Jason_Martin

We are running a last minute deal on our AIARE Level I avalanche course with a classroom session in Bellingham on Friday and just outside the Mount Baker Ski Area on Saturday and Sunday. The normal cost of these courses is $325. We have a handful of slots still available for the seriously discounted price of $200 each. Give us a call and we'll get you set-up. To read more about the course, click here. Jason

One slot left!

We are trying to fill two last minute slots in an AIARE Level I avalanche course with a classroom session in Seattle on Friday and on Mount Rainier on Saturday and Sunday. The normal cost of these courses is $325. We have two slots available for $200 each for the January 11-13 course. Give us a call and we'll get you set-up. To read more about the course, click here. Jason

Our first event in Bellingham was a smashing success. We are really looking forward to running this again in Everett! Jason

Our benefit is coming up this weekend and we still have lots of room in the free rock rescue programs and at the party. Come check us out! Jason

Sorry about jumping on you... I did have a bit of a visceral response to the idea that clubs have an interest in people actually learning, with the implication that guides don't an interest in that. I probably should have pointed this out in my original response... Jason

This is ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE. AIARE courses are courses with a set curriculum and are not "guided trips." Many students who take these courses take them with partners or meet potential partners at the course. Guides who teach these courses are extremely concerned about the long term safety and well-being of the students in the course. The last thing that a guide would ever want to hear is that someone who took one of his or her courses was killed in an avalanche. The majority of the students that we see in avalanche courses are local climbers and skiers. Many of them will never participate in a guided trip, which makes the instructors even more paranoid about preparing the students effectively for the field. Guides who are avalanche instructors take their position extremely seriously... Jason

The American Alpine Institue will be celebrating International Mountain Day with pay-what-you-can (but you don't have to pay) rock rescue and avalanche awareness seminars on December 8th in Everett. The Rock Rescue Seminars will take place at the Everett Vertical World at 12:30pm and 2:45pm. Then in the evening we will have pizza, beer, live music, a raffle, an auction, and finally an Avalanche Awareness seminar, also at the Vertical World. All profits from this event (and a sister event a week earlier in Bellingham) will benefit the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. To read more about the event, please check out: http://www.alpineinstitute.com/misc/imd/benefit-events-for-the-northwest-weather-and-avalanche-center/ If you have any questions, please call 360-671-1505 or email me at jason(at)alpineinstitute.com. Jason

The American Alpine Institue will be celebrating International Mountain Day with pay-what-you-can (but you don't have to pay) rock rescue and avalanche awareness seminars on December 1st in Bellingham. The Rock Rescue Seminars will take place at the Bellingham YMCA at 12:30pm and 2:45pm. Then in the evening we will have pizza, beer, live music, a raffle, an auction, and finally an Avalanche Awareness seminar at the Zuanich Park Boathouse. All profits from this event (and a sister event a week later in Everett) will benefit the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. To read more about the event, please check out: http://www.alpineinstitute.com/misc/imd/benefit-events-for-the-northwest-weather-and-avalanche-center/ If you have any questions, please call 360-671-1505 or email me at jason(at)alpineinstitute.com. Jason

We just had a meeting with the NPS last week about the bolt removals. The only bolts that were removed were on the Forbidden descent gully. The NPS has not removed any other bolts... Jason

The American Alpine Institute is running an American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor Exam on Sunday, September 30th in Leavenworth, WA. We are currently seeking individuals who would like to play the role of student for the exam candidates on: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH We are primarily interested in climbers who haven't spent a great deal of time outdoors. The exam candidates will provide a day's worth of climbing instruction to those who are interested under the supervision of an AMGA Certified Rock Guide for FREE. Mock students will work with the guides from approximately 9am to 4pm. If you need to leave early, that's certainly fine. The ideal "mock client" will have rock shoes, a helmet and a harness, though if you don't have one of these things, we may be able to provide it. The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor Course and exam is the first in the AMGA sequence of climbing instructor and guide training programs. The SPI course was designed to help capable recreational climbers transition into capable and effective climbing instructors. The course focuses on the technical skills required by an instructor as they are applied in all forms of single pitch climbing instruction. In addition to this, the course addresses the essential educational and environmental tenets required to teach climbing. Those seeking certification may go on to take a two-day field examination following the course. Certified Single Pitch Instructors are expected to demonstrate the technical and educational proficiencies necessary to instruct a variety of single pitch rock climbing skills in a safe and effective manner to both groups and individuals. To read more about the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course and exam, please click on the following link: http://www.aai.cc/ProgramDetail/spi/ If you would like to participate in this guide assessment as a mock student and to obtain some free training, please call JAMES between 9am and 5pm on a business day at 360-671-1505. Thanks, Jason Martin Director of Field Operations American Alpine Institute

