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1 The Mountain Guide Training School Climb a 10 pitch wall in Spain. Lead a group across the Patagonian Ice Cap. Co-guide an ascent of Mt. Marcus Baker in Alaska. In two short years, you ll spend 470 days in the field, 220 of which will be working as an apprentice guide with real clients. Graduate with the experience, certifications, and tools necessary to get a job in the mountain guiding industry. Table of Contents The Mountain Guide Training School... 1 Table of Contents... 1 Welcome to the Mountain Training School... 2 Course Overview... 3 Course Summary... 4 A Path to Certification and a Job as a Mountain Guide... 5 Where do you begin?... 5 An Broad Overview of Guiding Certifications of the World... 5 The Wilderness Education Association (WEA)... 7 Obtaining WEA Certification... 8 Employment in the Industry... 9 Course Dates Course Schedule Overview February Guide School July Guide School Course Modules Day Backpacking Module Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Module Job Skills Seminar Day Ski Module Expedition Planning Seminar Day Mountaineering Module Day Education Seminar Day Rock Climbing Module Day Alpine Ski Program Day Alpine Climbing Program Plan Your Own Expedition (PYOE) Internship Apprenticeship Meet Some of Your Instructors Mountaineering/Alpine Climbing Instructors Merrie Beth (MB) Board Cecelia Mortenson Jaya Marr... 17

2 Dennis Haskell Benjamin Gorelick Rock Climbing Instructors Alfredo Iglesias Gago Thomas Exner Brian Martens Lyra Pierotti Ski Instructors Nancy Pfeiffer Leighan Falley Mike Mariash General Information Tuition Paying for the Course and Financial Aid Standard Payment Plan Extended Payment Plan Student Loan The Application Process Prerequisites Equipment Food and Nutrition Basecamps Patagonia Alaska Spain Training and Fitness Would You Like to Learn More? Welcome to the Mountain Training School Right now, maybe you re sitting in an office, wasting time before another meeting. Or you re in the university library, pretending to study for your biology exam. Or maybe you haven t even started college yet, but you know that sitting in cubicle for the next 20 years doesn t have much appeal. Looking forward to a life of three week vacations and 1 hour commutes? Or are you looking for something more? Do something. My name is Benjamin Gorelick; I m one of the founding directors of the Mountain Training School. 12 years ago, I was in my last year at university, finishing a degree in Chemical Engineering. I was working in a lab, watching chemicals drip, drip, drip away. This was my

3 future, and I was bored. So I decided to do something. I dropped out of college and started training to be a mountain guide. My friends thought I was nuts. My parents yelled at me for being irresponsible, and told me that the only way I d ever earn a living was to finish my degree and get a real job. I am a Mountain Guide. I have been for 10 years. I spent 192 days in a tent last year. I climbed mountains, traversed glaciers, and taught students to do it all themselves. I have a house, a wife, and a dog (two, actually). As it turns out, mountain guiding is a pretty amazing real job. Course Overview The Mountain Guide Training School is a unique program focused on the training of aspiring mountain guides and outdoor leaders. Mountain guides must be technically competent and experienced in the mountains, and also need to develop and foster a range of skills associated with client management, instruction, and group leadership. The Mountain Guide Training School provides training on all of these fronts. Your course begins with a year of skills training modules, including field modules covering backpacking, skiing, outdoor leadership, wilderness first aid, mountaineering, risk management, rock climbing, instructor training, and alpine climbing. These skills are built upon each other, allowing you to gain confidence in more challenging terrain and more challenging situations as the Mountain Guide Training School continues. But more than just technical training, the Mountain Guide Training School is the first of its kind to provide you with real life opportunities to teach, lead, and work with clients directly, throughout your training: The final year of the course is spent working as an apprentice instructor and guide. No other course (that we know of) allows you to gain actual work experience as part of your training. Further, you will get to work in some of the most amazing places in the world. Your backpacking, skiing, and mountaineering courses will be run in Alaska or Patagonia, depending on the season, and your rock climbing course will be run on the north coast of Spain. Together, these are some of the most spectacular classrooms on Earth.

