Prerequisites | Course outline | bibliography | Cost | Meeting place and time | Getting to Joshua Tree | PDF of this info for printing | TRSM RECERT course info as a pdf

To sign up you will need to complete these forms:
Acknowledgment of risk form
Participant Medical Data form
AMGA Application form (pdf version) (Excel version)

Overview: The TRSM course was created to address the needs of guides, instructors and organizations who offer, or hope to offer, climbing in a top roping environment. Though the course deals in part with foundation level instructing and guiding skills in many ways this should not be viewed as a basic course. It is important for those thinking about taking a TRSM to consider this fact as you will be asked to come to the course meeting certain prerequisite skills (more on these below) and you may be asked to demonstrate these skills at the beginning of the course. On the other hand, you do not need to be an instructor to benefit from the course. We often have "civilians" - people who just want to be better climbers and who have no interest in working in the field - take and enjoy the course.

The fact that this is not a basic course should also influence your choice of TRSM instructors. Currently our opinion is the TRSM instructor pool is receiving inadequate oversight from the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and the means by which new instructors are trained and brought into the pool is allowing inexperienced instructors to teach the course - the skill and experience of the instructors of the course varies wildly. Most of the providers of this course teach one tr course a year. Between them Alan and Todd average eight or more courses a year. It makes a difference as the curriculum has significant breadth as well as depth. As trainers of providers of the course we often see the effects of unfamiliarity with the course material.

What to ask of a TRSM Instructor: Alan and Todd both have been involved with the program since its beginning and have taught over 80 TRSM courses between them. Before you choose a course we urge you to consider far more than dates, price, and location. To help ensure you receive the highest quality instruction on your course we offer the following criteria as a general guideline for choosing among the instructors:

-Do they have a background in experiential and outdoor education, not just rock climbing guiding?
-How long have they been involved with the top rope site manager course program and how many TRSM courses have they taught?
-Have the instructors been active in developing the TRSM curriculum?
-Have the instructors been active in discovering and developing standards for top rope climbing?
-What sort of course materials are provided?
-Are adjunct course materials available via the internet from the course provider?
-Consider the terrain where the course is offered. More challenging terrain means more learning for you. Proximity to suitable terrain means less time spent driving and more time spent learning.
-Price: as with most things, in the TRSM course you get what you pay for.
-Dates: our course is available for custom dates, at group rates, if you have a group of four or more people.

If you apply the above criteria to our top rope site manager programs we think you will agree we are well able to claim one of the best Top Rope Site Manager courses around.

Our backgrounds: Todd and Alan both have hundreds if not thousands of days working top rope based programs in institutional, organizational development, and experiential education settings, as well as hundreds of days simply teaching top roped based rock and ice climbing. Todd and Alan have both been involved with the program since it's inception (1998) and together as of this writing (spring 2005) have taught more than 80 TRSM programs between them. The two represent two of the five members (currently) of the AMGA's TRSM Advisory Committee, helping create and modify the TRSM curriculum. Todd is a past member of the AMGA board of directors and Alan is a current member of the board of directors as well as part of the AMGA rock discipline examiner and instructor pool. Todd is one of three TRSM instructors who train and evaluate new providers of the TRSM program.

Alan and Todd have both been active in technical issues surrounding top rope climbing. For example, recently they both took a field trip to the Blue Water Rope factory near Atlanta, Georgia to spend several days testing anchoring knots in various materials in search of data-based answers to many of the questions around knot and anchor strength needs and values in the top roping environment. Their data from this trip has been incorporated into the course manual provided with our course. This Video (4.0mb, quicktime) showing how ropes are made is one of the things we brought back from our experience there.

Course Materials: the student hand out for the course that is provided by the AMGA is some 25 pages in length. Our booklet has exceeded 100 pages and includes a detailed bibliography as well as photos and diagrams of some of the knots taught in the course, equipment strength test data, and data from our recent expedition to the BlueWater facility.
Look inside the book:

Course location: During all but the summer months we offer the course in Joshua Tree National Park, California. "JT" is close to major airports (Ontario, CA: 1.5hr, Las Vegas: 4 hr) and features a favorable and arid climate. But for the purposes of the course the best feature of Joshua Tree is access to perfect terrain. Here there are sites with varied and challenging approaches, interesting base and top management issues, and a huge diversity of anchoring situations. We've taught the course quite a few different places and this is by far the best terrain we've used.

A close second terrain-wise is our secret spot in the Eastern Sierra. This has actually become a favorite spot of ours and the site works so well we're trying to do more and more courses there. It is up out of Bishop, at about 9,700' which makes for cool temps even when it's in the 100's down in the valley.

