2016 Walker Family Foundation Scholarship Recipient – Jeff Witt
My first vision of becoming a mountain guide occurred in 1999, when I passed through the Tetons and took an Alpine Guiding Course from Exum Mountain Guides. At the time, I was an aspiring rock and alpine climber that wanted to learn how to move faster on technical terrain. It was impressive how the Exum guides could move their clients so efficiently through terrain in a manner that I struggled to as a recreational climber. The handful of basic guiding skills I learned in that four day course opened my mind to what was possible when it came to moving efficiently through the mountains. It was an epiphany and led to an offer of being an apprentice guide at Exum for the summer.
Two years later found me in the Alps, building my alpine resume to earn a place on Exum’s Guide Roster. Traveling through the range and climbing in several different regions gave me a tremendous respect for the IFMGA guides that I would encounter on a regular basis in the mountains. They were familiar and at ease with the complex mountains of the Alps, were well traveled and also climbed at a high level. During that trip, I joined an aspiring IFMGA guide for a climb in the Bernese Oberland. I assumed we would bivy on the 7000ft route, but he insisted we could easily climb it in a day, and solo no less! As we climbed the last steps to the summit, having started from the train station some six and a half hours earlier, I started to understand why the European guides have such an impressive reputation. They earned it by performing at such a high level. That trip continued to open my eyes to both what is possible in guiding, and also what it would mean be to be a mountain guide by the European standards. My dream to be an IFMGA Mountain Guide was kindled.
The challenge of rising to that standard of guiding is another story though. It wasn’t until 2006, some five years later, that it became clear to me that I would need more mentorship and instruction that what I was finding at Exum, to become the guide I wanted to be. I was in my fourth year as an alpine guide and had been promoted to Full Time Guide status, but was also starting to understand just how limited and specific my skills were to a certain type of terrain. That was when I started pursuing education from the AMGA. I again caught a glimpse of what is possible in our profession, getting involved in the Rock and Alpine disciplines to start, following in the Ski Discipline when I realized that was the best way to round out my education. That process in its whole provided an understanding of the standards of skill and care in our profession. Working through all three disciplines to the highest level of AMGA training not only helped develop my skill set tremendously, but has also kept my eyes open to what separates the exceptional guides from the rest of the crop.
Ten years later, as I stand at the door of IFMGA certification, I am once again learning what is possible in our profession. By obtaining AMGA Mountain Guide certification, one has been given their journeyman’s license, but the education and tools gained by this process yet scratch the surface of what it means to be a master at the trade. So many of the mentors I’ve had along the way have demonstrated this, and I strive to one day also be able to mentor guides and help them improve their craft. Above all, I look forward to the continuing journey, and practicing my trade in the mountains!
Sincerely, Jeff Witt