4 You further gain the tools necessary for success in the industry, with a series of seminars on things like teaching techniques, expedition planning, resume writing and other job skills, and formal risk management. You will graduate with an electronic portfolio showing off who you are and what you re capable of, ready to begin a life in the mountains. Course Summary The course begins with a 21 day backpacking trip, designed to introduce you to the basics of expedition life. It continues with a 21 day backcountry skiing course where you ll learn the fundamentals of skiing, avalanche hazard evaluation and terrain management, and group management skills. You continue with a Wilderness First Responder course, the guide industry standard in wilderness medicine. Moving on, you ll participate in a 42 day mountaineering expedition, focusing on glacier travel, snow and ice climbing skills, as well as continuing your ski and avalanche curriculum. After the mountaineering program, you ll join a 42 day traditional rock climbing course where you look at climbing movement, traditional rock protection, and rescue skills. Finally, your first year concludes with a 60 day technical alpine course, combining the skiing, mountaineering, and rock climbing training that you ve undertaken over the past 7 months. Also during the first year of your course, you will participate in a series of short seminars dealing with topics like institutional risk management, education strategies, getting a job in the industry, and expedition planning. The second year of the course is your opportunity to gain experience in the industry. It begins with a personally planned expedition: You and your course mates will plan and execute a 6 week mountaineering expedition to in Alaska or Patagonia, or you may choose to create your own expedition with friends. Your apprenticeship continues with a 3+ month internship, allowing significant amounts of face time with clients and conscious development of leadership and instruction skills. You ll put to use the skills and leadership strategies learned over the previous year, and begin your professional development and resume building. Your training concludes with a 120 day apprenticeship program, where you ll work as an apprentice mountain guide to lead a series of

5 mountaineering, skiing, backpacking, or rock climbing expeditions with us. Armed with this well-rounded résumé of skills and real life experience, you will be well placed to find employment in this dynamic and rewarding industry. A Path to Certification and a Job as a Mountain Guide Where do you begin? Figuring out how to start your career is one of the most difficult challenges you ll face as you look to begin your career in the mountains. And the answer isn t simple. You need to consider the various certifications that exist, requirements for the area(s) that you d like to work in, what kind of work you d like to do or who you d like to work for, the time, money, and experience necessary to get your foot in the door, and so forth. So let s break this discussion down into four different areas: -What certifications are out there? -What certifications do we offer? -What kinds of jobs can I get and how do I get started? -What opportunities exist for further training? An Broad Overview of Guiding Certifications of the World Before I begin this section, I need to note that the guiding certifications and standards vary significantly from country to country and can be complicated. This section outlines my best understanding of the more common systems that exist and has been culled from information on the Internet as well as my experience in the industry and conversations with other guides. This is by no means meant to include every drop of information available, and we heartily encourage you to do your own research into the various systems that exist. That said, I think the best place to start is with the name: What is a Mountain Guide? If I were to describe my job to you (take people out into the mountains, lead them up mountains, across glaciers, teach them skills, and generally live life with crampons on my feet and an ice axe in my hand), and ask you what my job title is, odds are very high you will say Mountain Guide.

6 And I would agree with you. As would most other people. The general term Mountain Guide is fairly broad in scope, and probably refers to glacier guides, the girl at the rock climbing gym, the head of the Outdoor Studies department at your state university, the guy leading a group up Everest, and maybe even summer camp counselors and Boy Scout guides. I am assuming that your goals/aspirations lie somewhere on that continuum when you tell me that you want to be a Mountain Guide. In a professional sense, however, Mountain Guide is the title given specifically to graduates of an IFMGA/UIAGM program such as the AMGA (USA), ACMG (Canada), BMG (UK), or NZMGA (New Zealand). IFMGA Mountain Guides have generally spent years (3-5 or more) working their way through the program, in addition to the many years of experience they would have built up just to qualify for admittance to the program in the beginning. IFMGA guides are some of the most technically competent, professional, and capable in the industry. Further, the IFMGA is the largest and most well recognized guiding certification in the world. An IFMGA certification is the only accepted certification for guiding in some countries (most of Alps Europe, Canada, and Peru), and the IFMGA is recognized in nearly every country as the authority on technical mountaineering, ski, and rock guiding. So, why not just go out and get an IFMGA certification? Two reasons: 1) The IFMGA has very high requirements for admittance to their programs. You need to have multiple years of high grade rock climbing, ski confidently in just about any terrain or conditions, and/or have completed numerous alpine peak ascents. This kind of experience takes time, years and years, to develop. If you re looking at our program, I m assuming this isn t you (and if it is, you should look seriously into an IFMGA program). More likely, you ve done a bunch of backpacking, rock climbing, skiing, or mountaineering on your own, and have decided that you d like to make a career out of it. Luckily