The American Alpine Institute is running an American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor Exam on Sunday at Mt. Erie, near Anacortes. We are currently seeking individuals who would like to play the role of student for the exam candidates on: FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012 We are primarily interested in climbers who haven't spent a great deal of time outdoors. The exam candidates will provide a day's worth of climbing instruction to those who are interested under the supervision of an AMGA Certified Rock Guide for FREE. Mock students will work with the guides from approximately 9am to 4pm. If you need to leave early, that's certainly fine. The ideal "mock client" will have rock shoes, a helmet and a harness, though if you don't have one of these things, we may be able to provide it. The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor Course and exam is the first in the AMGA sequence of climbing instructor and guide training programs. The SPI course was designed to help capable recreational climbers transition into capable and effective climbing instructors. The course focuses on the technical skills required by an instructor as they are applied in all forms of single pitch climbing instruction. In addition to this, the course addresses the essential educational and environmental tenets required to teach climbing. Those seeking certification may go on to take a two-day field examination following the course. Certified Single Pitch Instructors are expected to demonstrate the technical and educational proficiencies necessary to instruct a variety of single pitch rock climbing skills in a safe and effective manner to both groups and individuals. To read more about the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course and exam, please click on the following link: http://www.aai.cc/ProgramDetail/spi/ If you would like to participate in this guide assessment as a mock student and to obtain some free training, please call JASON between 9am and 5pm on a business day at 360-671-1505. Thanks, Jason Martin Director of Field Operations American Alpine Institute

I'd like to take a moment to defend YD Adventures. I have had the opportunity to work with YD's lead rock climbing instructor. He has taken two AMGA SPI recertification exams from me (passing with flying colors both times) and is actively involved in the Mount Erie climbing committee. It is my experience -- through the knowledge of this individual -- that this is a conscientious organization that cares about the areas where they operate. I don't know the instructor on site, but know that he was trained by their lead instructor. The lead instructor has demonstrated that he meets industry standards on two occasions with me. So I can only assume that the group was operating well within the best practices of the industry. The lead instructor called me to ask about my opinions on the original poster's observations. As such, it's clear to me that regardless of the validity of the original concerns, YD is taking the criticism seriously and is actively contacting professional guides and guide services to see what they do... To me, this last point shows a pretty high level of professionalism... Jason

The American Alpine Institute is currently seeking an enthusiastic individual to participate in a 6-month paid internship. The Administrative Support Intern supports the Program Coordinators by assisting with sales, registrations, client communication, and office recordkeeping. In addition, the intern supports the IT Manager by assisting with development of the company website. Duties and Hours This position normally requires between 20 and 30 hours per week. Principle duties are as follows: • Assist with routine office work, including processing trip registrations, answering phones and responding to emails, and keeping accurate paperwork and database records. • Gain familiarity with AAI’s program offerings and take growing responsibility for representing these programs accurately and attractively in our marketing collateral, client communications, and phone conversations • Assist with development of the Institute’s website, including migration of content from old blogs and web pages to new containers. Compensation This position is designed to provide the intern with entrance to the professional network of the mountain guiding community and the larger outdoor industry. The principle tangible benefit of this job will be the opportunity to receive recommendations from our director and senior staff and to benefit from their connections. However, in addition, there are three forms of direct compensation: • An hourly wage commensurate with experience • Tuition waivers for many of our climbing programs • Eligibility for pro purchase programs for equipment and clothing Application To learn more about this internship, please log onto: http://www.aai.cc/Employment/ To apply, please log onto: https://alpineinstitute.wufoo.com/forms/project-internship-application/ If you have any questions whatsoever, please feel free to call me at 360-671-1505 or email me at jason(at)alpineinstitute.com. Thanks, Jason

Right on guys! Way to make it happen! Jason

We now have over $3,600 in donations for the event! We will be selling Boundary Bay IPAs for $3 a cup and Rudy's Pizza for $2 a slice. This event is going to be awesome! Check it out! Jason

Alright! Things are coming together! We have booked food (pizza and beer) for the evening event. We have also booked a acoustic musician (Quinton Rundell). And we will be premiering the film, Fifty Years in the Mountains. In addition to all of this, we will be having a raffle and an auction. Raffle tickets are $5 each and they can be purchased any time. If you purchase a ticket and are not on site to pick up your prize, then we will mail the prize to you. Following is a list of donations for the raffle: Mountain Gear - 4 $50 gift certificates Stevens Pass - 4 day passes and 4 hats Petzl - Snowracer Ice Axe ($95 value) Julbo - Zebra Revolution Googles ($160 value) Tendon Ropes - 30 meter ski rope ($100 value American Alpine Institute - 2 T-shirts American Alpine Institute - Ski Tune and Wax American Alpine Institute - Splitboard or Snowshoe Rental American Alpine Institute - $25 Shop Gift Certificate We will be having an auction for five extremely valuable items. Four of the items will be available for a silent auction and the last item will be available for a live auction. Here is a list of the silent auction items: Mountain Equipment UK - Firefox Shell Jacket We have one male and one female version of the jacket. These each have a value of $350. The minimum bid will be $25 and will be in the silent auction. Rab - Xenon Jacket We have one male and one female version of the jacket. These each have a value of $225. The minimum bid will be $25 and will be in the silent auction. And lastly from Hilliberg, we have a Nammatj 2GT tent that's green. This tent has a value of $685. This will be the only item in the live auction and will have a minimum bid of $50. To see links to these items, please click on the following link: http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2011/11/international-mountain-day-prize-update.html If you do not think you'll be able to attend the event, but would like to put down a bid on either the official silent auction items, or you would like to place a bid on the tent remotely, please call us at 360-671-1505. Jason

