As many of our members may already know, the AMGA had a significant incident on the I2 Ice Instructor Course on Tuesday January 5, 2016. The purpose of this blog post is to update our membership and interested parties on the status of those involved, to shed light on the facts of the incident and […]
As an avid backcountry skier, ice climber, and mountaineering guide, I generally use two different types of puffy jackets. There’s the big fat down version, which goes on when I stop moving, and there’s the thinner synthetic version, which goes on when I’m moving kind of slowly in really cold temps. Sportiva’s Pegasus 2.0 fits […]
Summary of Forums on Inclusion and Report to the Board of Directors On Thursday, October 22 at the 2015 Annual Meeting, the AMGA hosted forums on inclusion led by Erica Engle and Derek DeBruin. The focus of the forums was gender inclusion in our guides’ association and the guiding industry at large. The forums were […]
European Professional Card (EPC) | Update The AMGA Technical Director Dale Remsberg and AMGA President Rob Hess recently traveled to Zermatt, Switzerland for the 50th anniversary of the IFMGA and the fall general assembly. Here is an important update in regard to the European Professional Card (EPC) from the meeting. The EPC allows EU Mountain […]
La Sportiva launches their apparel into the “freeride touring” category with the Halo Pant. These highly water resistant softshell bottoms arrived at my house bright red and with big old cargo pockets, hardly what I expected coming from the Euro-centric brand. My American Mediums were automatically sized down from their Euro Large; take that into […]
AMGA Partner, Arc’teryx, long known as a leader in outdoor apparel, just made the jump into hard goods by announcing its first ski touring boot and avalanche airbag. Both products represent innovative rethinks of their respective categories, and officially go on sale in fall 2016. “This is the biggest product launch Arc’teryx has ever seen,” says Chris Denny, public relations […]
In November, I had the fortune of testing a 70m Petzl Volta 9.2mm rope, just as I was road tripping through Indian Creek, Moab, Mesquite, and Red Rock. We dragged the rope up long Indian Creek fissures (and fell on it amply). We climbed towers with it. We rappelled on it, and we dragged it […]
It’s safe to say that we are experiencing the golden age of climbing equipment as manufacturers continue to shed weight and bulk. One category that continues to evolve is that of single rated climbing ropes. Now as thin as 8.7mm, many climbers are choosing to opt for the thinnest cords available to lighten their loads […]
Today, Avatech launches the Avanet web and mobile platform, the first crowd-sourced platform for sharing mountain safety information. Avanet allows anyone in our mountain community, from backcountry skiers, to snowmobilers to mountaineers to snow professionals to share their observations, plan their routes, and enjoy the mountains more safely. Avanet has a number of exciting new features: Crowdsourced mountain safety information – […]
AMGA Partner Backcountry Access (BCA) has just released a new, five-part series of free educational videos about snow safety and avalanche awareness. The five webisodes, collectively titled “BCA Backcountry Basics: Get the Goods without Getting Buried,” are designed to get new backcountry riders stoked on snow safety—as well as enrolled in avalanche courses. The videos can be accessed […]