7 2) Most jobs in the industry, especially outside of Europe/Canada/Peru, don t require IFMGA certification. This leaves a large segment of the industry available for work without an IFMGA certification. This includes backpacking, glacier guides, many rock and mountaineering guides, and so forth. To give you some idea, in the USA, there are only 67 full IFMGA guides, and 1 in state of Alaska (Source: AMGA.com, August 2011). Looking further, there are numerous other guiding certifications available to you to gain employment. These include the MLTB awards in the UK, NZMGA or NZOIA certifications in New Zealand, the IML award in Europe, and (finally) the Wilderness Education Association certifications in the USA, through whom we provide our major guiding certification. The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) In 1977, the Wilderness Education Association was founded with the goal of training mountain leaders with the judgment and decision-making skills to safely lead and teach groups in remote wilderness areas. Today, the WEA curriculum is taught in 33 universities and at 6 private companies. The WEA provides training on two levels. First, they provide training in the core areas of outdoor leadership. Put simply, whether you re a kayak guide, mountain guide, backpacking guide, etc., there is a base of knowledge and skills that are universal to your ability to lead well. As defined by the WEA, these are: Outdoor Living (Camping, Leave No Trace skills, cooking, navigation, etc.) Planning and Logistics (Rations planning, emergency action planning, route planning, goal setting, etc.) Risk Management (Field based risk management, preexpedition risk management, risk mitigation strategies, etc.) Leadership (Communication, self-knowledge, tolerance for adversity and uncertainty, decision making processes, etc.)

8 Education (How to teach, how students learn, lesson planning, assessment, etc.) Environmental Integration (Environmental ethics, knowledge of flora and fauna, care for the environment, etc.) In addition, various technical skills are required for competency as a guide or instructor in different fields, listed under what are called Technical Training Modules (TTMs). These include climbing skills, kayaking skills, mountaineering skills, and so forth. Unlike the 6 core competencies, these skills are different for different guiding focuses. A WEA program teaching mountaineering would combine instruction in both the Mountaineering TTM, the technical skills, plus the general skills covered by the 6 core competencies. Further, the WEA offers certification at 5 levels: Wilderness Steward Outdoor Leader Apprentice Instructor Level I Instructor Level II Instructor A Wilderness Steward is someone who is competent in 2 or more of the 6 core competencies. This is generally taught on 5-10 day programs. An Outdoor Leader is someone who is competent in all 6 core competencies. This certification takes a minimum of 35 days training, and often more. An Apprentice Instructor is someone with 200 or more days experience as a guide or instructor, is working with a WEA approved program, and who is looking to qualify as a full instructor. A Level I instructor can teach and provide certification for Wilderness Stewards, and a Level II instructor can teach and provide certification for Outdoor Leaders, Apprentices, and Level I and II Instructors. Level II instructor certification requires many hundreds of field days and the creation of a large portfolio of work. Graduates of our program work to earn this certification. Obtaining WEA Certification In a traditional education program, you would participate in a course, take an exam at the end, and your instructors would give you a grade. From this, you would get your certification. However, the WEA certification process is different. It is what is called an evidence based certification program.

9 Basically, instead of taking a test and us telling you that you ve passed, the WEA requires that you put together a portfolio of your work (submitted and displayed online) for evaluation by a committee. In this portfolio, you would submit videos, maps, documents, spreadsheets, etc. in order to answer one simple question: Why do you think you re qualified as an Instructor? It is your job to prove to us/the WEA that you re ready to earn your certification. This arrangement has advantages and challenges. First off, it s a lot of work. As I mentioned above, you have to make videos, write papers, compile maps, route plans, rations plans, emergency action plans, lesson plans, and upload everything, along with a resume, cover letter, and experience log for review. This will take planning and commitment to make happen. On the other hand, you are able to take more responsibility for your learning, highlighting your strengths and are more easily able to identify and work on your weaknesses. And when it s all done, you ll have an online portfolio that you can show to potential employers to give them a much better idea of what you can do and how you can help their company by being a great employee and guide. So, WEA certification in hand, where can you get a job? Employment in the Industry Before we talk about jobs, let me get one thing straight: Certifications are great, but they re only pieces of paper. Just as important, you need to get experience, both to get a first job and to continue to work your way up in the industry. Our program is the only course I know of, anywhere, that offers you the opportunity to work with actual, real, live clients (working with fully qualified guides, of course). As a part of our course, you will get 470 days experience in the field, and 220 (or more) days of work as an apprentice instructor. These will be working in places like the Patagonian Ice Cap, the ice fields of Alaska, or as a climbing instructor in Spain. This kind of experience is invaluable and is equally, if not more important than the certifications you will earn on course.

