The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA)
The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) is a 501(c)(3) educational non‐profit that is dedicated to supporting the American mountain guiding community. The AMGA’s mission is to inspire and support a culture of American mountain craft. The AMGA’s founders were climbers and skiers who understood the outdoor culture thoroughly. They realized the soul of these sports didn’t have to be compromised by the organization. The organization could instead serve to bring the community together in a revolutionary way. It could provide mountain guides with resources, services, and credentials to boost their careers, but also with connections to each other and to the larger community of guides and clients across the country and around the globe. These are the ways the AMGA leads and promotes the guiding community:
AMGA Programs: Courses & Certifications
The AMGA maintains the high standards of professionalism expected in American guiding and climbing instruction. We offer more than 300 internationally recognized training course, exams, and certifications designed to certify individual guides and climbing instructors and accredit climbing and skiing services. In 2019, 1,000+ students took a course through the AMGA’s 250+ climbing instructor programs, and 250+ students took the 30+ guide track programs.
- The Guide Program certifies alpine, rock, and ski mountaineering guides;
- The Climbing Instructor Program certifies rock, climbing wall, and single pitch instructors;
- The Accreditation Program endorses guide services or other organizations that offer climbing instruction, guided climbing, or ski services.
Memberships
The AMGA’s 4500 members are a team of guides and professionals who share similar goals and together shape the future of guiding. As an organization, the collective voice of the profession is strengthened and the momentum of the craft accelerated. Clients, land managers, and outdoor industry leaders look to the AMGA for excellence, support, and viable solutions.
Advocacy
As America’s voice for guides, the AMGA is ensuring our community is at the table and actively shaping a positive future for facilitated access in the United States. Powered by a partnership with The North Face, the Advocacy Team is strategically working to expand opportunities for the public to access public lands with a guide. We carry out this mission through four strategic pillars:
- Contributing to policy-making processes at the national level
- Engaging on local and regional access issues
- Serving as an educational resource for land managers and AMGA members
- Promoting stewardship initiatives
1% For The Planet Organization
The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems.”
— YVON CHOUINARD IN HIS BOOK “LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING”
Putting people and the planet over profit.
1% for the Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions through annual memberships and everyday actions. They advise on giving strategies, certify donations, and they amplify the impact of our network.
1% for the Planet Member
Granite Mountain Guides is a proud member of the non-profit organization 1% for the Planet.
An important aspect of becoming a climber, for many, is joining a local community in which everyone is welcomed. Granite Mountain Guides is approaching this from every perspective and working with 1% for the Planet makes our efforts to create a more welcoming and equitable space seamless. We also recognize that we are avid users of the lands we enjoy. Therefore, we have a great responsibility to be stewards of the land to protect and advocate them for all to enjoy for the future.
Through our membership with 1% for the Planet, Granite Mountain Guides has committed to donating 1% of our annual gross sales to the non-profit organizations of our choice that are within the 1% for the Planet network and whom we believe make a difference in this world. 1% for the Planet leads by example and is an organization we are proud to be affiliated with. Click here to learn more about 1% for the Planet and see below for information on how you can make a difference as an individual or as a business.
MEMBERSHIPS
BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP
1% for the Planet was founded on the model of our business membership program: responsible businesses giving back to environmental nonprofits to create a healthier planet.
Here’s how it works:
- Join: Business members join our network, committing to donate the equivalent of 1% of gross sales through a combination of monetary, in-kind and approved promotional support directly to environmental nonprofits.
- Advise: 1% for the Planet provides partnership advising, pairing members with environmental nonprofits that align with their values, their brand and that make the biggest impact possible.
- Donate: Business members support their nonprofit partner(s) directly—no intermediary necessary! In fact, we will help you forge meaningful relationships with your partners.
- Certify: 1% for the Planet certifies all member donations—legitimizing members’ commitment by reviewing and confirming sales and donation details annually.
It’s that easy—and also incredibly effective. To date, our members have invested over $250 million in environmental nonprofit solutions through the 1% for the Planet network.Easy, effective and…accessible! We believe that everyone has a 1%. We offer flexible giving options to ensure feasibility for members.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
Understanding that the current level of funding for the environment is not enough, 1% for the Planet sought to increase the accessibility to our network. Everyone—not just businesses—has a 1%. In 2017, we launched our individual membership program, allowing every person around the world to become a 1% for the Planet member.
Through this program, individuals pledge 1% of their annual salary to our approved environmental nonprofits. From there, it works similarly to our business membership:
- Join: Individual members join our network, pledging to donate 1% of their annual salary to environmental nonprofits through monetary and/or volunteer support.
- Advise: 1% for the Planet provides partnership advising, pairing members with environmental nonprofits that make the biggest impact possible and which align with their personal values.
Donate: Individual members support their chosen nonprofit partner(s) and we help make the connections. - Certify: 1% for the Planet certifies all member donations—having individuals self-report annual salary and by reviewing donation details.
We know that 1% of salary can be a big commitment, which is why we offer the flexibility of fulfilling some (or all) of your commitment with volunteer hours. That means up to 100% of your 1% pledge can be fulfilled by rolling up your sleeves and working side by side with an approved nonprofit partner of your choosing.
We Also Collaborate With
