2014 AMGA SPI Manual
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AMERICAN MOUNTAIN GUIDES ASSOCIATION AMGA Single Pitch Instructor 2014 Program Manual American Mountain Guides Association P.O. Box 1739 Boulder, CO 80306 Phone: 303-271-0984 Fax: 303-271-1377 www.amga.com 1 AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program © American Mountain Guides Association Participation Statement The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) recognizes that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Clients in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions. The AMGA provides training and assessment courses and associated literature to help leaders manage these risks and to enable new clients to have positive experiences while learning about their responsibilities. Introduction and how to use this Manual This handbook contains information for candidates and AMGA licensed SPI Providers privately offering AMGA SPI Programs. Operational frameworks and guidelines are provided which ensure that continuity is maintained from program to program and between instructors and examiners. Continuity provides a uniform standard for clients who are taught, coached, and examined by a variety of instructors and examiners over a period of years. Continuity also assists in ensuring the program presents a professional image to clients and outside observers, and it eases the workload of organizing, preparing, and operating courses. Audience Candidates on single pitch instructor courses. This manual was written to help candidates prepare for and complete the AMGA Single Pitch Instructors certification course. AMGA Members: AMGA members may find this a helpful resource for conducting programs in the field. This manual will supplement their previous training and certification. Non-certified climbing gym instructors: Skilled climbing instructors may find this resource helpful to enhance the risk management and overall quality of their programs. This manual is not a replacement for instructor training and certification. Experienced climbers: This material may be helpful to recreational climbers but is not designed for individuals who are learning to climb without the supervision of a trained professional. This manual assumes a level of knowledge of top rope climbing and lead climbing by the climber. Acknowledgment Many people have contributed to the preparation of this Manual by attending AMGA National Conference meetings, Training Seminars and by making detailed and constructive comments. Grateful thanks are due to the AMG SPI Program Manual Committee for help in the production and ongoing improvement of this publication. Published by: American Mountain Guides Association PO Box 1739, Boulder, CO 80306, USA Phone: (303) 271-0984 Website: www.amga.com Volume 1, 2013 AMGA Certified Single Pitch instructor™ Logo: 2 AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Program © American Mountain Guides Association SPI Program Flow Chart ......................................................................................................................................... 5 SPI Program Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Program Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 6 SPI Terrain Guidelines ................................................................................................................................. 6 SPI Course Candidate Pre-Requisites ......................................................................................................... 7 SPI Assessment Candidate Pre-Requisites ................................................................................................. 7 Gaining SPI Certification .............................................................................................................................. 7 SPI Certification First Aid Requirements ...................................................................................................... 7 SPI Certification Upkeep and Recertification ............................................................................................... 7 SPI Program Hours and Ratios .................................................................................................................... 8 SPI Course Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Day One .................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Introductions ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Session 1: SPI and AMGA Program Overview .......................................................................................... 10 Session 2: Professionalism ........................................................................................................................ 10 Session 3: Equipment ................................................................................................................................ 10 Session 4: Knots and Hitches .................................................................................................................... 11 Session 5: Belaying .................................................................................................................................... 11 Session 6: Protection and Anchoring ......................................................................................................... 11 Session 7: Teaching Skills ......................................................................................................................... 12 Day Two ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Session 8: Selecting the Climbing Site ...................................................................................................... 13 Session 9: Site Organization and Group Management .............................................................................. 13 Session 10: Base-Managed Sites .............................................................................................................. 14 Session 11: Assistance Skills – Base-Managed Sites ............................................................................... 14 Session 12: Programming and Risk Management ..................................................................................... 15 Day Three ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Session 13: Instructor Demo Lead Climb ................................................................................................... 16 Session 14: Top-Managed Sites ................................................................................................................ 16 Session 15: Lowering ................................................................................................................................. 17 Session 16: Assistance Skills: Top-Managed Sites ................................................................................... 17 Session 17: Rappelling .............................................................................................................................. 17 Session 18: Climbing Movement ................................................................................................................ 18 Session 19: Review Session ...................................................................................................................... 18 SPI Assessment Overview ................................................................................................................................... 19 Assessment Categories ............................................................................................................................. 19 Day One .................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Session 1: SPI Assessment Orientation .................................................................................................... 21 Session 2: Lead Climbing and Top Rope Session ..................................................................................... 21 Session 3: Technical Components ............................................................................................................. 21 Day Two ................................................................................................................................................................. 22 Session 4: Group Management ................................................................................................................. 22 Session 5: Teaching Components ............................................................................................................. 22 SPI Assessment Scoring .....................................................................................................................................