Hi ladies and guys, I recently got out of the military and want to do a career with something involving the mountains,(rock climbing,skiing or mountaineering) I did some research on different schools. One of them i found was called the Mountain Training School, one thing nice about the place is that they work with the GI bill unlike alot of programs. If anyone has some advice on were to go or where not to go it would be very helpful! Thanks!!!

This exact question has been asked before. In short, this outfit seems dodgy to a lot of folks. mountain-training-school-t66808.html

If you are serious about professional guiding, the AMGA courses are what you want. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 6809,d.cGU

Thanks for the advice, is there any AMGA accredited schools that allow the use of the GI bill?

I hear good things about the American Alpine Institute and the Alaskan Mountaineering School(I believe thats the name) if you can fit it into a vacation

The AMGA offers courses, but as far as I know, not a comprehensive degree program and I doubt accept the GI Bill. Most certified guides work as a guide while pursuing certification, taking a course here and there. In the U.S. full AMGA/IFMGA certification is not required to work as a guide, but most guide companies want their guides to have completed some courses and be a 'guide aspirant'. Bare minimum is some type of advanced first aid (Wilderness First Responder), Leave No Trace (pretty simple cert), and often an avalanche course (AIRE I). You could get the bare minimum certs, get a job as a guide and start working through the courses, but guiding is fairly competitive and you need a very strong climbing resume and some bone fides to stand out and get hired.

One way to start a guiding career is with a course through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). Many strong guides got their start here and they do accept the GI BIll: http://legacy.pitchengine.com/nolsthena ... ligibility.

Another thought is Prescott College, which offers bachelor degree programs in adventure education. This is a well regarded school and is located in Arizona in the high mountains. I have run into these folks while climbing in the North Cascades. http://www.prescott.edu/ They do work with the GI Bill: http://www.prescott.edu/apply/financial ... index.html.

If you plan to work as a guide, you really should get a college education anyway. Most guide companies want their guides to be college educated because most of their guests are doctors, lawyers, business executives, etc. and they want their guides to be able to relate with them.

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