10 Ok, back to getting a job. As it turns out, like I said above, experience is crucial. Very few countries actually require a specific certification for work. WEA certification isn t required for work in the USA. MLTB certification isn t required for work in the UK. Most of Asia, South America, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe don t have any certification requirements. Alps Europe, Canada, and Peru are exceptions to this, but, really, what s important is to have a meaningful certification from a governing body and enough experience to convince someone that you know what you re doing and they should give you a chance. In these areas, the Mountain Guide Training School shines. When you finish your course, you ll have guided extended glacier traverses, technical rock climbs, and/or hard ski descents. These things place you well ahead of most new guides. Further, as part of the WEA certification process, you ll have developed a detailed online portfolio showing off your skills and training. You ll have an online repository of videos of you teaching, lessons you ve written and executed, expedition plans you ve developed, and documentation of your growth as a leader and instructor. When looking for jobs, potential employers won t have to guess what you can do from a short letter and a resume. With a few clicks, they ll have a comprehensive idea of who you are, what you ve done, and, more importantly, what you can do for them. Ultimately, the most important question is Do our graduates get jobs? And the answer is Yes! Right now, we ve got an American student working as a rock climbing guide in Thailand, an Aussie student working ski patrol in Canada, an American and a Scot student working as glacier guides in New Zealand, and Malaysian student working on Aconcagua. Our students have worked in Iceland, Alaska, Canada, mainland USA, Argentina, Chile, Thailand, and the UK. We have an excellent track record of helping students, from all over the world, get jobs.

11 Whether you re looking to guide glaciers, work with youth groups, or get a full IFMGA certification, the Mountain Guide Training School is a great place to start. Course Dates Course Schedule Overview The Mountain Guide Training School runs two full years in length. Courses begin February 1 and July 1 of every year, with the following schedules and locations: February Guide School Backpacking, Patagonia, February 1 to February 21 WEA Introduction, Patagonia, February 23 to February 24 WFR, Alaska, March 3 to March 11 Skiing, Alaska, March 13 to April 2 Expedition Planning, Alaska, April 5 to April 8 Mountaineering, Alaska April 11 to May 22 Education/Jobs, Alaska, May 24 to May 29 Rock Climbing, Spain, June 1 to July 12 Alpine Skiing, Patagonia, July 17 to August 7 Alpine Climbing, Patagonia, August 8 to September 19 Plan Your Own Expedition/Internship, Worldwide, October 1 to May 31, 2012 Apprenticeship, Worldwide, June 1 to January 31 July Guide School Backpacking, Alaska, July 1 to July 21 WFR, Alaska, July 24 to August 1 WEA Introduction/Job Skills, Alaska, August 3 to August 7 Skiing, Patagonia, August 11 to August 31 Expedition Planning, Patagonia, September 3 to September 6 Mountaineering, Patagonia, September 9 to October 20 Education, Patagonia, October 22 to October 24 Rock Climbing, Spain, October 27 to December 7 Alpine Skiing, Alaska, February 9 to March 2 Alpine Climbing, Alaska, March 3 to April 13 Plan Your Own Expedition/Internship, Worldwide, April 15 to August 31 Apprenticeship, Worldwide, September 1 to June 30

12 Course Modules 21 Day Backpacking Module You ll be picked up at 8:00 AM on the first day of your course and be whisked off to basecamp. You ll have your first opportunity to meet your instructors and fellow students. The first few days are spent in basecamp reviewing program details, doing gear checks, going over maps, and packing rations for the backpacking section. As soon as we re ready, we re off to the field for a 21 day backpacking expedition. Your focus for this module will be to learn and practice foundational skills for the rest of the program. This includes obvious topics like navigation, route planning, cooking and camping skills, river crossing techniques, and the like. You ll also begin to learn guiding techniques and skills such as communication skills, leadership theories and strategies, risk management processes, and client management techniques. The final week of the module is self led (i.e., you ll be trekking without instructor supervision), rotating through the role of leader of the day, so that you begin to work as a cohesive team. Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Module WFR is the guide level industry standard wilderness medicine certification. In this module, you ll learn and practice long term patient care in a remote setting. This is very different than city medicine, because you are looking after patients for extended periods of time (hours to days), and this gives different challenges. The course focuses on an understanding of how the human body works, and how to use that understanding to provide care. Job Skills Seminar This three day seminar will provide details about the WEA certification process, and will be a look ahead toward your internship and apprenticeship. You ll learn how to log your guiding experience, write a resume and cover letter, what you should ask when researching companies to work for, and take a look at the industry from a big picture perspective. 21 Day Ski Module This course will introduce you to mountain travel on skis in a winter environment. Highlighted topics will include: equipment selection, use and care; skiing skills; skinning skills; basic ski tuning; route

