Accreditation Program
AMGA representatives grant AMGA Accreditation to companies who meet or exceed the high operational standards required by the American Mountain Guides Association during an extensive safety and business review of their operations.
The American Mountain Guides Association Accreditation Program has been developed for guide services, climbing programs and school or university outdoor programs. The AMGA is this country’s only organization to offer a comprehensive training and certification program for mountain guides that is recognized by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA). While AMGA certification is designed for individual guides, accreditation is for guide services and climbing programs.
The Accreditation Program was developed by professional guides and climbing instructors who are leaders in the outdoor industry. The Accreditation Director and Accreditation Committee oversee the program. The Accreditation Committee is made up of AMGA certified guides in the Rock, Alpine and Ski disciplines.
Benefits to Accredited programs include:
- Full-time guides for accredited services receive a 5% discount on AMGA courses and exams
- Use of the AMGA accreditation logo in marketing/promotional materials
- Making it easier for climbing services to obtain and retain liability insurance
- Increased access to commercial permits on public lands
- A thorough and valuable review of field and business practices
- All AMGA accredited programs will be listed on the Access Fund site
The Accreditation program is a voluntary means of quality assurance and peer evaluation focusing on international standards for guided climbing, mountaineering and skiing. Accreditation examines such things as operating guidelines, access, permits, insurance, employment and business practices and guide training. AMGA accreditation is not an in-depth evaluation of a company’s guides or their individual skills. It constitutes a general business review. Accreditation provides a consistent and meaningful standard by which to judge the reliability and professionalism of a climbing service. It informs the general public and land managers that a program utilizes guides who are certified and that all guides in the program have received formal training appropriate to the terrain they guide.
