Prerequisites from the AMGA Website:

+You are a Professional Member of the AMGA.

+You have a genuine interest in rock climbing and instructing novices on single pitch crags.

+You are at least 18 years old at the time of the course.

+You have at least 12 months prior climbing experience.

+You are an active climber with traditional lead climbing experience (leader placing pro).

+You have led a minimum of 15 traditional rock climbing routes (any grade).

+You are capable of comfortably climbing 5.8 while on a top rope.

The above prerequisites are absolute minimums. Without having at least this amount of experience you are unlikely to make the best use of the training.

The AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program is designed to enable instructors to proficiently facilitate and instruct the sport of rock climbing in a single pitch setting. For this course, we've added components, rooted in mental health informed practices, to expand on the traditional curriculum and approach climbing and guiding from a holistic perspective.

This program is for currently active rock climbers who have an educator’s mind and real desire to teach rock climbing in a single-pitch setting.

Candidates should be passionate rock climbers who have their own equipment, regularly climb, and have at least twelve months of outdoor rock climbing experience.

Candidates come from a variety of backgrounds. This course is for you if:

• You are passionate about sharing the joys of rock climbing, and would like to be a mental health-informed instructor.

• You would like to pursue an instructional role in Wilderness Therapy, Adaptive Sports, or Therapeutic Recreation.

• You would like a better understanding of your own mental health and the intersection it has with your personal climbing pursuits.

• You want to take a holistic approach to your guiding, which tends to the social and emotional experiences of rock climbing. 

Single Pitch Instructor certification is the second stage of the AMGA’s Climbing Instructor Certification Program and will significantly help candidates who wish to work toward the next stage, the AMGA Rock Guide Course (RGC). The SPI course presents many instructor-specific topics such as professionalism, teaching techniques, risk management, group site organization, climbing site conservation/LNT, and assistance/rescue skills.

The SPI Program with Mental Health Education is a three & a half day (29-hour) training course. It does not include the SPI Exam.

**The SPI Course is not a “climbing” course. It is an instructor training course for active, proficient rock climbers and for current climbing instructors who wish to gain SPI certification.

SPI Course Itinerary –

Topics are broken down into teaching sessions and may be taught in a slightly different order.

Evening Prior to Program – 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm

1. Mental Health Best Practices

2. Psychological First Aid

3. Inclusive & Safe Spaces

Day 1 – 8:00 am- 5:00 pm

1. SPI and AMGA Program Overview Session

2. Professionalism

3. Equipment Session

4. Knots and Hitches

5. Belaying

6. Programming and Risk Management

7. Protection and Anchoring

8. Teaching Skills

Day 2 – 8:00 am- 5:00 pm

1. Top-Managed Sites

2. Lowering

3. Assistance Skills: Top-Managed Sites

4. Belayed Rappel Facilitation

5. Rappelling

Day 3 – 8:00 am- 5:00 pm

1. Selecting the Climbing Site

2. Site Organization and Group Management

3. Base-Managed Sites

4. Climbing Movement

5. Assistance Skills – Base-Managed Sites

6. SPI Assessment Overview Debriefs

FOOTWEAR

+Sticky Rubber Approach Shoes

+Socks

UPPER LAYERS

+Synthetic T-shirt

+Sun Hoody

+Fleece

+Light Windshell Jacket

+Warm Belay Jacket

BOTTOM LAYERS

+Softshell Shortor Pant

BACKPACKS

+35-45 L Guide Crag Pack

ACCESSORIES

+Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Lip Balm, Sun Hat

+Nalgene, Minimum 1.5L

+Climbing Snacks: 100 calories an hour!

+ Buff

EQUIPMENT

+Helmet

+Harness

+Rock Climbing Shoes

+ABD Belay Device

+MBD Belay Device

Guide Protection Kit:

+Camalots: Singles from .3-3, Black Diamond

+Stoppers: Singles from #7-11, Black Diamond

+Alpine Draws: 6 Shoulder Lengths, One Carabiner

+Quickdraws: x6

Guide Personal Equipment Kit:

+5 HMS Locking Carabiners (minimum)

+120cm Sewn Sling

+Autoblock Cord- 13.5”

+18’ cordelette, 7mm Nylon or Tech Cords Only

Guide Ropes:

+60m Dynamic Climbing Rope

+30m (or longer) Static Rigging Line

+Rope Work / Rappel Gloves

Bringing any personal climbing gear you have from the above list is encouraged, group gear can be provided by Smile Mountain Guides.