By Arno Ilgner, Certified SPI. This is the first in a series of articles on how guides can deal with performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is one of the biggest distractions of our attention while guiding in the mountains. Though we love guiding, and we work very hard to be certified in the terrain in which […]

By Richard Parker, Rock Instructor & Certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor In the first article (Yoga for Guides, Part I), I discussed some of the areas of the body that take a beating from guiding and some of the poses used to address them. This piece focuses on breathing techniques and meditation. The third in this […]

The second of our series of reviews on CAMP’s Nanotech models, by Jonathon Spitzer, American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide. Read about CAMP’s Corsa Ice Axe. I tested the CAMP Corsa Nanotech Ice Axe while on a ski mountaineering objective in the Wasatch Range in Utah. We climbed a 3,000’ alpine ridge route on the South Ridge […]

Photos & text by Jes Meiris, Assistant Rock Guide & Millet Scholarship Recipient My deepest thanks to Millet for making my Advanced Rock Guide Course (ARGC) a possibility! Throughout the ten-day course, I had the opportunity to meet eight other aspiring AMGA guides and three instructors, all of whom contributed their own background into our […]

This is the first in our series of reviews on CAMP USA’s Nanotech models. Text & photos by Jonathon Spitzer I recently used and will continue to use the CAMP XLC Nanotech Crampons – Semi Automatic for a variety of mountaineering-type activities such as ski mountaineering and general mountaineering. I tested these crampons out on […]

Photos & text by, Dave Heinbach, Apprentice Rock Guide and Marmot Scholarship Recipient I didn’t pick guiding; it picked me. A little kid walking the ridgeline of snow created by the plow truck, imagining a great peak. A desire lying dormant, while society says do this, be that, only to re-ignite when hands touch stone. […]

Text by Clint F. Cook, American Mountain Guide/IFMGA Guide. Photos courtesy of Bill Grasse & Jeff Witt. Mark Miller is irreplaceable. His passing will have an everlasting effect on many communities throughout the mountains. His life had a much more profound effect. When I first arrived in Ouray, I was a psyched young guide nervous […]

Text & photos by Nate Fitch, Certified SPI and Mountain Hardwear Scholarship Recipient The ten-­day Rock Guide Course was a truly great experience. I enjoyed this learning opportunity and was positively challenged by instructors and peers to get the most out of this course. I am truly thankful to the AMGA and to Mountain Hardwear […]

By Richard Parker, Rock Instructor & Certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor A big part of managing life as a professional guide is staying healthy (mind, body, and spirit) to meet the demands of the work. Keeping the body flexible, balanced, and strong is generally not too tough for those in their 20’s. As folks move into […]

It is with great sadness that we are publishing this blog. As most of you likely already know, we lost two guides this January—Dave Rosenbarger and Mark Miller. Last year was a difficult year in terms of loss for the guiding community, and so the staff at the AMGA decided we needed to do more […]