SummitPost.org

I'll trade you a trip up for gasoline to get up..

I've climbed the south side of Hood 8 times in the last 6 months... pretty familiar with the route

In the Pacific Northwest, a day without crampons is like an entire month without sunshine here in Arizona. Think about it ...

I'm gonna get an Oregon guide license, so I can charge people gas money to get to the mountain. Only problem is you then have to let them come to the summit with you... still trying to come up with a workaround, for that.

Oregon, or any other state for that matter, does not issue mountain guiding licenses. In National Parks one needs to obtain a concessionairres permit, on Forest Service or BLM land one needs to obtain a special use permit. These permits usually have requirements such as liability insurance. There are efforts afoot to change the system to be more like the European model, so that AMGA/IFMGA certified guides can guide independantly. Entrenched guide services, RMI being a prime example, have fought these efforts, as well as efforts to standardize guiding qualifications vis-a-vis AMGA/IFMGA certification.

ExcitableBoy wrote:Oregon, or any other state for that matter, does not issue mountain guiding licenses. In National Parks one needs to obtain a concessionairres permit, on Forest Service or BLM land one needs to obtain a special use permit. These permits usually have requirements such as liability insurance. There are efforts afoot to change the system to be more like the European model, so that AMGA/IFMGA certified guides can guide independantly. Entrenched guide services, RMI being a prime example, have fought these efforts, as well as efforts to standardize guiding qualifications vis-a-vis AMGA/IFMGA certification.

Oregon actually does issue, and require, guide licenses for any guiding-for-compensation service. Hunting, fishing, climbing, etc... if you're taking on a group leadership roll and asking for money in return, you have to license through the Oregon Marine Board.

$300,000 insurance, $5,000 bond if you accept deposits over $100/per head

It probably sounded like I was joking above, but I actually filled out the application today, and am waiting to hear back on insurance quotes. Hard to find carriers that'll do a mountain guide business, believe it or not..

ExcitableBoy wrote: Entrenched guide services, RMI being a prime example ...

I hired RMI to take me to Rainier's summit in 1984. It was pretty cool, because I got to shake hands with Lou Whittaker at Paradise. But, it wasn't so
much (like) paradise when we actually went on the climb.

For some reason, we didn't get to spend too much time on the summit, and nobody had to wear helmets on the way back down. But, the weather was as nice
as fried tomatoes in November.

Here's the ORS... http://landru.leg.state.or.us/ors/704.html

check definitions:

(4) “Outdoor recreational activities” include, but are not limited to, boating, angling, hunting, jeep touring, backpacking, alpine mountain climbing, camping, trips utilizing pack animals, dog sled trips, whitewater float trips, rafting trips, drift boat trips, kayak trips, inflatable canoe trips and canoe trips. The duration of any outdoor recreational activities may be for a few hours or for several days or weeks.

I think the confusions is because the OR Administrative Rule section doesn't specifically call out mountaineering... but the ORS requiring licensing does, and points to the OAR for regulation:
http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/rul ... 0_016.html