path to becoming a guide

Well besides just plain climbing alot i was hoping to get some insight from anyone, espicially those who are working as guides as to some sort of outline as to how to become one.

I've just started climbing over a year ago and know about the AMGA course's and am interested in taking them but it seems even those courses want you to know a ton before you enroll.

I know it takes time and all that but im trying to figure out the best way to learn everything. Anchors, trad and when to start climbing trad, self rescue, everything that would need to be known.

I have a core group of people I climb with and they have taught me some stuff, but understandably they wold rather climb then teach me.

Are there courses i can take or just try and practice whenever possible?

Where are you based out of?

unfortunatly, right outside Chicago. Closest place is Devils Lake, and starved rock for ice climbing. I try to take as many trips also as i can afford and am allowed.

mike526 wrote:unfortunatly, right outside Chicago. Closest place is Devils Lake, and starved rock for ice climbing. I try to take as many trips also as i can afford and am allowed.

How old are you? Who is doing the allowing?

Move as soon as you can if you really want to be a guide. AMGA courses are ok, but get as much real world experience as you can if you really want to be a good guide. Go climbing tons, all areas, rock types, bouldering to alpine to big walls. Get Medical training....W-EMT, it is way better than a WFR, at least on a resume.

I guess you wanted advice besides just climb a lot, but that is going to be the key....You can pay for a AMGA SPI course, and pass the test, but without real world experience, you would just be one of those guys who thinks they know everything, but really only know what they think they were taught.

Also, if you are asking professional advice, fix your grammar and typos. There is simply no reason not to know the difference between "then" and "than", or how to spell "would".

1) Get yourself a full length mirror and spend at least 90 minutes a day in front of it, telling yourself how awesome you are.

2) In between admiring spend as much free time as you have on the internet condemning anyone who has opinions on climbing that differ from yours.

3) Memorize Freedom of the Hills; especially minutia like the percentage in reduction strength of all the knots and the percentage of load held by each strand of a sliding X as a function of angle between them (from 30 - 160 degrees, in 5 degree increments).

4) Return to step 2 and use these figures in pointing out how people could climb safer.

There you go, well on your way to becoming a guide.

Just remember pizza.

Sorry about the grammer and i'm not making excuses, but i've always been horrible with it.

Thanks for the advice.

Why do you want to guide?

Mike,

I guided for many years and retired in my late 30's and went back to school. It is a great career and very rewarding but it takes a lot of commitment to get qualified and build up your client base/reputation. Basically I got tired of living out of a suitcase and having to deal with all of the accidents. Yes, guides get hurt and die.

By the way you won't end up climbing as much as you think you will. Most of the time you are climbing routes you have done many times before, setting up top ropes, etc and when you get a day off the last thing you want to do is go climbing again.

If you want to pursue it, then get as much climbing experience over all types of rock, ice, snow, alpine, whatever to build up a really good base. Then enter in the program and try it for a while before committing to it. It took me 6 years to get my UIAGM qualification in New Zealand.

Specialization is an option and it may work in this country, but I found being able to climb rock, ice, ski, etc really opened up a lot of doors. The money is in guiding the big peaks, such as Everest but that never appealed to me. I would rather spend my days helicopter guiding, living in a nice hotel drinking wine every night! It pays good as well, especially if you do two winters a year like I did. (Canada and New Zealand) Plenty of work in Antarctica as well to fill in the months between seasons.

Anyhow, I'm not sure if this is much of a help to you since I"m not involved with the AMGA, but I did work with them during their application for IFMGA status so I have a understanding of where they're at.

Climbing and skiing were just the means of travel in the outdoors not the reason why I was doing it. I guided because I loved sharing the experience and the environment with clients that eventually became good friends. It's a people business.

Actually, most of the time I never had a client belay me. It was more of a liability. You are basically soloing dragging a rope. The guide can never fall.

What's the difference between a pro guide and a pepperoni pizza?

DaveHerr wrote:What's the difference between a pro guide and a pepperoni pizza?

A guide has various cells made of phospholipid bi-layers using proteins to allow selectivity in solute movement surrounding membrane bound organelles serving specialized functions whereas a peperoni pizza just has plain fatty assets all over it, BWAAAAAAWAAAWHHHHHAAAAAA!!!!!!

good one

DaveHerr wrote:What's the difference between a pro guide and a pepperoni pizza?

The pizza will feed a family of four ;)

All these pizza jokes are pretty funny, but I was able to earn a good living guiding and still have at least 3 months off a year to travel and climb with my wife. I didn't retire due to the lack of money but due to being away from home for almost 9 months a year and my body starting to break down.

In the States it may be more difficult due to the apparent low wages and how everything appears to be controlled by companies. To be successful I think you have to be internationally qualified, have your own client base and pick and choose the type of work you do.

Mark Nelson wrote: A guide has various cells made of phospholipid bi-layers using proteins to allow selectivity in solute movement surrounding membrane bound organelles serving specialized functions whereas a peperoni pizza just has plain fatty assets all over it, BWAAAAAAWAAAWHHHHHAAAAAA!!!!!! good one

Put down the Bio. book Mark, and back away slowly.

spencerparkin wrote: I've always thought that being a guide would be really great because your favorite outdoor activity, climbing, would become your job.

Be prepared: you job is more likely to be belaying. It depends on the area you guide in, but gang roping scouts and other groups is a big part of many guides' routine. You need to be a cheerleader and coach, and derive enjoyment from the progress of others. If you think it's about YOUR climbing, you're in for a rude surprise.

Mike526, you're a real new climber. You have much to learn and experience before you'll be guide material. Not to diss you, but there's a reason why guides tend to be very seasoned climbers. Sure, you can get an AMGA cert like SPI in the early years. But it's quite possible that none of the local guide services would hire you. Or if they did, you'd be on birthday party duty.

Also realize that committing to the full AMGA ride is not cheap. The requisite training and exams cost thousands of $. And dues and mandatory re-certs over even a modest career will add more thousands.

This guy above me is kinda right. I lived in salida before I did something stupid and got a career. But anyway I was a climbing guide for a company there and it was belaying 10-15 year olds all day and making sure they buckled there harness after they ran off to pee. It was still cool though I made 100 bucks a day and fed lunch and I usually only worked 4 to 5 hours. For a guy living in a tent that's nice. Anyway I didn't have any certs or any formal education to guide I just climbed in the area alot and met people. But I will say that the climbing camps payed alot. Kayaking is where the money is thats by the person not by the trip. Good luck.

Well I guess I should clarify. As much as I would love to be a guide,which is my main goal. I would be happy just in the fact of being a profecient and confident climber and am looking for the best way to make this happen. I feel that taking structured courses where things are drilled over and over might be the best way. Then again just climbing alot might be the best way also.

Is there any sort of order as to how to approach things such as.

top rope and learn top rope anchors,
sport lead and learning to thread and clean anchors
then on to trad and multi pitch etc.

Thanks Mike