13 finding; navigation and route planning; leading a group up hill and downhill; ski rescue sleds; snow shelters, winter camping and more. This course also includes a Level 1 Avalanche Course, as avalanches are one of our primary concerns for safety in the winter mountain environment. You will spend your first week at a local ski area (somewhere with lifts), where the group will be divided into novice, intermediate, and advanced skiers, and you will focus on ski techniques appropriate for your skill level. Evenings will be dedicated to working through the avalanche curriculum. Your second and third week will be spent completing a backcountry ski traverse, while continuing to focus on avalanche skills, group management skills, winter camping skills, snow shelters, navigation, and leadership, risk management, and judgment skills development. Expedition Planning Seminar In this 3-4 day seminar, you ll explore the intricacies of formal expedition planning. Topics will include creation of a formal, written risk management plan, rations plan, emergency action plan, and development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and medical protocols. You ll also look at a myriad of resources available to you (weather, route, avalanche, etc.), to help you in your future planning. 42 Day Mountaineering Module It s time to hit the mountains. Building on what you learned in previous modules, you ll attempt a large glaciated ski traverse, climbing peaks along the way. This course will focus on glacier travel skills, introduce climbing skills, anchor and protection skills, continue to improve ski, navigation, and winter camping skills, all while working towards higher level risk management, judgment, and leadership skills. The course will include a week long hard ice section, where you ll work on crampon and ice axe use, ice

14 climbing skills, anchor building, and group management skills. From there, you ll move up into the snow covered glaciers, covering topics like roping up for glacier travel, glaciology, crevasse rescue, alpine camping, and extreme weather procedures. As part of the traverse, you ll have the opportunity to climb several peaks along the way, developing further your snow and ice climbing skills, protection and anchor building skills, as well as your ski ascent/descent skills. 3 Day Education Seminar Up to this point, you will have taught several informal classes as part of your progression. Here, it s time to look at the nitty-gritty of teaching. We ll discuss lesson planning, various teaching and learning theories, and assessment strategies, all in an effort to help you develop comprehensive lesson plans and translate them into effective and engaging classes. 42 Day Rock Climbing Module From out of the winter and mountains, you ll find yourself 4 pitches up a wall in Northern Spain. The rock climbing module will build on the technical climbing skills learned on the mountaineering program, as well as opening up new skills. You ll focus on movement skills, mental and physical training, rock protection, geology, and rescue skills. On this course, you ll work toward two goals: Multipitch trad climbing and improvised technical rope rescue. Unlike the other modules in the Mountain Guide Training School program, this course is mostly car camping, meaning that you ll have access to a base, delicious food, and excellent Spanish culture. More than any other module, this will offer the opportunity for cultural engagement and learning. 21 Day Alpine Ski Program By the end of the rock climbing module, you will have developed into a technically competent climber, ready to go in snow, ice, or rock. Now will be your opportunity to finish your ski progression and round out your skills.

15 There will be four components to this course. The first component is a Level II Avalanche Course, building on the knowledge gained over the past months. The second will be a weeklong backcountry skiing trip. This trip is to refresh and advance the your backcountry skiing skills and avalanche awareness. The third component will be an introduction to new ski mountaineering skills such as making anchors out of skis, skiing on rappel, skiing on belay, ski rescue sled raises and lowers, continuing crevasse rescue, and advanced transitions. The final component will be a group of student-led objectives appropriate for the group and conditions. Students at this time should be guiding the group to an apprentice guide standard. 42 Day Alpine Climbing Program This final instruction phase course varies greatly by group, skill level, and condition. It is meant to be an opportunity to consolidate skills, practice guiding techniques in a supervised environment, and finalize any curriculum points not yet covered or in need of reinforcement. Past objectives have included big peaks such as San Lorenzo (the second tallest peak in Patagonia), technical alpine climbs like Cerro Castillo, or long traverses such as a traverse of the Chugach range in Alaska. By this stage, you will have developed the skills and knowledge base necessary to build and submit your portfolio for review by the WEA for your Outdoor Leader certification. Plan Your Own Expedition (PYOE) What you do on the PYOE is entirely up to you and your group. Past groups have attempted Denali/Mt. McKinley in Alaska, bolting multipitch climbs in Chile, or 6000m peak climbing in Peru. Your goal will be to consolidate skills, gain personal experience, build your resume, and prepare yourself for your internship. Internship Internships are your first experience working as a guide in the industry. We have a number of partner companies that we often work with. However, we heartily encourage you to apply to any company you want, and will support you in this. Your goal for the internship is two fold. Primarily, you want to gain a foothold in the industry, hopefully

