American Mountain Guides Association Training
Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School offers AMGA certifications across the Southeast. We provide both Single Pitch Instructor and Climbing Wall Instructor training and certification.
Single Pitch Instructor Course
The AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program is designed to enable climbing instructors to “proficiently facilitate and instruct the sport of rock climbing in a single pitch setting.” The SPI Course is not a ‘climbing’ course; it is an instructor training course for current, proficient and active rock climbers and for climbing instructors who currently teach rock climbing who wish to gain the SPI Certification. The course teaches many instructor specific topics such as professionalism, teaching techniques, risk management, group site organization, climbing site conservation/LNT and assistance/rescue skills. The SPI Program is a three day (27 hour) training course and separate two day (16 hour) SPI Assessment. Certification lasts for three years as long as the candidate keeps current AMGA Membership and First Aid Certification.
SPI Terrain Guidelines
The SPI will be able to proficiently facilitate and instruct the sport of rock climbing in a single pitch setting. Single Pitch Instructors supervise and teach climbing at any single pitch cliff, working at the base or from the top. They can work at sites where the anchors are accessed by non technical terrain and also by leading. For the purpose of the SPI Program a single pitch climb is one which:
- Is climbed without intermediate belays
- presents no difficulties on approach or retreat, such as route finding, scrambling or navigating
You meet the pre-requisites for the SPI course if you:
- Have a genuine interest in rock climbing and instructing novices on single pitch crags.
- Are at least 18 years old at the time of the course. Have at least 12 months prior climbing experience.
- Are an active climber with traditional lead climbing experience (leader placing pro).
- Have trad lead climbed a minimum of 15 graded rock climbing routes (any grade).
- Are capable of comfortably climbing 5.8 while on a top rope.
The above pre-requisites are absolute minimums If you are unsure of your skill levels we suggest hiring an AMGA certified guide to evaluate and enhance your skills and experience prior to SPI Program enrollment.
To gain the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Certification you must complete the three day AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course and separate two day Single Pitch Instructor Assessment.
Dates and Pricing
Number on course: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Course length: Three days
Course dates: See the Course Schedule
Cost: varies, see course schedule
Please note that you MUST be a member of the AMGA prior to enrolling. Click here to join.
Course Schedule
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Single Pitch Instructor Assessment
The SPI Assessment can be taken directly following the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course if the candidate successfully completed the course and meets the Assessment pre-requisites. However, it is highly recommended that the SPI Course graduate takes time practicing an the skills learned on the course before assessment (6-12 months).
You meet the SPI Assessment Pre-requisites if:
- You have successfully completed an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course, AMGA Top Rope Site Manager Course, or AMGA Rock Guide Course at anytime in the past.
- You have trad lead climbed a minimum of 40 graded rock climbing routes. A large number of these should be at 5.6 grade and hopefully on a variety of rock types.
- You are capable of comfortably lead climbing 5.6 traditional routes (leader placing protection). You will demonstrate your leading ability on a variety of routes on the assessment.
- You are capable of comfortably climbing 5.8 while on a top rope.
Dates and Pricing
Number on Assessment: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Assessment length: Two days
Assessment dates: See the Course Schedule
Cost: varies, see course schedule
Please note that you MUST be a member of the AMGA prior to enrolling. Click here to join.
Course Schedule
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Single Pitch Instructor Skills Day
The Single Pitch Instructor Skills Day is ideal for an SPI candidate who has taken the SPI course but wants to review skills prior to taking the exam. It’s a great way to synthesize all the material you learned in the course and gain confidence going into the exam.
Pricing
1:1 $400
2:1 $275 per person
Climbing Wall Instructor Course
The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Climbing Wall Instructors Program is the national standard to train and evaluate indoor climbing wall instructors. The Climbing Wall Instructor Certification Program is designed to evaluate the concept of a climbing-wall-specific technical skills certification. The course is two and one half days in length and a minimum of 20 hours of instruction, skills demonstration, and evaluation. The course addresses the basic technical skills necessary to manage an instructional program at a climbing facility. At a minimum, training for candidates shall occur in each of the following technical competency areas. Candidates shall possess sufficient knowledge, demonstrate skills, and/or demonstrate teaching ability in each competency area (if appropriate to the topic) in order to successfully complete the course.
This twenty hour course will address the basic skills necessary to manage an instructional program at a climbing facility, and will address the following general topic areas:
Pre-requisites for Certification at the AMGA CWI ‘Top Rope’ Level:
- Must be 18 years old or older
- At least one year documented personal climbing experience (a minimum of 20 outings climbing indoors and/or outdoors).
- Climbing ability: top rope 5.7 on artificial structures. Demonstrating calm, confidence, good position, balance, solid base of support, no falls, and general body awareness.
- Ability to effectively belay with tube/plate device and an assisted braking device (i.e. Petzl GriGri)
- An instructional background: ability to effectively teach basic skills
Pre-requisites for Certification at the AMGA CWI ‘Lead Climbing’ Level:
- All above pre-requisites
- Climbing ability: top rope 5.9 and lead 5.8 on artificial structures. Demonstrating calm, confidence, good position, balance, solid base of support, no falls, and general body awareness.
- Ability to effectively belay in a top rope and lead belay setting with tube/plate device and an assisted braking device (i.e. Petzl GriGri)
- An instructional background: ability to effectively teach skills learned in an indoor setting
Dates and Pricing
Number on course: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Course length:Two and a half days
Course dates: See the Course Schedule
Cost: $385
Please note that you MUST be a member of the AMGA prior to enrolling. Click here to join.
Course Schedule
Book AMGA Training