American Mountain Guides Association

Background Statement

The AMGA's founders were hardcore climbers and skiers who understood the outdoor culture thoroughly. They realized the soul of these sports didn't have to be compromised by organization. Organization could instead serve to bring the community together in a revolutionary way. It could provide mountain guides with resources, services, and credentials to boost their careers, but also with connections to each other and to the larger community of guides and clients across the country and around the globe.

Since the 1970s, several American groups tried their hand at guide certification, including the American Alpine Club. But it wasn't until 1979 that the first real steps were made. In Jackson, Wyo., a group of guides decided to formalize an organization representing the greater guide community-the American Professional Mountain Guides Association (APMGA), which would later be renamed the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA).

However, the APMGA didn't get very far either in uniting American guides, nor in getting International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (UIAGM/IFMGA) approval. As those climbers discovered (and embodied), the wildness and freedom of the mountain guide community would not easily be contained. Spread across the country, guides operated regionally, with little communication between each other. The international community was equally dismissive of America's efforts.

Thus, climbing standards were all but impossible to implement. But then the insurance crisis hit. From the mid-80s until 1990, insurance premiums rose and coverage became unavailable for many guides. Many faced the loss of their guide services or careers. After a seminal meeting, enough people saw the value in getting together and a Board of Directors was organized, along with various committees. They determined the best way to support the profession would be to provide education, training, and credentials based on the already-established international (UIAGM) standards. As well, they would provide support where American guides needed it most-access to public lands, obtaining affordable insurance, and professionalization of the guiding profession.

The real work began at this point. Certification standards and examination methods were further refined, and course curricula readied for international observation-all under the watchful eye of the UIAGM. The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides became the AMGA's sponsor country, responsible for overseeing the development and auditing of its programs. And the AMGA sent guides to Canada, New Zealand, and Switzerland to observe courses in action and to bring back new ideas for curricula, exam methods, and program structure.

In the fall of 1997 the AMGA was admitted as a member of the UIAGM. The story of the AMGA and the IFMGA is far from over. The AMGA is a young member of an old Federation, and as the AMGA grows, the roles of the IFMGA in American guiding, and that of the AMGA in international guiding, remain to be discovered.