16 with a company that you might want to work with long term. Further, you will begin to develop your professional resume for the WEA and skills development for your apprenticeship. Apprenticeship The final phase of your training will see you working as an apprentice instructor with the Mountain Training School. You will guide three expeditions with us, placed in any of our mountaineering, ski, or rock programs. Placement will depend on availability, your skill level, and our need. Further, you will continue your instructor training, participating in several short education seminars to help continue to improve your lesson planning and teaching ability. Your final project will be the development of a curriculum plan for a particular skill. This includes writing 6-10 different lessons, making instructional videos, and planning assessment and evaluation standards to carry out the program. Throughout this phase, you will work closely with a mentor to explore your goals, short and long term, work through skills learning, and to foster your guiding and instructional skills. By the time you graduate, you will have the work experience and skills knowledge to build and submit a portfolio to the WEA for consideration as a Level II WEA instructor and the mountaineering and rock climbing addendums. Your adventure will have begun. Meet Some of Your Instructors Please note that instructors vary by course and module. However, these fine folks have been teaching for us for years, and teach 2-4 courses per year. You can expect to work with most of them along the way. Mountaineering/Alpine Climbing Instructors Merrie Beth (MB) Board MB, from Golden, BC, Canada, has an incredible depth of experience; she will be one of a handful of women to become

17 a full IFMGA certified Mountain Guide later this year and currently holds ACMG Ski Guide and Assistant Alpine Guide certifications. Her love affair with Patagonia started many years ago on a personal trip to cross the Northern Ice Cap. That expedition was foiled by the weather, but she kept coming back and was rewarded with a perfect traverse this season. She embodies so many qualities you would want in your instructor: strong, solid technical and teaching skills, and an infectious enthusiasm no matter how tough the going is. Cecelia Mortenson Cece, an ACMG certified assistant alpine and rock guide, has guided and climbed on 6 continents, including work as the head field mountaineer for the US Antarctic program. She has lead expedition glacier traverses for MTS in Alaska and Patagonia, and has climbed extensively in Canada, the USA, and Nepal. Her passion for the mountains, guiding, and instructing is infectious. She is an amazing instructor and we re privileged to count her among our staff. Jaya Marr Jaya is the founding Director of the Mountain Training School and is among the most experienced Patagonian guides. She has lead 10 traverses of the Patagonian Ice Cap and counts innumerable peak ascents to her credit along with an unmatched wealth of experience and knowledge about the Northern Ice Cap. Her inspiration comes from working with students and seeing them progress, learn, and surprise themselves with what they are capable of. The harsh conditions of the Ice Cap bring out the best in people and allow them to see themselves in a way that never happens in town. I never get tired of that. Dennis Haskell Dennis is originally from New Zealand and began his guiding career on the Fox Glacier. From there he has been guiding and ski patrolling in Canada, Alaska and Patagonia. He is a qualified NOLS mountaineering instructor, while continuing to work through the NZMGA qualification system. Students who have been on an

18 expedition with Dennis invariably rave about his super calm approach to life in the mountains and his natural ability to help students to learn the many technical and leadership skills contained within the expedition. Benjamin Gorelick Benjamin is the expedition director for the Mountain Training School and has climbed and guided on 5 continents, including in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Mongolia, Thailand, New Zealand, the continental USA, and Alaska. He cut his teeth in the Chugach Mountains of Alaska, and after spending the first years of his career working around the world, he moved to Patagonia in To date, he has lead 14 traverses of the Patagonian Ice Cap. Ben is passionate about instructing, challenging students, and helping to train the next generation of mountain guides. Rock Climbing Instructors Alfredo Iglesias Gago Alfredo is originally from the big city of Madrid, Spain. However, after 15 years of living in the paradise that is the Picos de Europa, that is where his heart is. He trained at the Escuela Espanola de Alta Montana (The Mountaineering School of Spain) and is an AEGM certified Rock Guide. For the past 3 years he has running his own business, Guiatrek, based in Potes in the heart of the Picos. He has an intimate knowledge of the many treasures to be found in this little known exceptional climbing area. Working with Alfredo, you can t help but be inspired by this place and start falling in love with it yourself. Thomas Exner Originally from Germany, Thomas Exner is a full IFMGA guide who has been climbing and skiing for as long as he s been able to stand. He has guided extensively in Europe, and moved to Canada in 2005 to pursue a PhD in Avalanche Science.

