SummitPost.org

Howdy folks,
Please forgive: I posted this link in another thread, but there's enough "meat and potatoes", value and high quality in the article and comments and responses on this link that I think it deserves it's own thread. I hope you agree.
A case for guide certification from the Sierra
http://www.sierramtnguides.com/a-case-f ... dium=email

Interesting article. This was just in the NY Times, and provides another viewpoint.
http://nyti.ms/1wnLUZk

Not trying to stir the fire, only pointing out that making generalizations that group "untrained" guides and guides without a certification could easily do a disservice to consumers.

I would welcome a system in the US that mimics that in Europe. Require all guides everywhere in the US to have individual certification, and allow any certified guide access to any area in the US, including national parks like Rainier and Tetons and Denali.

I've hired guides quite often, in North America and Europe.

Here are some of my musings on the experience:

http://www.larsonweb.com/mediocremtn/id12.html

Kai wrote:I would welcome a system in the US that mimics that in Europe. Require all guides everywhere in the US to have individual certification, and allow any certified guide access to any area in the US, including national parks like Rainier and Tetons and Denali.

I've hired guides quite often, in North America and Europe.

Here are some of my musings on the experience:

http://www.larsonweb.com/mediocremtn/id12.html

Couldn't agree more. Thanks Kai. Well written article btw...

Somewhat ironic, I guess, but some of my best days were with guides, and some of my worst we're with people who were too stubborn or snobbish or cheap to hire a guide...

To be honest, I didn't know hiring a guide was a thing. It surprised me to read that it's common outside of the states. Learning how to sport climb, we went to our closest crag, read off of a book, and climbed with a hope and prayer that what we learned from our indoor gym would be enough. In hindsight having a guide would have been much wiser.

Good viewpoint but I do not think the Europe guiding model would ever work here in the US for the following reasons.

1. The existing concessionaires would never let go of their power. Just look at Yosemite the same guiding company has had exclusive permits for the past thirty years. On Mt Rainer, RMI hold a monopoly until some people brought a law suite, but that did not change things much they still get the majority of business.

2. The government employees do not want to look after thousand of guides, when they just have to deal with a few concessionaires. Also the government agencies get a cut of the action at 3-6% of the gross. They have no reason to change. As an independent guide you just got a pay cut.

3. The US and European liability laws are really different. You mentioned real estate agents, lawyers, do you how much liability insurance they pay each month? More they you make as a guide at $100/day. So all you would end up with was paying more money to insurance companies.

4. Finally you have a better chance for climbing a 5-20 then getting the law’s passed in all 50 sates and the US House and Senate.

This is just pipe dream of rich white people that have the money to travel to Europe, and want to bring it’s aristocratic system over here, no thanks.

Dose US system need some fixing yes but not the IFMGA model it has no place in the US.