Things are coming together for our third annual International Mountain Day Celebration. It looks like some very cool things have been added to the line-up for the day. Donations for Raffle and Auction We will be selling raffle tickets for $5 each. Historically, people have done very well at these events. Indeed, we've watched people walk off with snowboards, tents and ski tickets! This year will will also be having a live auction for some of the most high end items. We currently have the following sponsors who have donated items to the event: Mountain Gear, Stevens Pass, Outdoor Research, Recon Instruments, Petzl, Black Diamond, FiveTen, Hilleberg, Rab, Tendon Ropes, and Mountain Equipment UK! Avalanche Awarness, Movie, Food and Live Music At 6pm we will open the doors at Allied Arts, where we will serve pizza and beer. (Please bring cash!) There will be live music during this time provided by Bellingham's Quinton Rundell! At 7pm we will start our avalanche awareness presentation. After all that, we will show the short film, "50 Years in the Mountains." This is a great piece about -- yep, you guessed it -- mountaineering over the last fifty years. Throughout the night we will be raffling off items. Though you can buy tickets ahead of time from our equipment shop and do not have to be present to win. To learn more check out our website: http://aai.cc/imd.asp Jason

On December 3rd the American Alpine Institute will be celebrating International Mountain Day in Bellingham. This is the third time that we've done a benefit for a good cause up here...and this year we're benefiting one of the best causes of all, the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center! We will be offering two rock rescue clinics at the YMCA, then a avalanche awareness seminar at Allied Arts in the evening. Rock rescue seminars are free (but please donate for raffle tickets) and will take place at 11:30am and 2:00pm. The avalanche seminar is also free, but we will be selling raffle tickets. Additionally, there will be live music, food and beer at the evening session. The food and beer has been donated, but we will be selling this as well to raise money for NWAC. Over the last two years we have given out many thousands of dollars worth of prizes to those who have participated in the event. It is well worth attending; first, to build on your knowledge. Second, to support a worthy cause. And third, to have fun. We are currently being sponsored by the YMCA, Allied Arts, Mountain Gear, Black Diamond, Five Ten, Outdoor Research, Stevens Pass, and Recon Instruments. More sponsors are committing every day...! To learn more about our International Mountain Day celebration, log onto http://aai.cc/imd.asp. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 360-671-1505. Jason

Thanks guys. We're full. I'll let everyone know next time we have something like this in the area... Jason

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The American Alpine Institute is running an American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor Exam on Sunday in Leavenworth. We are currently seeking individuals who would like to play the role of student for the exam candidates on: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011 Primarily we are interested in climbers who haven't spent a great deal of time outdoors. The exam candidates will provide a day's worth of climbing instruction to those who are interested under the supervision of an AMGA Certified Rock Guide for FREE. Mock students will work with the guides from approximately 9am to 4pm. If you need to leave early, that's certainly fine. The ideal "mock client" will have rock shoes, a helmet and a harness, though if you don't have one of these things, we may be able to provide it. The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Single Pitch Instructor Course and exam is the first in the AMGA sequence of climbing instructor and guide training programs. The SPI course was designed to help capable recreational climbers transition into capable and effective climbing instructors. The course focuses on the technical skills required by an instructor as they are applied in all forms of single pitch climbing instruction. In addition to this, the course addresses the essential educational and environmental tenets required to teach climbing. Those seeking certification may go on to take a two-day field examination following the course. Certified Single Pitch Instructors are expected to demonstrate the technical and educational proficiencies necessary to instruct a variety of single pitch rock climbing skills in a safe and effective manner to both groups and individuals. To read more about the AMGA Single Pitch Instructor course and exam, please click on the following link: http://www.aai.cc/ProgramDetail/spi/ If you would like to participate in this guide assessment as a mock student and to obtain some free training, please call JASON or JAMES between 9am and 5pm on a business day at 360-671-1505. Thanks, Jason Martin Director of Field Operations American Alpine Institute

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The Equipment Shop at the American Alpine Institute in Bellingham will be having its huge, in-store new and used equipment sale on September 30th and October 1st. In addition to the sale, AAI guides will be presenting free climbing clinics! Following is the schedule: Sale, Friday September 30th, 8-6 Sale and Free Clinics: Saturday, October 1st, 9 to 4 (Sale is officially 8 AM - 2PM, but may go longer) 9am - Crevasse Rescue Techniques 10:30am - Avalanche Beacon Search 12:00pm - Rock Rescue Techniques: Passing a Knot/Lowering an injured partner 1:30pm - Rock Rescue Techniques: Escaping the Belay 3:00pm - Crevasse Rescue Techniques If you would like to attend one of the clinics, please contact us to sign up at either: info@guideschoice.com or call the Equipment Shop at 360-671-1570. Additional raffle tickets may be purchased to benefit both the American Safe Climbing Association and the North Cascades Institute . Thanks for your support and see you there!