19 Thomas calm demeanor and thorough teaching style make him an equally excellent instructor. Brian Martens A native of Boulder, Co, Brian has been addicted to the mountains since before he can remember. He has 15 years of climbing expertise from more than 20 countries on 6 continents. He has professionally guided in the USA, Peru, and Chile. And as a long time musical enthusiast, is trying to learn to play every instrument possible. Up next: Bagpipes on El Capitan. Lyra Pierotti Lyra has a varied background with climbing and guiding experience in Yosemite Valley, the Sierra Neva, Mexican volcanoes, and Mt Shasta. She is known for her great enthusiasm and her commitment to providing her students with quality instruction and an all-encompassing positive experience. Ski Instructors Nancy Pfeiffer Nancy has been skiing and guiding for, well, a long time. In addition to her work with MTS, she is the former head of the Alaska Avalanche School, a NOLS instructor, a passionate horse packer, and the head of the ORIGIN institute in Alaska, helping teach guiding skills to Native Alaskans. Leighan Falley Leighan is a born and bred Alaskan who is passionate about all things mountain. She has guided for MTS in Patagonia and Alaska, and also guides on Denali, heli-skiing, and is a lead instructor for the Alaska Avalanche School. Mike Mariash Mike is an ACMG qualified assistant Ski Guide who makes his home in Revelstoke, BC. He has ski guided for 6 years in Canada, Chile, and Argentina. He is calm and patient, but strives to challenge his students and get everything he can out of them.

20 General Information Tuition Tuition for the Mountain Guide Training School is USD. Tuition includes professional instruction, food and housing while on course, local transport from basecamp to field locations, national park entry fees, group and technical equipment, fees associated with re-supplies, certification fees, and your first year enrollment into the WEA. It does not include international flights, personal equipment per the provided equipment list, medical or evacuation insurance, food in addition to provided meals, food or housing between courses, souvenirs, books, or non-course related local transport. Paying for the Course and Financial Aid The Mountain Training School offers three payment options for maximum flexibility and convenience. Each begins the same way: Your application is submitted and reviewed for acceptance to the Mountain Training School. Upon acceptance to the course, you will choose a course date and pay a 4995 USD deposit to reserve your place on that course. This deposit is fully transferable any other course up to one year before your chosen course begins. One year before the course begins you will be asked to pay a second installment of 5000 USD. At this time, you will be locked into your course date, and your payments will become nontransferable and non-refundable. Standard Payment Plan You will be asked to pay the remaining balance for your course in 4 installments of 5000 USD each. They are due 9 months, 6 months, 3 months, and 1 month before your course begins. Extended Payment Plan Beginning 9 months before the course begins, you will pay 840 USD per month for 33 months (with payments ending when the course ends). If you enroll less than 9 months before the course begins, you will need to one lump sum payment to catch up when you enroll. Student Loan

21 9 months before your course begins, you will be asked to pay 5000 USD. Thereafter, you will make payments of 310 USD per month while you are on course. After graduation, you will make payments of 600 USD per month for 3 years. If you enroll less than 9 months before the course begins, you will need to pay the above 5000 USD at that time. If you have any questions regarding payment options, please don t hesitate to ask. And, really, we re a small school so we can be somewhat flexible with payment options. The Application Process You can apply for the course on our website or by clicking here>>. Once we receive your application, we ll get in touch with you to schedule an interview and obtain any other information we may need. We interview all of our potential students over the phone to discuss with them, in a bit more detail, goals, expectations, what the course is like, life at basecamp, certifications and jobs, gear, and anything else you or we can think of. The main goal of the interview is to look at the fit between your goals, your experience level, and our program. We want to make sure you re a good fit for our program, and we want to make sure that we re the right program for you to join. After the interview, our course directors will review your application, and you will receive a phone call and hours later with our decision. One of three decisions are possible: Accepted You may join a course of your choosing at any time. About half of our applicants fall into this category. Provisionally Accepted You need to gain more experience in some area of your application. You will be accepted on the course of your choice, but will need to do some work before the course begins. We ll help come up with a training plan for you. About 40% of our applicants fall into this category.

22 Declined We have determined that you may not be a good fit for our program, either due to a difference between your goals/expectations and what we can provide or because you need to gain experience in significant areas before we can accept you to our program. If your application is declined due to lack of experience, we ll help you develop a plan to gain experience, and ask that you consider re-applying in the future. About 10% of our applicants fall into this category. If you have any questions about your suitability for the program, don t hesitate to give us a call or send us an . We are happy to discuss the program and your circumstances any time. With a minute phone call, we can give you a pretty good idea if you ll be a good candidate for the program. Once you ve been accepted to the program, you ll select a date to begin your course (courses begin February 1 and July 1 every year) and pay a 5000 USD deposit. This will guarantee your place on that particular course. Further payment details can be found above. Prerequisites When assessing students for suitability for the course, we try to maintain a balance: On one hand, you are a student who is signing up to be trained. As such, we don t ask that you re an expert at all things outdoors before you arrive. On the other hand, both you and the Mountain Training School are making a big commitment to each other, a two year relationship where we ll be living and working together. As such, we want you to be reasonably sure that you want to be a mountain guide, and that you have enough experience to know what that might mean. We look at three technical areas when considering admission: Trekking/hiking/mountaineering, rock climbing, and skiing. We ask that students have general experience in all three areas: trekking/hiking on multiple trips, including at least one trip 7 days or longer, have rock climbed either indoors or outdoors, and can ski a blue run well, and get up and down a black run without killing yourself. Further, we ask that the student be proficient in one of these three areas. You will either need to show strong experience trekking, rock

