Two Big Updates
TL;DR:
I now am an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Provisional Provider. This means I can provide courses but not assessments. Check out the SPI courses I’m offering this year on the AMGA website with tag ADFL.
I took a full time job and will be guiding significantly less than I have before.
SPI
One of the main reasons I wanted to obtain my Rock Guide Certification was so I could offer SPI courses and assessments. I truly love teaching. If people are invested in what they’re learning, that only enhances the experience for me. My AMGA courses have connected me with people who are incredibly invested in advancing their skills for the benefit of themselves, their guests, and the public at large. I want to be part of that first step for folks. I want to help shape the next generation’s perspective and ethos of guiding. I’m excited for the opportunity to do that through the SPI program.
Getting to this point has been one of the most challenging feats in my career. The application alone was exhaustive. The provider course itself was intense, demanding countless hours of prep, refinement, and self-critique. It was intimidating to provide instruction on these “basic” skills to my peers and examiners, all who are brilliant guides in their own right. The level of scrutiny was immense. We were all holding ourselves to an extremely high standard, all while trying to deeply understand the perspectives and nuggets of wisdom from our co-candidates. In the end, only half of the candidates passed.
Weekend Warrior Status
I took my SPI Provider Course just weeks before accepting a full-time role as the Risk Manager at a climbing gym. For the last few years I’ve been lamenting the erratic work schedule that comes with guiding. I’ll work most weekends from April until October, then have hardly any income over the winter. I used part-time jobs to fill in the gaps and make things work, but I craved stability. 40 hours a week was a way to find that.
I now spend 40 hours a week tapping away at a keyboard, attending meetings, learning about company tools and process, making flowcharts, and using the extensive industry and climbing knowledge I’ve acquired over the last decade of guiding. This means I’m forced to only climb on the weekends (plus Friday, since I work 4-10s). I used to pity the folks forced to battle the crowds that come with the weekends, but it’s actually been nice to get out with my friends who have standard schedules. We’ll see how I fair come summer when I ache to be in places like the Sierra, Tetons, Winds, and RMNP for weeks at a time, but for now it’s not so bad.
Despite my weekday commitments, I still plan to guide. The SPI courses for sure, but also the occasional day of private guiding or instruction. I already have a few of those days on the books. I’ll need to be more selective with the work I take, but I’m not done with guiding yet. That said, if you want to get out and learn with me, you’ll need to be okay with scheduling it quite a bit in advance!
