDF on the website. Once the office receives your request for a logo and a signed licensing agreement, the ofice will send you a a JPEG copy of the logo.

As mentioned before both the logos and the licensing agreement will be available soon. Please contact the office if you have any questions and/or comments.

3 December 2007 | Disciplinary Procedures and Code of Ethics

At this years Annual Meeting in Yosemite, we successfully amended our by-laws and code of ethics, enabling the AMGA to raise its standards, to have a forum in which to address misconduct, and to strengthen our credibility with land managers.

As active members of the AMGA community it is important for all of use to be up-to-date on the latest changes taking place within our organization. In an effort to constantly improve, the Board of Directors in cooperation with the Technical Committee adopted a new Code of Ethics and instituted a set of Disciplinary Procedures. These steps are intended to raise the professionalism of our organization.

Please take a moment to look over these two documents. They can be found at, Code of Ethics(http://amga.com/about/code_of_ethics.php) and Disciplinary Procedure (http://amga.com/about/disciplinary_procedure.php).

1 November 2007 | Celebrating 10 Years as an IFMGA Member

Yosemite National Park, CA, October 21-23, 2007

The AMGA 2007 Annual Meeting in Yosemite, CA was a huge success! We had a great turnout ~ lots of good climbing, good food and good people. The atmosphere was productive and fun. It seemed that people enjoyed themselves and were genuinely excited to be there. The Professional Development Clinics went smoothly and the AMGA raised over $4,000 with the Silent Auction and Raffle. Overall the event was great and it would not have been possible without the help of a lot of folks.

First, we would like to thank our Title Sponsor, Patagonia and Opening Night Sponsor, Marmot. A big thanks goes out to OR, Arc'Teryx, Black Diamond, Gore, Brooks-Range, The North Face, Petzl, and Mammut .... we could not have done it without your support.

Also, we would like to thank Kyle and Cindy Lefkoff for their contribution to the this years meeting as well as their continued support of the AMGA.

Many thanks go out to Sara and Dave Bengston & Yosemite Mountaineering School for all their help and support in organizing this year's annual meeting and BOD dinner.

We were delighted that Lynn Hill was able to be the Presenter at 2007 meeting. Lynn presented a phenomenal slide show, Rocks Around the World ~ Tour and Technique, at our Main Event. Lynn's feats in Yosemite are legendary as well as her entire climbing history. It was a true pleasure having her join us in the Valley.

Thanks to Doug Nidever and his crew for organizing another incredible Guide Olympics.....I had the opportunity to participate and it was a definite highlight in my week.

Also, were would we have been without the gracious beer donations from New Belgium Brewery and Sierra Neveda. Cheers to you!

AMGA 2008 Board of Directors:

John Bicknell, Margaret Wheeler, Angela Hawse, Rob Hess, Phil Powers, John Race, Jim Williams, Keith Garvey, Pete Takeda, Jim Pearson, John Winsor, Peter Gould, Adam Fox, Dale Remsberg, Evan Stevens….We would also like to welcome Angela Hawse as the new AMGA Vice President.

Thank you past BOD Members:

Maury McKinney, Matt Brooks, Clint Cook, Dave Bengston, and Alan Jolley.

AMGA 2007 Awards:

This years Award recipients were honored and celebrated at the Annual Meeting with a great turnout in a most inspiring venue, Yosemite National Park. The Lifetime Achievement in Guiding Award went to George Hurley for his 50+years career as a mountain guide. He is one of the few who has put more first ascents than anyone and has more loving clients around the USA than most will ever dream of….he’s an inspiration for all of us other guides and climbers.

The Outstanding Guide of the Year Award went to Rob Hess, an owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, AMGA Technical Director and IFMGA Certified Guide. As Technical Director and AMGA Director, in the 2006-7 season, Rob impressively lead the implementation of the AMGA's Training and Certification Program restructure. He did this with speed and urgency and with this, has left a legacy for all present and future American guides. This restructure will greatly benefit all candidates who aspire to become professional guides in the industry.

The President’s Award honored Peter Absolon, the NOLS Rocky Mountain director and former AMGA board member, in recognition of his guiding, climbing skills and love of the mountains. Peter died Saturday, August. 10, 2007 in a rock-fall accident at the Leg Lake Cirque in the Wind River Range. Peter was a passionate climber and will be dearly missed.

Winner of 2007 Guide Olympics:

Gentleman of Leisure - Evan Stevens, Joe Vallone, Amos Whiting.

1 November 2007 | Official Medical Provider of the AMGA ~ Steadman Hawkins Clinic and Vail Valley Medical Center

Calling all Certified Guides….If you don’t already know about our partnership with Vail Valley Medical Center, please read on…..

Vail Valley Medical Center is the exclusive hospital provider to the AMGA ~ Benefits

Access to Travel Clinic:
AMGA certified guides have access to the VVMC travel clinic before and/or after an international or domestic expedition. This includes scheduled consultations and services free of charge to the certified guide. Including but not limited to advice, vaccinations and prescriptions. First aid and trauma supplies are the responsibility of the guide and AMGA. Prescriptions may be given but obtaining and paying for the medications are the responsibility of the guide/AMGA.

Access to Phone Consultations:
AMGA certified guides will have 24 hour, seven day a week access to a designated trauma specialist for phone consultations from the satellite phone in the field to assist in the management of medical emergencies. Dr. Tom Hackett and Dr. Reginald Francious are the primary contact personnel.

Sponsorship
VVMC provides sponsorship to the AMGA for two certified guides to attend the ski and snowboard medical emergencies CME conference held annually in Beaver Creek, CO. A great opportunity to expand your knowledge in outdoor medical emergencies.

This is a unique opportunity for all AMGA Certified Guides. Please feel free to contact the office at 3030.271.0984 or HYPERLINK "mailto:Katie@amga.com" Katie@amga.com with any questions.