From November 12-16, I had the opportunity to attend the annual AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) annual meeting in Boulder, Colorado. This gathering was also the annual meeting for the IFMGA (International Federation Mountain Guide Association) and it was the first time this international meeting was held on North American soil. There were delegates from over 20 member countries, and it was exciting to be part of such a great event, bringing together mountain guides from all over the world.
The main mission of the IFMGA is to maintain the technical standard of mountain guiding in its member countries as well as provide guides with an association to sustain their profession. The IFMGA has been very instrumental in making guiding a viable professional in many European Countries.
The AMGA was accepted into the IFMGA in 1997, after international observers came to some of our guide’s exams and determined that our programs met the international standard. It is great to be part of such an international organization. After meeting so many guides from around the world, I now know that we have more in common than we have differences.
There were many events and meetings during the week including the Technical Commission meeting that determines adjustments to course curriculum, the IFMGA General Assembly where major decisions of the organization are voted upon, and the Main Event. The Main Event is culmination of the week, with awards given out and a more traditional ceremony where guides, past and present are honored by the membership of our organization.
There were two highlights of the meeting for me. The first was the Guide’s Parade on Pearl Street in Boulder. Marching along the street with a couple hundred guides from 20 different countries made me feel like was part of something greater. They even stopped traffic for us on Broadway, which is a major street in downtown Boulder! I’m sure this type of thing is commonplace in Switzerland, but it was a pretty novel event for us American guides.
I also had the great fortune of meeting Hermann Biner, the current president of the IFMGA. He is fifth generation mountain guide from Zermatt Switzerland. His family was the first to settle in the upper valley as year-round residents in 1667! After meeting him, I realized that mountain guiding is truly in its infancy in America.
