American Mountain Guides Association

The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) is the USA's "sole representative to the 21-member International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA), the international governing body responsible for guiding standards and education around the world". AMGA is a non-profit organization that seeks to represent the interests of American mountain guides by providing support, education, and standards. The Association offers training courses and certification exams in rock, alpine and ski mountaineering.

In 1979, 12 guides came together to form what was to become the American Mountain Guides Association as we know it today. AMGA aims to support "the guiding profession by providing representation for land use access, education, training, and examination based on international standards for guiding". As a result of this commitment, AMGA became a member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations in 1997.

The American Mountain Guide’s Association (AMGA) is the premier source for training, credentials, and services for professional mountain guides and climbing instructors in the United States.

AMGA requires that any guide who wishes to become accredited attend a certified guide program and receive wilderness medical training. Only a handful of organizations are recognized by AMGA as meeting their standards.

There are currently 30 organizations that AMGA feels meet the standards it has set out. Some of the organizations that AMGA recognizes for guide training are Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School and Rainier Mountaineering.

For wilderness first aid training, even fewer organizations are recognized by AMGA. AMGA currently recognizes only eleven organizations. A few examples of such wilderness medical training organizations are Remote Medical International and the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS.

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