Scope of Practice

A climber wearing a helmet and backpack climbs a rocky ridge, with a forested valley below.

AMGA Scope of Practice (SOP) supports and promotes safety, quality of experience, and public interests by establishing training and certification standards.

About SOP

Five people ski downhill in fresh snow on a gently sloping, snow-covered landscape.

What is Scope of Practice?

AMGA SOP defines terrain in which AMGA Professional Members are permitted to work based on their individual level of certification and training. The SOP also applies to AMGA Accredited Businesses, where guides and instructors must be AMGA-trained for the terrain in which they work and staffed accordingly by management.

Similar to the medical profession, guides and instructors must go through rigorous training specific to the discipline in which they intend to work, thus creating a minimum standard and higher quality experience for clients.

  • For example: if a client books a day of multi-pitch rock climbing, the guide is required to be trained & practiced in multi-pitch guiding techniques.
View Official SOP Document
Several people are rock climbing using ropes on a large rocky surface under a clear blue sky.

Why is Scope of Practice Important?

The AMGA believes guides and climbing instructors should operate within clearly defined standards.

The AMGA trains and certifies guides and climbing instructors for rock, ice, alpine, and backcountry ski/splitboard terrain. AMGA Professional Members and Accredited Businesses have opted into formal training and certification to best serve the public interest and develop their individual skillset. It is important to know in the United States, a guide is not required by federal law to be trained in any way before guiding the public.

Do you really want to hire a guide without formal training? We don’t think so. This is why the climbing and backcountry ski/splitboard industry has been steadily moving towards requiring guides and climbing instructors to be certified. Ask your guide if they are AMGA certified.

For detailed SOP information log in to your myAMGA Member Dashboard.

Learn from professionals

Support the AMGA’s Mission by Becoming a Member

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Aliquam risus et sed platea eu amet pretium id urna. Pellentesque a cras etiam velit libero. Facilisi eget nisi a sed mauris posuere auctor id.

Become a Member
About Membership