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Re: [USnavy] How qualified to instruct are you?:
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socalclimber
Dec 31, 2013, 12:01 PM
Views: 15211
Registered: Nov 27, 2001
Posts: 2437
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I can't count how many new climbers I have taken out over the years. When I first started guiding about ten years ago I thought I had it all figured out. I WAS VERY WRONG. After about five years I was hired by one of the two top guide schools out here. They come to you, you don't solicit them.
I started working with two very legendary climbers and guides. One has 25 years of guiding experience, the other has over thirty. Both are very well known Yosemite climbers. One of them has done more El Cap routes than anybody, this includes early first ascents etc. The other is a well known valley guide book author and worked for YMS for years.
These guys have been guiding longer than I have been climbing.
I got schooled on how to guide. I suddenly found out I didn't know a thing about guiding or instructing people on how to climb. For the first two years I got worked by them. It became very apparent that I had a lot to learn.
Boy have I learned a lot. I still have more to learn.
For the most part we have private guide days where we have a couple of people. When we have large groups, we work together. Things are very different for me now. We all work together as a solid team.
There is no class you can take, or cert you can get, that will prepare you for what guiding really is all about. Just like climbing, it just takes time. I have known a number of heavy hitter sponsored climbers who tried guiding and were terrible at it. They quit. That's fine.
I see people all the time out here "teaching" people how to climb. They really should not be doing this. Just like I should not have been doing it way back when.
Guiding/Instructing and climbing are two very different things. That is just the way it works.
EDITED
I still take new climbers out for free all the time. The difference is that my approach has changed dramatically.
THINK BEFORE YOU TEACH!
(This post was edited by socalclimber on Dec 31, 2013, 12:18 PM)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by socalclimber
() on Dec 31, 2013, 12:17 PM
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Post edited by socalclimber
() on Dec 31, 2013, 12:18 PM
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