Backcountry.com Helps Guides Get With the Times

Guides get with the timesWhat’s the difference between the guides, instructors, and local experts on Detour? A recent article on www.mountainonline.com called, “Guides Get With the Times,” talks about just that in it’s article about Detour, a new online marketplace created by Backcountry.com that connects guides/aspiring guides with clients. Featuring former AMGA Program Director, Henry Beyer, as well as AMGA-IFMGA guide Jesse Williams and others, the article explains that there’s a big difference between these types of guides.

“To become a certified AMGA single pitch instructor (SPI) requires five days of training and assessment,” says the article’s author, Olivia Dwyer. “But an AMGA accredited rock guide completes 26 days of coursework, with exams. And think of an IFMGA badge as the equivalent of a doctorate. Those with the pin notch more than 90 class days, plus medical and avalanche training. Then hundreds of days in the field honing required skills.”

This article is particularly relevant as the AMGA just introduced a new Technical & Program Update, “AMGA Titles for Training and Certification Levels Redefined.” Click here to read the new AMGA nomenclature.