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Rick Krause
Trad climber
Madras, Or
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 13, 2010 - 02:22pm PT
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After reading a large debate on SupperTopo this last July about the AMGA, PCIA and PCGI certification programs.
I decided to conduct my own research on how much certification/accreditation recognition dose each group have?
I did a Web search for the word Rock Climbing Schools, PCIA and PCGI. I scored each web site based on the web site display of their favorite organization or mentioned it by name on their web site. These are the results.
Web results:
USMGA 1 1.30%
PCIA 3 3.90%
PCGI 7 9.09%
None 32 41.56%
AMGA 34 44.16%
77
Comments:
AMGA did have the largest count of the sampled web pages. But I did not included large organizations, such as Boy Scouts, 4-H, boys and girls clubs, and church organization. All these groups have large training needs, and there are hundreds of locations. By adding these groups to the “none” group this would make them the largest.
All three groups are trying to use facebook for more recognition, with almost half of the schools, clubs, and guides not alleging them self up with any certification groups, there is lots of room for market share.
PCGI: Professional Climbing Guides Institute
The PCGI has more of a present on the web, than PCIA, and they are using Facebook for more general recognition. But I could not find any ware on their web site a list of member organizations.
AMGA: American Mountain Guides Association
Some individuals and companies are getting both AMGA and PCGI cards. They also are trying to expand their recognition on Facebook. Even if PCIA and PCGI joined forces they would only have 10% of the market. But AMGA needs to look at the 42% of the people that are not associated with any group.
PCIA: Professional Climbing Instructors Association
They are defiantly trying to connect with collages and school, and this is also a large un-taped organization group. But looking at who is doing 90% of their course training, this organization is just two guiding companies teaming up to fill class space. They just do not have the course provider pool to ever get very far.
I find it very interesting the Alan Jolley the main and often the only instructor for PCIA used his AMGA certified rock guide in his credentials, but his web site dose not Promote the PCIA logo, or AMGA.
USMGA: United States Mountain Guides Association
I could only find one company displaying an association to this organization. I do not think this association really exists anymore.
The None Group: These were web sites that show no affiliation with any certification or accreditation organization.
The “none” group is very large. I think there are a lot of groups that want to just use their own in house training. I also noted that many of the guiding companies that are in the “none” group were single owner guide. The high Cost of all the certification organizations might be keeping these people out. Also a lot of the multi recreation groups did not affiliate with any certifications.
Final Comment: I have studied all three of these organizations, over the past few years, and I do not believe there is a big difference in their training programs. It seems to be more of who is calling the shots. Who is in and who is out.
I have been involved with many organizations in my life, and one thing I have found out is. In fighting never gets you any wear, or taking my ball and going somewhere else to play never accomplishes anything.
If the membership of all these organizations really were interested in better trained climbers in the country they would kiss and make up. Because it takes a lot of energy to maintain an organization, and all I see is lots of wasted energy by PCIA and PCGI that could be better spent reaching out to people with better training.
Rick
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 13, 2010 - 02:31pm PT
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Dude, kiss and make up ain't in bureaucrats' language skillz.
It's all about turf, baby!
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