Azissa Singh – 2016 Arc’teryx Scholarship Recipient
A month ago I had never been to Southern California. To Joshua Tree. To the Wonderland of Rocks. In the flaring, insecure chimney of “Right On.” On the unlikely, hollow crimps of “Walk on the Wild Side.” On the inspiring, exposed “Southwest Arête.” Just a month ago I was anxiously awaiting an AMGA Rock Guide Course. Now that the course has concluded I feel a rush of possibility and opportunity. The RGC was an empowering experience and the day has finally arrived- officially an Apprentice Rock Guide! Just as the course allowed me to experience the beauty and challenges of Joshua Tree, I look forward to the objectives and experiences these new skills have empowered me to share with clients.
I began trad climbing just about 2 years ago now when I started an internship at Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School in Western North Carolina. I had arrived there after a few years in outdoor education and indoor climbing facilities. During my pre-Fox era, I took an AMGA Climbing Wall Instructor Course which was a major turning point that helped me realize I could make climbing instruction and guiding a sustainable career. My internship with Fox and the resulting Single Pitch Instructor certification that I was able to achieve solidified this realization. The certified guides and instructors that I worked with inspired me to pursue the type of professionalism and knowledge I would need in the future through further AMGA training. Now, in my post-Fox era, I realize the immeasurable value of the mentorship and ongoing friendships of those guides and instructors. Their involvement in and support of the AMGA helped me find an incredibly supportive, knowledgable, inclusive community that has been indispensable in my personal and professional growth.
Like my previous AMGA courses and exams, what inspired me most about the RGC was my fellow students’ and instructors’ drive to continue learning and growing. Candidates and instructors often arrive with a wealth of knowledge and unique experience but everyone seems eager to squeeze every last drop of learning, feedback, and growth out of the course. The idea that no matter how long you have been working at a skill set there is still constant revision and change- that mastery is an active process rather than a definite endpoint- is a key theme throughout courses and exams. I am also continually impressed by instructors’ humility and openness as well as their ability to create a similar culture among students. Aside from making for an incredible learning environment, these will be key values as our community begins to make more conscious efforts towards inclusivity and accessibility. And with three(!) women in our course, I’d say we’re making pretty good strides in that direction!
I’m beyond excited to have started on guide track programs, and I look forward to continuing on through the Alpine and Ski disciplines. I feel fortunate to have had the AMGA, fellow instructors and guides, friends, and family all there to support me along the way. I’d like to extend an extra special thanks to my friends at Arc’teryx for their continued support of the AMGA and mountain community. It’s hard to imagine how this all would have been possible without their gracious scholarship.