23 climbing, or skiing. This might be 2 years of rock climbing experience, 6-7 long treks, or a lifetime spent on skis. Remember, we re still a school and are still planning to help you develop your skills. But we want you to know what you re getting yourself into. Equipment The Mountain Training School provides much of the equipment necessary for the course, such as ropes, snow, ice and rock protection, tents, and cooking gear. However, you are responsible for providing some of your own equipment, such as your clothing and sleeping bag. This is detailed in a separate equipment list>> for this course. Please read over this list carefully. We also offer a range of equipment for sale at a discount or for rent. Food and Nutrition We provide a variety of excellent, well balanced, and nutritious meals for the course. Our meal plan was created with the help of a nutritionist, and has the right balance of carbs, fats, and proteins necessary for optimum performance on a long expedition. To give you an idea, you might eat oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, or potato pancakes for breakfast, Grizzly Bars (our homemade energy bar), wraps, stuffed cheesy bread, and Snickers bars for your lunch, and curry, pizza, pasta, or burritos for dinner. We can accommodate vegetarians and some special diets such as gluten free. We cannot accommodate a full vegan diet. There may be an extra charge for special diets.

24 Basecamps At the Mountain Training School, we are privileged to work in some of the most incredible and remote places on the planet. Let us show you around a bit... Patagonia We came to Patagonia, located at the southern end of Chile and Argentina, for the first time in 1998 to do an 88 day traverse of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap, and immediately fell in love with the place. Seven years later, as we were looking to grow our business, we moved to Coyhaique, Chile and have been running courses in the mountains and fjords of this incredible area ever since. We moved into our new basecamp in April 2009, and have been slowly adding on to it. Located on 20 hectares (about 45 acres), we have a main house for the instructors and students on course, a large classroom and kitchen, a big barn for the gear, and our very own rock climbing crag. We ve also got a small section of the Pollux River, where excellent fishing can be had. Alaska We began working in Alaska in 2000, and can t imagine calling anywhere else home. The Chugach Mountains have become our stomping ground, with our kayak and mountaineering courses going through some of the most remote and spectacular portions of Alaska. It s hard to describe how big and wild Alaska really is, and I m constantly taken aback with her beauty. Our base is about an hour from Anchorage, right on the edge of the Chugach National Forest. You can t beat the location.

25 smell the tapas Spain Potes, Spain holds some of the best rock climbing in the world. Ranging from granite to basalt to limestone, the cliffs hold some excellent multi-pitch trad and sport climbing venues. Even better, the people are wonderful, the food is phenomenal, and you can surf, cave, mountain bike, or just relax when you re arms are too tired to climb. We live in a small house about 15 minutes walk from Potes, just close enough to Training and Fitness Many students find our expeditions to be very challenging. Our expeditions are among the most physically, mentally, and emotionally difficult on the market; You will be living in an extremely remote environment with people you ve never met, carrying a heavy pack over rough terrain, undertaking a full regime of interactive classes, all while adjusting to a new environment. It s a very tough course. As such, your initial level of fitness will make a huge difference to your enjoyment of the expedition. We very much want you to be successful and learn as much as possible. Start exercising now. It s not too important what you do: swim, jog, bicycle, or walk up hills; you want to train for long distance endurance and stamina. We recommend that you take at least a few hikes with a heavy backpack (50 lbs/22kg) before you come to Patagonia. With your pack, plan to hike for two to three hours at first (taking breaks every hour or so), increasing to four to six hour hikes as the expedition approaches. Be kind to your knees, and use trekking poles on your training hikes, especially while walking downhill. By mixing regular endurance training with some training hikes, you should be able to quickly adjust to the demands of the expedition. If you have any worries about your health, talk to us and your doctor beforehand. For more information, check out our Fitness >> page on our website.

26 Would You Like to Learn More? Please feel free to contact us by or phone (listed at the bottom of each page of this document) if you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or concerns. We re happy to help in any way we can.