AMGA Sets a Standard in Climbing Instruction

MONDAY, 17 MARCH 2008

2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the AMGA’s climbing instructor programs in the USA. In 1998, the AMGA created what was to become the national standard in American Climbing Instructor Certification: AMGA Top Rope Site Manager Program. This January, after three years of national and international input from guides, university professors, climbing instructors, independent studies, and the UIAA International Training Standard Working Group (TSWG), the AMGA is setting a standard in climbing instruction to replace the TRSM: the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor™ Program.

The AMGA SPI Program has had an amazing start. Extra SPI Assessments have already been hosted around the country to accommodate the advent of the new standard. Scores of currently certified AMGA Top Rope Site Managers are upgrading their certification to SPI. Furthermore, the AMGA is seeing an overwhelming interest in the new program from instructors who are taking the training for the first time. Candidates are realizing that the new SPI Program is much more user-friendly than the TRSM with a three-day course and two-day assessment and simpler process of recertification after three years. Candidates are also excited about the terrain that is available to the Single Pitch Instructor. Whereas in the old TRSM Program, instructors were only allowed to work at cliffs where they access the top of the site, a Single Pitch Instructor is certified to lead and can therefore access cliff-lines, ledges, or fixed anchors from the base of the climbing site.

Additionally, thanks to the support of AMGA Instructors and University Professors, the SPI curriculum includes more emphasis on instructional skills and teaching climbing movement. The AMGA is committed to working with external Outdoor Educational Professionals to continue to improve the SPI Program and create stronger bonds with University Programs.

"As a university professor that used the AMGA Top Rope Site Manager, and now the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program, I can attest to both the value of the high standards adhered to by the AMGA and its instructors and the quality of instruction that the AMGA instructors provide. Both of these components are essential in facilitating those of us in Higher Education to provide safe and effective rock site management and rope handling skills for our college students."
- Alan Ewert Ph.D Indiana University

The AMGA SPI Program is currently going through the lengthy and intensive accreditation process to become the sole American association endorsed by the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme). The UIAA has been working on standards and endorsing national training and assessment programs for climbing instruction for many years. Since they represent the international standard in climbing instruction, gaining endorsement would bring the USA up to the standard that 28 other nations have met. This process has so far taken two years, and the AMGA hopes to complete the review process and gain the endorsement of the UIAA in 2008. The AMGA is also working with the UIAA representative organization in the USA, the American Alpine Club. Collaborating the Single Pitch Instructor model, the AAC hopes to offer standardized recreational courses for climbers in the future and utilize the skills of AMGA Certified Instructors and Guides for these courses.

“As the representative body to the UIAA, the American Alpine Club is fully supportive of the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program. The AMGA has brought excellence to professional guiding and instruction in America. With the AMGA as a partner, we hope to bring similar excellence to the diversity of recreational climber training across the United States.”
- Phil Powers, American Alpine Club President

At present, the SPI Program is the largest single AMGA program. Currently, there are 85 AMGA SPI Program Courses or Assessments scheduled all over the country in 2008, with more programs being scheduled all the time. There are currently 51 SPI Program Providers involved in the program. Just as candidate enrollment is increasing, new SPI Program Providers are entering the lengthy process to teach the SPI Course and Assessment. There are a total of seven SPI Program Instructor Training Courses (for new SPI Program Providers in training) and Professional Development Seminars (for current SPI Program Providers) being offered in 2008 in various areas across the USA to host this surge in Program Provider interest.

“Our TRSM Program had growing pains 4-5 years ago as it evolved to become the national standard it is today as the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program. The level of support we are seeing the SPI Program receive both financially and physically from the AMGA Board of Directors, Technical Committee, and whole membership is amazing and wholeheartedly welcomed.”
- AMGA SPI Program Discipline Coordinator Adam Fox

In the past, the AMGA TRSM program was viewed as a separate discipline to the AMGA rock program. The AMGA SPI Program is not. The AMGA SPI Program is now integrated into the AMGA rock program as the second level of training and certification in the rock discipline. As such, the new SPI curriculum dovetails in with the next level of training, the AMGA Rock Instructor Course. We have also worked with the Climbing Wall Instructor Program to ensure that its curriculum complements the SPI Program; the skill sets in both new programs are standardized to build on each other. To keep all curriculum standardized and consistent, the AMGA has implemented curriculum and ongoing education for our Program Providers that will help transition the candidate through the instructor and guide training and certification programs. No other organization can prepare instructors for the AMGA Guide programs as well as the AMGA itself. The AMGA Rock Program consists of the AMGA Certified Climbing Wall Instructor™, AMGA Certified Single Pitch Instructor™, AMGA Certified Rock Instructor™, and AMGA Certified Rock Guide™.

“The AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) Program is a valuable addition to our training and certification programs. It provides a solid educational foundation from which climbing instructors in America can build their teaching and technical skills. There is no doubt that this program, coupled with the Climbing Wall Instructor Program, will offer an effective, nationwide certification program to the growing population of outdoor leaders working in the United States today”.
- Betsy Novak, AMGA Executive Director

For more information on the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program and AMGA Guide Programs, contact Betsy Novak, Executive Director of American Mountain Guides Association, at 303-271-0984 or send an email at betsy@amga.com.

Source:
www.outdoored.com