Erin Smart – 2016 Julie Cheney Culberson Educational Fund Recipient
I thank the AMGA and the Julie Cheney Culberson for helping me realize my decade long dream of becoming an IFMGA/AMGA mountain guide. The alpine exam I just took, with the help of the memorial fund allowed me to realize this dream.
I began the AMGA process in 2010, with the Ski Guide Course. I hadn’t worked as a guide yet, so I viewed that course as a way to feel out the profession a bit while learning. I was immediately hooked. That following summer, I received my first job working as a guide in the Cascades. I mainly ran trips up and down Mount Baker, and I loved it.
Over the last six years, my journey to this last exam has been, well, just that: a journey. I have grown as a guide, a person, and have found my own personal style of guiding incorporating all the amazing craft that has been taught to me over the years. The toolbox of the Mountain Guide is varied, and I have gained so much throughout my education with the AMGA.
I entered the program as a skier, but for me, the goal was always to complete the entire process. I knew I was going to have to work hard for the climbing and alpine certifications. I put my head down, and trained as best I could to turn myself into a full Mountain Guide. What’s so amazing about the process though, is you truly are just at the minimum standard when you finish your last exam. The education of the mountain guide is never complete. That’s what makes this career so engaging and dynamic, there is always more to learn.
I never knew Julie Cheney Culberson, but from what I’ve learned about her, she would have been an incredible mentor to so many, including me. Her story inspires me and I want to live up to her style of guiding and living in my years to come. She brought out the best in the people around her, showing them how to see the optimism, light, and adventure in life. I hope to do the same with my new license, guiding people around the world, and helping them to see the best in themselves and others around them.
I will spend my first year as an AMGA/IFMGA mountain guide being based in La Grave, France. When I first started the process, working as a ski guide in La Grave was part of the dream. I am beyond words now that this decade long goal is becoming a reality. You really can push yourself farther than you know with the right motivation. I fought my own self disbelief almost every step of the way. But with a solid education, amazing mentors, and dedicated training year round, I managed to silence that voice in my head, and instead just stayed focused on the end goal.
I owe so much to the AMGA program. Its provided me with an incredible community of mentors, colleagues and friends, taught me the necessary skills to realize my life’s dream, and progress my career. Thank you!
