The American Alpine Institute is incredibly well known for the quality of its internal guide training. Indeed, the American Mountain Guides Association based their alpine guide courses on AAI’s three-week internal training.
Every year AAI hires guides, but usually the new guide staff consists of three to eight people. In 2017 the new guide staff busted the seams at 15 people.
It was certainly no small task to train so many people, but the curriculum held up and every individual had the opportunity to train under AAI’s Tenured and Certified guide staff.
Class of 2017 (Click to Enlarge)
Left to Right-Back: Seth White, Jason Martin (Trainer), Mike McCartan, Elias Jordan,
Zak Krenzer and Calvin Morris at a belay on Big Bad Wolf (5.9)
After putting in some days in the desert, the team moved to the mountains. They continued their skills development around Mt. Baker.
Obviously a mountain guide has to be incredibly good at crevasse rescue, especially in the places where we operate. In order to use our time well, we often do some training just outside the Mt. Baker Ski Area. This isn’t a glacier. Indeed, it is just a parking lot, but it allows the guides to practice their crevasse rescue skills prior to using them on a real glacier.
In the following video, the guides participate in a crevasse rescue race near the Mt. Baker Ski Area Parking Lot:
And there was some skiing and ski guide practice on the mountain as well.
Ice skills are a major component of guide training. In this
Toward the end of the guides first stint to Mt. Baker they climbed
the Moustache and made an attempt on the North Ridge.
Each guide must also work through multi-pitch rescue skills.
Lindsey Hamm at Mt. Erie
The final test for the new guides is to complete a week of student teaching. The team works with real students on an Alpinism I or an AMTL I.
Conditions on Mt. Baker were tough for the student teaching week.
Lead guide trainer, Mike Powers at the crater on Mt. Baker.
The summit of Mt. Baker at dawn on the final day of
student teaching.
Every member of AAI’s new guide staff brings something special to the table. And I believe that all of those who have the chance to work with these guides will learn a great deal while having an excellent time…!
–Jason D. Martin