Course Description: The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) top rope instructor training course emphasizes the technical and educational proficiencies necessary to safely and professionally instruct rock climbing and climbing related activities in a group setting. The forty five hour course plus exam is intended to help transition recreational climbers into becoming model climbing instructors. An AMGA certificate in Top Rope Site Management will be given to all who successfully complete the program.

The course revisits and improves existing personal recreational climbing skills and introduces guide specific skills. Topics include: expanding your repertoire of belay systems, knots, harness choices, and rappelling methods; exploring and practicing methods of teaching and modeling these skills, coaching participants effectively, noting external and internal hazards, sorting through the equipment, administrative, legal and ethical expectations and responsibilities associated with being a climbing instructor, practicing a variety of anchor configurations and learning many subtleties about anchoring, establishing and managing redirected and belay-from-above top rope climbing sites including various belays and backup methods, extending anchors, negotiating the edge when rappelling, general site management, environmental concerns, coaching, belay transfers, assisting and rescuing climbers, promoting Leave No Trace, and understanding the experiential learning model along with briefing and debriefing processes and learning and teaching styles. We might even get some climbing in...
Target audience: outdoor instructors, aspiring guides, and climbers who facilitate top rope climbing programs in group settings such as camps, schools, universities, therapeutic groups, and climbing schools.

Course Prerequisites: Participants must have prior top rope climbing experience that includes an ability to comfortably set up top rope climbs, to belay, and to rappel without guidance. Familiarity with anchoring including natural and artificial anchors and equalizing systems is also required. The terrain context for the course is top rope sites with an easy approach, situations where leading/soloing is not necessary to reach the anchors though lead climbers usually do better on the course than non-lead climbers simply due to their familiarity with climbing equipment. If you are unsure of your skills please talk to the SMC TRSM Course director, Todd Vogel (760-873-8526) prior to enrolling in the program.

Knots: figure 8 family, grapevine, ring bend. (We will provide written instruction and diagrams on the Munter Hitch and Mule knots with your course enrollment information. You should practice these knots ahead of time to excel on the course but you don't need to have them perfected.)
Belaying: use of a variety of belay plates.
Rappelling: proper use belay/rappel plate.
Anchoring: able to comfortably utilize natural and artificial anchors to create equalized and redundant anchor systems that have minimal extension. Comfortable with use of cordellettes and runners and evaluating your own anchor systems.
Climbing: able to climb comfortably on mid fifth class terrain and to rappel over edges without coaching.
Gear: has required gear for the course and is comfortable with its use.
Participants may be asked to demonstrate skills prior to the course.

We are now doing the exam as a separate day following the course. This is meant to emphasize that the evaluation is pass/fail and is optional. We will meet with you prior to the end of the course to discuss our recommendations as to how you should proceed, whether or not to take the exam. Many students opt to take the exam at a later date.

Course length and ratios: The course is 40 hours in length plus the optional exam day and will not exceed a ratio of six participants to one instructor and a maximum of twelve students on a course. A minimum of four participants is required to run this course.

Course completion: After successful completion of the course and component and evaluative skills participants will receive a certificate of Top Rope Site Management and shortly after the course a written evaluation from the instructor. The certificate is only valid when accompanied by the written narrative evaluation and is valid for three years from the dated of issue. After three years, participants will need to maintain their skills through participation in another top rope instructors course or upgrade their skills through an AMGA guides course. You must maintain a membership in the AMGA to keep your certificate current. The course has an evaluation component that is on-going through-out the week as well as a final scenario based exam. If you do not complete all the component and evaluative skills by the end of the course you will receive an incomplete for the course and will have to make up any deficiencies to be certified. Any make up work deemed necessary by the instructors will be specified in your narrative evaluation and make ups will be at the participant's expense.

Marketing use by participants: Organizations who teach or utilize only top rope climbing methods may advertise that their instructors have "completed an AMGA approved top rope instructor training program" only if all of their climbing staff have participated in such a program. Otherwise programs may only market a specific program that will be run by a course graduate at a ratio not to exceed one certified top rope site manager per six students. Programs not meeting the above criteria or teaching other aspects of climbing should seek out instruction through certified guides and undergo AMGA accreditation and peer review.

Camping and meeting place:
Group camping is provided for our Joshua Tree NP programs only. Please check with the office a couple of weeks prior to the program to find out the exact meeting time and place. Since we don't always get the same campsite meeting places vary.

