Fox Mountain Guides

and Climbing School

The Southeast's only AMGA Accredited Climbing School

Rock, Ice Climbing Guides and Rock Climbing Courses in North Carolina

Summer News

This spring again we saw a 20% increase in booking in our guiding and courses here in North Carolina but also on our hugely successful trips out of state to such as our NH Ice Climbing trip. Our biggest news this year is the opening of Guides Gear Outfitters at the entrance of Pisgah Forest and the completion of our new classroom with projector and WiFi! With the store now taking stock our clients will be able to order gear ahead of time or just pick up items in the store on the day. All past and current clients of FMG will get 10% off retail when purchasing equipment from Guides Gear Outfitters. Our goal is for GGO to become a place where climbers can not only pick up gear but also come hang out, grab a coffee and get info on climbing in the area and the inside scoop on what's happening in the climbing community. The classroom is an amazing addition and means we can offer the best courses money can buy in the Southeast region if not the East Coast! We have WiFi, a brand new digital projector and screen so we can show video, PowerPoint presentations and slide shows at our headquarters.

If you have not yet booked a date with us now is the time! I would like to say thank you to all our valuable customers and clients who return again and again. Thank you, and we will see you again soon out on the rock!

Adam Fox

Owner, Fox Fountain Guides

We have added a new photo gallery to our website that we will be adding photos to over the coming months, click here to check it out!

Guides Gear Outfitters takes first orders! June 2008

Guides Gear Outfitters at the entrance to Pisgah Forest has just stated receiving its first orders! We are currently dealers for Petzl, Mammut, Misty Mountain, Metolius, CAMP, Spot GPS, and Rite in the Rain with more being added every month. Our goal is to be WNC's premier retail outlet for climbing equipment, and we are focusing only on climbing equipment. Our guides will be working the store so you can be assured of expert advice from our AMGA Certified Instructors and Guides! All past and present clients of Fox Mountain Guides can currently receive 10% discount on equipment. Please email the office with your gear requests!

Adam Fox Elected to AMGA Board of Directors Oct 2007

Adam Fox was elected to serve a three year term on the Board of Directors for the American Mountain Guides Association. This year the Annual Meeting was held in Yosemite Valley, CA and next October the Conference is planned for Bend OR.

New Single Pitch Instructor Program to start in 2008 Sept 2007

In 2008 there will be a new program to replace the AMGA Top Rope Site Manager Program, this program is the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program. Fox Mountain Guides owner, Adam Fox is the National Discipline Coordinator for the SPI program and is currently working on the new curriculum and manuals that will accompany the course and assessment. The course will be three days long with a separate two day assessment and will dovetail into the current TRSM Program while the changeover is taking place. Please feel free to contact Adam directly with any questions about the new program adam@foxmountainguides.com

New Headquarters August 2007

We have now moved our equipment and meeting location to our new headquarters in Pisgah Forest, at 3228 Asheville Hwy just a minutes drive to the entrance of Pisgah Forest. We will be moving our offices here March 1st 2008 and at this time begin to sell climbing and related equipment from our storefront location. Our hope is to have a small store plentifully stocked with climbing equipment at great prices. We hope this store will be a place for climbers to drop in and get a coffee and beta on routes in the area from climbing guides that have intimate knowledge of the climbing areas. We hope you drop by in the spring when we open our doors!

Fox Mountain Guides granted Laurel Knob Guiding Permit June 2007

After much interest and many emails from clients we can now disclose that we are the first and presently the only guide service in the USA that has been granted the right to guide commercially at Laurel Knob, Cashiers Valley. The land Managers Carolina Climbers Coalition finalized the management plan of of Laurel Knob in May with the provision that only AMGA Accredited Guide Services can guide there. As we are the only Guide Service in the region that holds this standard we applied for a permit to offer multipitch climbing at Laurel Knob and were granted the permit on June 5th 2007. If you wish to climb the biggest piece of rock on the east coast with a guide please contact us!

Fox Mountain Guides acquires High Mountain Adventure Guides December 2005

Fox Mountain Guides bought out another local guide service High Mountain Adventure Guides, one of the South's oldest guide services. We have taken on their contracts and welcome one of their guides, Jenny Wallace to FMG.

Fox Mountain Guides gains AMGA Accreditation September 2005

Fox Mountain Guides gained Accreditation from the American Mountain Guides Association becoming the Southeast's only AMGA Accredited Guide Service! FMG is now one of only a few guide services in the USA to gain this incredibly high standard. Whereas certification assesses a guide’s individual skill, knowledge and judgment to ensure that they have met the standard by passing an exam, Accreditation reviews the Guide Service as a whole looking at its risk management procedures and protocols, insurance, permits, guides training and certification. AMGA Accreditation also looks at the Guide Services standing in the community, relationships with local land managers, clients and employees. FMG has been dedicated to and working on gaining AMGA Accreditation for the past two years.

Fox Mountain Guides starts guiding at Chimney Rock

After 18 months of negotiations and planning Fox Mountain Guides became the first and only guide service in the USA able to offer climbing at Chimney Rock Park, NC. There are climbing opportunities for all levels of climber at Chimney Rock, from beginner first time climbers through to climbers with years of experience that wish to climb in this location for the first time. Call or email us if you wish to explore this amazing area with one of our guides (this area is NOT open to recreational climbers). If you are interested in hiring a guide this summer please give us a call at 1-888-28-GUIDE or email to discus your ideas!

Access Fund Corporate Partner

Fox Mountain Guides is proud to announce that this June we upgraded our partnership with the Access Fund by changing up from “Community Member” level to a "Corporate Partner". All climbers should be involved with the Access Fund to secure access to climbing areas locally and nationally, help out in the good stewardship of these areas and to improve, and continue good relationships with the land owners. We are currently working on fund raising and local community projects with the Access Fund.

New AMGA TRSM Program Discipline Coordinator

In September 04 Adam Fox was named as the new National Discipline Coordinator of the AMGA's Top Rope Site Manager Program. He will be working for the AMGA training the TRSM Providers around the country as well as offering the Top Rope Site Manager courses across the Southeast.

Fox Mountain Guides joins the SCC

FMG joined the Southeastern Climbers Coalition as a Corporate Partner at 'Bronze' level, donating cash and services for events such as the Boat Rock 'Don't Take it for Granite' event. Check out the website www.seclimbers.org for information regarding climbing in the Southeast and upcoming events. In 2004 alone Fox Mountain Guides has donated over $1,500 to the SCC and other organizations being Community Partners of The Access Fund and Partners of Pisgah Commercial Climbers Association.

FMG Climbing Equipment Materials Testing

Last summer I managed to complete another long standing project, the materials testing DVD. It was completed with help from our friends at Misty Mountain Threadworks here in WNC. Special thanks to Goose for helping out with this project! We managed to test pretty much every knot possible in the ongoing tests as well as various friction hitches in different diameters, materials and configurations (5-6mm cord, nylon and spectra webbing, Prusiks, Autoblocks, Klemheists, Kruzeclimbs, etc.). Figure eight’s, Overhands, Bowlines, Patagonia Knots (all were tested wet/dry in different diameters and rope types [dynamic, static and semi static] all were tested in different configurations). Runners, tied and sewn, wet and dry in different sizes and ages (from new to 12 year old samples and rotten old rapp slings were tested). Belay loops, and a harness was tested in the MMT harness tester. All results are shown in detail on the DVD!

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Email: info@foxmountainguides.com Toll Free: 1-888-28-GUIDE (48433)

Rock Climbing Guides, instruction and courses offered by the Southeast’s only AMGA Accredited Climbing School,

Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School North Carolina NC.