Nothing can replace the simplicity of mentorship in the context of learning and nothing can overshadow the need for continuing education in climbing. For a pursuit in which ones survival literally relies on proper training it pays to get more than hard skills and a piece of paper from a course; the impact of mentors and friends in my development as a climber certainly cannot be overstated.
If not for the friendship of my first climbing mentor, Tony, I would likely still be dangling from a top-rope in a gym after making underwhelming progress on the “green” route. He invested some time, seasoned it with encouragement and guided me through a transition to climbing outside and eventually to leading. Without his guidance and mentorship I would have remained a flustered neophyte, unable to decipher any of the paths to progress.
After learning to lead, with just enough competence to justify blowing several paychecks on guidebooks, a road trip was in order. Along the course of this sojourn I stopped at Devils Tower; here I met my next mentor, Frank Sanders. I was several pitches up the Durrance Route, feeling a bit out of my league as I explored my talent for making moderate pitches of climbing seem difficult. I was climbing slowly ahead of Frank and his two clients but he was able to deliver calm encouragement nonetheless. It gave me a much needed boost in confidence and mid-route he even showed me a few techniques that turned my frustration into a success.
We summitted around the same time and after sharing a poignant moment atop the tower I decided that I wanted to be a guide. I had always wanted to give other people that same feeling of investment that I had just experienced, but I always viewed it as something that would simply happen in the distant future if given enough time.
I had looked into certification previously and had always been put off of it due to the fact that it seemed so procedural, so impersonal. During a later conversation I expressed this to Frank and he suggested that I immediately check out PCGI (Professional Climbing Guides Institute) an up and coming nationally recognized certifying body; a company whose relative youth had proven a selling point. He assured me that they would give me both the hard skills I would need to begin guiding without sacrificing and the personal attention required to fully see me through the process. In an environment where many people prefer solitude and monosyllabic greetings in passing, Frank took the time to cultivate a dream of mine that I had seen up till that time as being a long shot.
A few months later when I began making contact with my PCGI course mentor, Zeke Federman, I was not disappointed. I expected our interaction to revolve around lists of gear, prerequisites, fees and standards. While these issues were addressed, I was soon put at ease and surprised that the focus was on how to best advance my personal development rather than a sales pitch.
The entire experience would have been worth the course fee even if I were to never guide professionally a day in my life. Through the 4 days of the Lead Guide course I participated in, I gained many new skills. Learning rescue techniques was a very significant component of the course and they are something no climber should be without, regardless of free climbing skills or guiding aspirations.
Having worked with various certifying bodies in climbing, aquatics and lifesaving, I know that it bespeaks an underlying commitment to personal excellence as well as technical rubric when I walk away from a course wanting to retain not only the information presented but also modeling the character of my mentor.
I am thankful for the mentors and friends who have put the time and energy into my education, giving me the tools necessary to progress toward whatever end I choose in the long run. Committed guides and climbing educators who approach their role as more than just a job, investing themselves in the outcome of their students is no small thing. Anyone interested in getting more information should visit the PCGI website - www.climbingguidesinstitute.org – you may be surprised but you won’t be disappointed
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