Getting your SPI

As an aspiring guide any tips on what you should expect when trying to get your SPI? 

You could read this book. The AMGA website also has a pretty good description of their prerequisites and expectations of abilities. 

When taking your exam just focus on your clients, not on the AMGA dude with the clipboard. You're just taking folks climbing and climbing is fun.

If you can lead 5.9 and/or want to be an actual guide, you'd be better served by starting the Rock Guide program.

Tico,

dont you have to get your SPI first before you can start the rock guide program?

No, you can enter the ifmga track at the rock guide course or Alpine Skills Course.  See the flowchart below.

The course and  book are helpful, and the other advice on this thread is as well, but the single thing that helped me the most was practicing with people who have gotten their SPI already. If you can, offer beer/belays to some folks who recently took their assessment and just spend a couple days leading up to the exam practicing with them, running through all the skills.

Is it worth it in the long run to get your SPI or rock guide instructor? Are there a lot of opportunities for jobs and things like that? How difficult is it to get your SPI or rock guide cert? 

Kevin Sulka wrote:

Is it worth it in the long run to get your SPI or rock guide instructor? Are there a lot of opportunities for jobs and things like that? How difficult is it to get your SPI or rock guide cert? 

Sounds like you need to do some more reseearch.  Have you looked at the AMGA website or spoken directly with any guides?

Hey Kevin, in my experience it has definitely been worth it to have my SPI, both for job opportunities as well as gaining knowledge and skills.  As best as I understand it, the "instructor" (SPI, Rock Intructor) and "guide" (rock guide, alpine guide, etc.) certifications have different applications, the instructor certs are focused on teaching other people to climb,  while with the guide certs the guide focuses on providing an experience.  I can't speak to how difficult it is to get any of the guide certs, but they seem to at least require a much broader range of technical skills and higher climbing ability than the SPI.  I would say SPI isn't too hard to work up to if you are a well rounded, competent trad climber and have a desire to teach.  I definitely agree with everything Daniel said regarding preparation.     

It's a piece of cake if you're an experienced climber. Looks good on the resume. 

Nope.  The Instructor certs are not lateral, simply lesser.  The SPI gang will try to justify their existence by claiming to be "educators, not guides", but the fact is they are held to a lower standard in every respect.  If you can hack it, go big.  Don't be sucked in to the "but I have soft skills" bs.  Be able to guide anyone, anytime.

FrankPS wrote:

Sounds like you need to do some more reseearch.  Have you looked at the AMGA website or spoken directly with any guides?

He's speaking directly with a guide right now.  

It's worth noting that the Rock Guide cert is way above and beyond anything even remotely close to what's taught at the SPI level. The requirements are several times greater and the cost of the program is as well. SPIs focus more on teaching basic climbing skills and stay at the single pitch level (hints the name). They are who would take you craging. Rock Guides are more who you would call when you need a guide in the more traditional sense, such as on a 10-pitch trad climb. If you want to be a Rock Guide, you're going to need to be able to lead more than 5.8 on gear--like way harder. I dont know what the official minimal requirement is, but most rock guides can climb at least solid 5.11 trad.

I think the SPI vs Rock Guide argument is a false dichotomy. I doubt many SPI's are holding it out as the highest achievement in guiding. But it does offer a way for a guide service to see that you have some basic skills, and it's pretty inexpensive (both in time and money invested) compared to the guide track. So if you're just starting to check things out and aren't sure that this is a direction you want to go in SPI can offer some beginning insights. Look at the prerequisites for both on the AMGA site. If the prerequisites for the Guide track are already a piece of cake for you, well then obviously go for that. But if meeting those standards is still a couple of years away, SPI could be a good way to focus your preparation and perhaps get some teaching opportunities (maybe even just some volunteer stuff or teaching in a gym) going for you in the meantime. 

I have thought about an SPI. it is a good way to work for a real guide. the cost of the course $500.00 and the test $300.00 for me  simply did not add up. that $800.00 is a real top notch professional miter saw with with folding,wheeled stand. No compareson as to what the return on investment will be with those options.  If I lived in a real climbing town maybe I could get real work as guide but certainly in central VT it would be sporadic and low paying gang top ropeing. nothing I am remotely interested in. In fact after much thought I feel like being a full time guide would likly burn me out on climbing.......

I think if I hit the lottery I would like to take the rock guide course just to see if I could do it  but would not want to be a real guide..  climbing is too much a part of my life to turn it into work...

JBernard wrote:

When taking your exam just focus on your clients, not on the AMGA dude with the clipboard. You're just taking folks climbing and climbing is fun.

SPI is not a prerequisite of a Rock Guide Course.  SPI is more entry level guiding program and focused on teaching climbing in a single pitch environment.  Its a good class and a worthwhile certification to have.  If you are teaching at camp or school program or something like that, it is worth having, and will be better on your resume than an in-house certification from a guiding service. 

Rock Guide has a larger list of need prerequisites: leading 5.10 on gear, 50 documented multi-pitch climbs, 10 Grade III multi-pitch routes.  It also costs a lot more, though I would encourage people to apply for scholarships if you go this route.  Rock guide is very much focused on guiding 1-2 clients on multi-pitch routes, so it may not even be directly applicable to your local terrain.  The RGC is also the beginning of the Rock Guide program, when you finish it you are an "apprentice guide" and it will probably take multiple years to complete the entire program, unless you have already been guiding professionally for a while.  

I would choose the class which is most applicable to you and what fits your ability levels.  Not sure if you want to be a guide, or in what capacity? Go SPI. Camp Jobs? SPI. Live in a place that only has single pitch crags? SPI.  Or if you've never guided before and want to get your foot in the door? SPI. 

If you are sure you want to pursue guiding and have the experience:  Rock Guide Course.

But that wasn't the original question anyway.  JBernard's advice is probably the best.  Don't get stressed out, keep yourself and your clients safe. 

Spend your $$ on becoming a better climber.

The world is full of shitty climbers with no experience who took a month long NOLS course in lieu of actually getting outside and learning how to climb.

I've guided for years and never been asked for a cert. more advanced than WFR. The truth is that guide companies know how expensive it is and many are willing to take you on without it if you have solid experience.

The 800$ you spend on the SPI + exam is a month long climbing trip. Days on rock is where judgement comes from.

Sam Keller wrote:

Spend your $$ on becoming a better climber.

The world is full of shitty climbers with no experience who took a month long NOLS course in lieu of actually getting outside and learning how to climb.

I've guided for years and never been asked for a cert. more advanced than WFR. The truth is that guide companies know how expensive it is and many are willing to take you on without it if you have solid experience.

The 800$ you spend on the SPI + exam is a month long climbing trip. Days on rock is where judgement comes from.

I think the certification thing can vary by area. It seems like nearly every guide in my area (Gunks) has some type of certification from AMGA or PCGI.  Might be a good idea to check with services in your area.

Sam Keller wrote:

I've guided for years and never been asked for a cert. more advanced than WFR. The truth is that guide companies know how expensive it is and many are willing to take you on without it if you have solid experience.

That might be a truth, but it is an unfortunate one, describing a lack of commitment on the guide's part to undergo continuing education and refinement of a craft, as well as on the part of the guide service to keep their compensation low. The system might not be perfect but only holding guides responsible for attaining a WFR level to lead in technical terrain is frightening.