Commercial Services: A critical piece in the puzzle

Determination of Extent Necessary for Commercial Services By Scott Massey, Advocacy Director  Note: We had to cut this version in the GUIDE Bulletin due to space constraints. The full article and references appear here. How do land managers determine how many commercial service providers, including mountain guides, they allow to operate in designated wilderness? This […]

Honoring Cole Kennedy

Cole Kennedy, by John Collis

Text and photo by John Collis Cole and I first met when we were randomly assigned as roommates our freshman year of college. It wasn’t too long after that we were taking long road trips around the Rockies and scaring ourselves climbing. Even from those early days I could tell that Cole was a person […]

Editor’s Corner: Honoring Our Fallen Guides, 2014

By Betsy Winter, AMGA Executive Director In an effort to honor the lives of our fallen guides, we will be including personal stories by the friends and colleagues of these fallen guides on the blog and in the GUIDE Bulletin. 2014 was a particularly difficult one for the guiding world; we lost six people—Eitan Shalom […]

Congrats New American Mountain Guide Jayson Simons-Jones

Jayson Simons-Jones. Photo by Alpinelogic.com

(Top photo by Silas Rossi of AlpineLogic.com. Email [email protected]) Text by Editorial staff, Editors note, Jan 5, 2015: Jayson just launched a brand new website for his business Lotus Alpine Adventures. Check it out. Jayson Simons-Jones started pursuing full American Mountain Guide status in 2002, when he took his first AMGA Course/Exam–Top Rope Site Management. […]

Patagonia’s Nano-Air Hoody: The Leave It On Jacket

Our trusty gear tester and newly pinned American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide, Rob Coppolillo, recently submitted this review on Patagonia’s Nano-Air™ Hoody, which he tested over a few weeks in Boulder, Colorado, while guiding, climbing, cycling, chasing kids, teaching a self-rescue course, and just “during the madness of everyday life.” AMGA: What makes this piece ideal […]

SPI Course Expectations: For the Prospective Student

By Matt Shove, Apprentice Alpine Guide, Certified SPI and Rock Instructor I often feel very fortunate to be able to talk to almost every Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) Course or Assessment candidate over the telephone. Some call it screening, others an interview, but for me, I call it full disclosure. I like it when every […]

Congrats New American Mountain Guide Mike Arnold

Congratulations American Mountain Guide Mike Arnold! Arnold first started the AMGA process February 2010. He took his first Ski Guide Course at Snoqualmie Pass, Wash. Nearly four years later on September 25, 2014, after just after turning 27, he finished The AMGA Programs to receive his American Mountain Guide/IFMGA certification. “It was one of the […]

On Eitan Shalom Green…

Eitan Shalom Green

By Sheldon Kerr, Assistant Ski Guide Shalom. Jeff Green, Eitan’s father, asked that I share these words with you: Eitan loved the guiding community. He left us with a wonderful family of people he worked and played with in the mountains since beginning his work life in Seattle and Ouray. At the same time, he […]

Geoff Unger Reviews Osprey’s Rev 12 Backpack

American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide Geoff Unger tested Osprey’s Rev 12 Backpack while preparing to teach and while teaching an Alpine Guide Exam in Leavenworth and the Cascades, Washington. He found the pack to be functional and durable.

American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide Geoff Unger tested Osprey’s Rev 12 Backpack while preparing to teach and while teaching an Alpine Guide Exam in Leavenworth and the Cascades, Washington. He found the pack to be functional, yet more appropriate as a trail running backpack or a hiking pack. AMGA: What makes this piece good for climbing/ice climbing? […]

New American Mountain Guide: Rob Coppolillo

Mike Arnold and Rob Coppolillo

Text & photo by Editorial Staff (Mike Arnold on the left, Rob on the Right) One of our favorite gear testers and excellent writer Rob Coppolillo became an American Mountain Guide September 2014, after starting the process in January 2007 with his Ski Guide Course. We chatted with him about his perspective on the process. […]