Ratio
Will not exceed a ratio of three participants to one instructor and a maximum of nine students on a course. A minimum of three participants is required to run this course.
Prerequisites
There are a number.
Please see the “Details and Itinerary” for these and use the appropriate links for resume forms.
Inclusions
Price includes instruction and camping fees. It does not include food and park entry fees. You need to be a member of the AMGA prior to starting the course.
The Rock Instructor Course is the 1st step in the Guide education and certification process and is designed for aspiring guides who have a strong rock climbing background and for instructors who are interested in improving their skills and increasing knowledge. The Rock Instructor Course places strong emphasis on maximizing client rewards while effectively managing risks. The Rock Instructor Course is 10-days in length and is a prerequisite to taking the Rock Guide Course, and the Alpine Guide Course. It is intended for guides, not climbers, so a high degree of familiarity with climbing techniques is assumed.
This course is identical to courses offered by the AMGA and is also a prerequisite course for the AMGA Rock Instructors Exam. The SMC Rock Instructor Course (RIC) is a privatized version of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Rock Instructor Course. Sanctioned by the AMGA, the curriculum and prerequisites are identical to that offered by the AMGA, but is taught by SMC and guest instructors.
These instructors are some of the original core group that set the AMGA certification process in motion and devised the original curriculums and modified them over the years to the final high quality offering.
The experience of this group in fact surpasses the experience of the current AMGA instructor pool and you can be assured of receiving the best instruction and meaningful feedback.
Skills taught and developed during the Rock Instructor Course:
• Client orientation and preparation
• Equipment and protection selection
• Time and pace management
• Descending techniques
• Improvised non-mechanical ascending
• Anchor construction
• Choosing appropriate belay methods and stances
• Multi-pitch station management
• Rappelling and lowering with clients
• Multiple client guiding
• Short roping and short pitching techniques
• Belay escapes
• Raising systems for guiding
• Hazard recognition and risk management
• Guide’s notebook
• Improvised harnesses
• Guide’s pack
• Client care
• Emergency procedures
• Pedagogy
• Leave No Trace practices and techniques
• Review of Advanced Rock Guide Course and Aspirant Exam assessment
Upon completion of the course participants will receive an oral performance evaluation with a written evaluation with professional development suggestions. This evaluation is filed with the AMGA office.
Course Locations
In Joshua Tree National Park and the Eastern Sierra of California.
Course Instructors:
The course is instructed by senior AMGA certified rock guides. Instructors are some of the original designers of the AMGA programs and have been teaching these courses for over twelve years. Their wide range of experience and home bases in different locations in the country offer an exceptional breath of experience in professional guiding.
Robert SP Parker Originally from New Zealand SP lives in Bishop and is an owner of SMC. He is certified in rock and alpine disciplines and is a past AMGA Board of Directors member and current Technical Committee member.
Alan Jolley. From Boulder Colorado, Alan is an AMGA certified rock guide and is a past member of the AMGA Board of Directors.
Marc Chauvin. Mark is a UIAGM internationally certified guide and is certified in rock, alpine and ski disciplines. He lives in North Conway, New Hampshire and is a past AMGA Board of Directors member and Technical Committee member.
Physical difficulty
