High Sierras
High Sierras
American Mountain Guides Association E~Newsletter
October 2009
In This Issue
BoD Election Results
Annual Meeting
2010 Scholarships
New Membership Director
Academic Credit Program
Denali Fee Increases for Climbers
AORE Conference
Product Blowout
My.AMGA.Com Goes Live
Greetings!

Greetings from the AMGA office.  I hope this email finds you amidst a smooth transition into fall.  There's lots of stuff brewing these days, here in Boulder.  We recently received the results of the Board of Directors election and are proud to announce 3 new members to our Board.  We're in full swing putting the finishing touches on our upcoming Annual Meeting in Moab as well as finalizing the Scholarship Program for 2010.  All that and much, much more.

2009 Board of Directors Election Results
The votes have been counted and although it was very close race, we are proud to announce the winners of the 2009 AMGA Board of Directors Elections: 

Keith Garvey
Marty Molitoris
Martin Volken

We thank you for your candidacy and look forward to working with you.

We would also like to thank David Lovejoy and Silas Rossi  for your willingness and desire to run for the AMGA Board.
We're Heading to Moab!
The 2009 Annual Meeting is taking place in Moab this month and we're hoping you can join in on the fun.

Schedule of Events

October 24th-26th
WFR RecertificationHigh Sierras

October 27th
Technical Committee Meeting - Moab Arts & Rec. Center
8:00am - 5:00pm

October 28th
Round Table Discussion on Access - Zions Bank
4:00pm - 6:30pm, open to the public

October 29th
Board of Directors Meeting - Moab Arts & Rec. Center
8:00am - 5:00pm, open to the public

AMGA Opening Night Event Sponsored by Marmot
Free food, drinks and door prizes at Eddie McStiff's
7:30pm - 9:00pm

October 30th-31st
SPI Instructor Training

October 30th
Professional Development Clinics
9:00am-4:00pm

Annual Meeting Celebration - In Memory of Craig Luebben
Join us at the Moab Arts & Recreation Center 600pm - 10:30pm
    Doors Open - Silent Auction & Gear Raffle - 6:00pm
    Awards Ceremony - 7:30pm
    Slideshow with Jack Tackle - 9:00pm
Includes food and drinks

October 31st
Professional Development Clinics
9:00am-12:00pm

Guides Olympics - Location TBD
1:00pm - 4:00pm

November 1st-2nd
Instructor Pool Training
SPI Instructor Training

2010 Scholarship Information
Just a reminder that scholarship season is almost here.  Similar to last year, we will have one general application with additional questions for specific scholarships. 

We will be accepting applications starting November 1, 2009 through January 31, 2010 via EMAIL - the one exception is applications for the Chad VanderHam Memorial Fund Scholarship must be received by January 1, 2010 and MUST be a VIDEO.  In the first week of February, all applications will be submitted to the AMGA scholarship committee for review.
 
So, if you are interested in applying for the various scholarships offered through the AMGA, please keep in mind that you will need to submit all required information by January 31, 2010!  2010 scholarship information, process and application will be available on our website - http://www.amga.com/programs/scholarships.php - on November 1st.

Application Process - Things to Keep in Mind

You must be enrolled in an AMGA program for your scholarship application to be accepted.

There is one general application that applies to all scholarships. However, you must submit a separate scholarship application for each program you are enrolled in.
AMGA Hires Josh Harrod as Membership Director
jhheadshot
Josh recently replaced Katie Kelly as Membership Director.  He comes to the American Mountain Guides Association after several years in the world of consumer insights and strategy, and we're counting on him to share his lessons learned out there to help continue the growth and success of the AMGA.  Josh has a passion for all things outdoors and is extremely excited to contribute to the guiding
community.                                                       
                                                                         
AMGA & University of Utah Academic Program
The AMGA is extremely proud to announce that its' introductory level programs have been accepted and approved by the academic committee of the University of Utah. The opportunity now exists such that students of an AMGA course can elect to receive credit from the University of Utah upon completion. These courses are listed within the Parks, Recreation & Tourism Land Based courses in the University's Catalogue. The University of Utah is the only University currently providing this option to AMGA students.
The cost for course credit is $140.00. Please contact the AMGA office for a registration slip if you are interested in getting credit for a CWI, SPI, RIC, AGC, or SGC you are taking this fall.
Alaskan Small Businesses Fight Denali Fee Increase for Climbers
In August, local guide services and air taxis joined forces to lobby Alaska senators against a possible fee increase (from $200 to $500) that would unfairly targets climbers attempting Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker. The increase would make climbing in the national park impossible for some climbers and significantly damage local businesses that provide guiding and other services to visiting climbers. This effort was supported by the American Mountain Guides Association, Access Fund, and American Alpine Club.

Click Here to Read Letter
AORE Conference at U of Minnesota

Join the AMGA at this year's AORE Conference at  the University of Minnesota. The AMGA will be offering a Climbing Wall Instructor's Course and a Climbing Wall Instructor Provider Training.

The AORE Annual Conference gathers outdoor recreation professionals and students from college and university programs, military recreation and public parks and recreation to come together each year for networking, professional development and information sharing opportunities.  For more information on the conference and to register for AMGA programs being offered during conference please visit:
https://www.aore.org/conference/confRegistration.aspx
Product Blowout!
Our shelves are looking a bit cluttered, so we're offering some sweet deals to allow us to clean things up.

Marmot Approach Jacket  - XXL only - Black - $20.00
Marmot Approach Jacket - L - Hedge - $49.00
Mammut Champ Pants - 48 (maybe mislabeled 28) - Black - $115
Women's Champ Pants - 42 - Black - $115
Mammut Courmayeur Pants - 24, 48, 50 - Black - $125

Please email [email protected] if you're interested
My.AMGA.Com
If you have not had a chance to visit my.amga.com, you should take some time to check it out.  Members can now maintain contact information, renew and pay automatically online, register for courses, view and download course information, forms & evaluations, and print out membership cards. Instructors can download rosters and student information, submit student and program evaluations and Contract Providers can create new course offerings, submit evaluations online, and submit rosters online.
If, for some crazy reason you've allowed your membership to lapse, the new site makes it easier than ever before to correct that slight oversight.
Cheers,
 
Josh Harrod
American Mountain Guides Association