Getting to Joshua Tree: find your way to Southern California. If you are flying to get to the program the Ontario airport is your best bet as it is only 1.5 hours from Joshua Tree. Rental cars are available there. Driving from the west: take interstate 10 to the Yucca Valley/hwy 62 exit. Proceed through Yucca Valley and the town of Joshua Tree. The West entrance is the most convenient from this direction. Turn right at the town of Joshua Tree, at the main stop light and proceed into the park (several miles to the entrance. An entrance fee of $10 is charged at Joshua Tree Park and as good for seven days. A Golden Eagle Pass will work too.) Sheep Pass groupsite is through the main part of the upper park and is on the right, about two miles past Ryan Campground. It's easy to miss. If you haven't been to JT before you should consult the park map at the entrance gate. Yucca Valley is your best place to shop for supplies before heading into the Park. For programs that base out of Sheep Pass Campground the nearest supplies are a forty minute trip and the nearest phone is half an hour away. There is no water in the Sheep Pass campground.

Other expectations:
Role playing scenarios and presentations are utilized throughout the course. We recognize that role playing has its flaws but this is the only way to address some of the aspects of the course. You will be expected to give sample presentations on a variety of topics ranging from how to tie a particular knot to how to rappel. Generally presentation assignments will be impromtu rather than pre assigned but you will have the option to decline should you wish.

Curriculum Outline: order of topics may be re-arranged as needed.

Day 1
-Introduction/course overview, ice breakers, instructor & participant intros, backgrounds, participant goals, course objectives and course overview.
-Professional philosophy and ethics: professional expectations, creating a standard of care, guiding/instructing vs. climbing, terrain limitations, client instructor relationship, role modeling, client safety, comfort, and time management, on-going education
-Administrative concerns: legal issues, equipment record keeping, medical training, program goals and boundaries, consistency
-Site selection: new site suitability, impact potential/access, terrain classification
-Sample presentations:
harness application,
knots,
belaying: a detailed look at position, friction, anchor, signals, teaching, backing up belays, belay escapes, practice
-Bouldering: site selections, spotting, coaching techniques, site selection, when is bouldering appropriate/inappropriate?
-Climbing equipment: a detailed discussion, instructor equipment

Day 2
-Climbing as a tool for growth: experiential learning model, use of new games/initiatives that relate to climbing
-Participant fears: what are they, recognizing, ways of minimizing
-Site management: the instructional team/roles, safety/environmental briefings, maintaining the big eye, instructor safety
-Establishing the common point: anchoring details, bolts, natural features, artificial gear, SERENE: strong, effective, redundant, equalize, no extension; practice
-Learning/teaching styles: self-evaluation, participants evaluation, coaching movement and skills to different styles
-Group debrief: understanding debriefing/what, so what, now what

Day 3:
-Re-directed top rope climbs (slingshots): extending over the edge, instructor safety, belay/belayer management (anchor options, stance, signals, back-ups), base management, knot pass avoidance, coaching, topping out, +/- of redirects, practice
-Establishing the common point: reprise
-Rappelling: rappelling vs. lowering, devices, back-ups, using a releasable set-up, teaching rappelling: progression, modeling, client and instructor safety, practice

Day 4:
-Traditional top ropes (top belays): advantages/disadvantages, instructor vs. client belays, belaying from harness vs. belaying from anchor, belay options: plate Munter, Grigri, other options, lowering clients, back up methods, practice
-2nd-4th class terrain: recognizing and dealing with hazards, use of fixed lines, frictions knots, practice
-Assistance and rescue skills: Assisted 2:1 hoist with independent belay, other ascending options: knotted rope, ascending system; belay escape, practice.
-Emergency Planning: what if? thinking, prevention, emergency plan
-Course summary and review.

Day 5:
-evaluation, exam, and loose ends...
-group and one on one debriefs
-conclusion late afternoon

Resources for Team Activities:
Fluegelman, Andrew, 1976, The New Games Book, The Headlands Press, Dolphin Books/Doubleday, Garden City, New York. (Also see More New Games, 1981)
Rohnke, Karl, 1988, Cowstails and Cobras II, Project Adventure, Inc. PO Box 100 Hamilton, Mass., 01936.
Rohnke, Karl, 1984, Silver Bullets, Project Adventure, Inc. PO Box 100 Hamilton, Mass., 01936

Wilderness Risk Managers Conference: Held each year in the fall, at varying locations. Contact NOLS or the AEE for more info. NOLS: www.nols.edu, 307-332-6973.

More info
Association of Experiential Education
2305 Canyon Blvd., Ste. 100, Boulder, CO 80302-5651
phone: 303/440-8844, fax: 303/440-9581
E-mail: pia@aee.org, http://www.aee.org/ (great list serve feature at web site though be prepared to get a lot of e mail from it)

Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America
PO Box 1319, Boulder, CO 80306
phone: 303-444-3353, fax: 303-444-3284
E-mail: info@orca.org, http://www.orca.org/

American Mountain Guides Association
710 Tenth Street, Suite 101
Golden, Colorado 80401 USA
phone: 303-271-0984, fax: 303-271-1377
e-mail: info@amga.com, http://www.amga.com