Team Mammut: borealis mountain guides

Showing posts with label borealis mountain guides. Show all posts

Monday, January 25, 2016

An Impossible Dream Realized: Becoming an AMGA Rock Guide

Climbing trip to Les Calanques in 2004. From left to right, Chad, Mathieu, and Erin.
Photo by Matthew Smith.

Sitting on the couch with my old Dell laptop, I remember scrolling through the lengthy American Mountain Guide Association's prerequisites on their website back in my college apartment in Bellingham, WA. I knew I could get through the ski guiding discipline with some work, but glancing at the rock guiding discipline made me unsure whether this was a possibility for me. To complete the program, one needs to have completed over 130 prerequisite climbs, 26 days of course and examination, guide routes up to grade V, and be confident leading 5.10+/A2 (sport and traditional). This list was intimidating to me as I had done very little climbing up to this point, and most was following my friends up routes.

I'm on a boat: Lofoten to Kalymnos

Heading towards Grunnfjorden on the Skydancer.

Growing up in Seattle, I became accustomed to the mountains and water surrounding me at all times. Having proximity to both allowed me to explore and fall in love with some of our Earth's great elements, sometimes both in a single day. The mountains provided inspiration and motivation, while the water always gave me a calming emotion that I came to require.

Over the past few months, I have been lucky enough to visit other places around the globe that provide a similar, and even closer distance from the mountains to the sea.

Gone Ice Climbing

Erin Smart on Stairway to Heaven in Eureka, CO. Photo: David Moskowitz

“Ka-chunk” went my Nomics, all December long.

Shaking out the screaming barfies–my lingering song.

I enjoyed the ice, had I been wrong?

Back to Chamonix and ski season, where I belong.

Monday, January 25, 2016

An Impossible Dream Realized: Becoming an AMGA Rock Guide

Friday, September 18, 2015

I'm on a boat: Lofoten to Kalymnos

Monday, February 2, 2015

Gone Ice Climbing