AMGA Mentioned in Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal“If you thought the 14th hole was pretty that time a rainbow settled onto the green, wait until you get up at 2 a.m., climb into a sky with more stars than you’ve ever seen, and watch a “snowbow” form over the Emmons Glacier at 12,000 feet as the ice crunches under your boots. Such are the glories of mountaineering.” writes Aspen, Colo., resident Glenn Beaton in an October 28 Wall Street Journal article. His audience, older people who are still interested in learning the ropes.

Though Beaton started climbing as a youth, he didn’t get serious until his 40s. And, he says, he didn’t become competent until his early 50s. “I gradually became what I had imagined long ago: a real climber,” he writes. And he’s not alone, he adds. “Every year climbers in their 50s and 60s stand atop Mount Everest.”So how did he, from “the over-the-hill crowd,” get up the hill? By studying instruction books, buying the right gear, training and staying fit, being honest and realistic about your abilities, and, most importantly (at least we think so), is finding “your new best friend”–an AMGA-certified guide.

“The purpose of the guide isn’t so much to show you the way (that’s usually apparent),” he explains. “It is to show you the how. Trial and error isn’t the way to learn climbing; there are no mulligans in this game.” He suggests you form a strong relationship with a good climber who is also a good guide.

Read this excellent article by clicking here.