AMGA SPI

Well for whatever reason I have now begun a blog.  As if facebook, twitter, and knowing a million hasn't reduced my personal privacy to zero.  I have now decided to work more on self-promotion and marketing.  Current happenings?  I finished my American Mountain Guide Association assessment to re-certify my Single Pitch Instructor designation last week.  This is the second time I have been through the assessment and it was  only a little less stressful this time than the first round three years ago.  It's a great program which I learned a great deal, and I really enjoy getting together with like minded climbers to hone our craft.  I have been taking my courses AMGA course through Fox Mountain Guides out of North Carolina, although they have always been kind enough to travel to Arkansas and hold courses at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, my "home turf."  The SPI course covers taking clients out climbing for a day in single pitch terrain.  Which is something I have done for many years.  The first time I took this course it was a big eye opening experience.  Not because I was doing anything wrong, incorrect, or dangerous.  But because it taught me so many ways to do things more efficiently, quicker, and to provide a better over all experience to my clients.  The biggest challenge I face in this course, is that it covers a number of rescue and assistance skills that fortunately I have not had to use.  But those are just things that I need to practice a little more regularly.  It also covers what we call "top-managed sites" where the participants begin and end their climbs at the top and not the bottom of the cliff.  These are great skills to have, but unfortunately not ones that we get to use much here in Arkansas.  So after my latest assessment I have decided to work a little harder on my guiding skills, and to try and use more of my knowledge in the field.  I guess you could say I have grown comfortable in doing the same old kind of things every trip.  It's time to push the envelope and try a few new tricks.  I will let you know how it goes.