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e're
a professional association
The United
States Mountain Guides Association is a professional association of exam
certified climbing guides. The work of the USMGA is carried out entirely
by professional guides who volunteer their time to help promote guiding.
We are a nonprofit association and are a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization.
Because all of our work is done by volunteers and we work out of our own
offices, our overhead costs are minimal. This allows almost all of our efforts
and all donations to go towards the important work of promoting professional
guiding.
Who
and what we support
The
USMGA supports and encourages a professional approach to becoming a mountain
guide. It is the field exam certified guide who represents the highest
standard of guiding in this country. These exams are administered by another
organization, The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). The USMGA
encourages all guides in all climbing disciplines to undergo formal training
and then an AMGA exam to help raise the standard of guiding in this country
and to provide the highest level of guiding possible to the public. Those
who are willing to undergo this rigorous training and exam process can
become a USMGA Endorsed Guide. We support and encourage programs
which promote education within the guiding industry and support the apprentice
guides who feel strongly enough about the quality of their guiding to
participate in such programs.
The
IFMGA
We strongly
support the programs of the International Federation of Mountain Guide
Associations (IFMGA). The IFMGA sets the standards internationally for
guide training and certification. A guide who has passed exams in all
the guiding disciplines can become an IFMGA Mountain Guide and
is the only guide in this country who has reciprocal rights to guide in
other IFMGA member countries.
Who
you should hire
A climber
interested in hiring a guide in the US should try to hire either a USMGA
Endorsed Guide or an IFMGA Mountain Guide. These are the only
guiding credentials in this country solidly backed by a standard.
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