AAI Class of 2015 - Guide Training!

Mike Powers and I just finished the 2015 American Alpine Institute guide training program. The new guides participated in two weeks of guide skills training, followed by a week of student teaching.

Every one of the new guides is awesome. They are all absolutely lovely people. Every one of them has previous guiding experience, AMGA training and outdoor education experience. And they will all start their careers at AAI working in the Cascades.

To read about their backgrounds, check out our staff page.

Following is a photo essay from the guide training. To enlarge photos, simply click on them.

Class of 2015 from left to right. Backrow: Jim Mediatore, Mike Powers (Instructor). Front Row:

Angela Henderson, Jess Lewis, Will Gordon, Justin Moynihan, Jenny Merian, Dave Richards

and Jason Martin (Instructor).

It's well known that there aren't that many female mountain guides. As such, we take special pleasure in the fact that we have three new female guides all in the same class!

 Angela Henderson, Jenny Merian, and Jess Lewis

Master van packing by new AAI Guide Dave Richards.

Mike Powers teaches shortrope technique.

Shortroping is a guide technique where the guide uses his or her body

as well as terrain belays.

Mike demos how to shortrope on an arete on a log.

Jenny Merian gets rescued from a crevasse.

Will Gordon teaches prussik technique while student teaching.

Dave Richards practicing shortrope technique in Washington Pass.

Learning how to guide steep snow is an important part of guide training.

And so is guiding rock in the rain.

Skiing Spire Gully in Washington Pass.

We loaded Dave Richards up with ropes for rock rescue.

Angela Henderson practices rock rescue.

Will Gordon and Dave Richards get "rescued."

Getting guided up steep snow with skis.

The iconic first pitch of the Beckey Route on Liberty Bell.

Angela Henderson high on the Beckey Route.

An ugly summit day on South Early Winter Spire.

Jess Lewis and Will Gordon in Washington Pass.

Jess Lewis

Will Gordon

Jenny Merian and Will Gordon skinning in Washington Pass.

Justin Moynihan sport climbing near Mazama, WA.

Mike Powers showing how it's done.

Sport Climbing!

Shortroping on the ice.

Angela Henderson hauls someone out of a crevasse.

Practicing crevasse rescue.

Dave Richards enjoying the Mt. Baker sun.

Jenny Merian climbing steep ice on Mt. Baker.

Angela Henderson on steep ice.

Step cutting practice.

On Mt. Baker.

Guides can't help a little competition.

Here's a pushup comp!

Angela Henderson in Leavenworth.

Jim Mediatore in Leavenworth.

Dave Richards, Will Gordon and Justin Moynihan on February Buttress in Leavenworth.

Angela Henderson

Jim Mediatore leading February Buttress.

Jess Lewis and Jim Mediatore

Jenny Merian on February Buttress.

We are super excited about our new guide staff. If you've booked a course with us this summer, it's possible that you might meet one of these outstanding people on your trip!

--Jason D. Martin