General Overview:

Note: Completing a PCGI course does not constitute PCGI certification. In order to obtain PCGI certification, individuals must pass a separate PCGI assessment.

• PCGI course and assessment paradigms have been developed by a team of highly skilled, certified rock climbing guides and college level educators. All PCGI approved mentors have been trained, educated and approved by PCGI as PCGI course providers and assessors. All PCGI course providers/assessors must also hold an appropriate level of PCGI Certification in accordance with PCGI mentor qualification requirements.

• PCGI courses aim to provide a forum where students can learn technical and facilitative guiding skills and knowledge through open discussion and practice. The goal for both courses and assessments is to provide a venue for professional development of technical skills common to rock climbing guiding and instruction in non-glaciated Grade III and under terrain.

• Each day of any given PCGI course or assessment should be approached as a learning experience; techniques employed by course mentors may vary from that of the students, as well as from other mentors, as guided rock climbing situations are dynamic, so must our techniques and solutions. Safety is the bottom line and PCGI approved mentors realize there are numerous means to that end.

Assessment Overview:

Note: PCGI highly recommends completing the appropriate level PCGI training course prior to enrolling in any PCGI assessment for certification. PCGI also suggests gaining a significant amount of in depth skills practice and hands on professional guiding experience outside of course environments prior to enrolling in any level of PCGI assessment. In many cases, forgoing these steps have lead to unsuccessful results for students partaking in PCGI assessments.

• Assessments are simply a way for the aspiring rock climbing guide to demonstrate proficiency and knowledge of PCGI developed guided rock climbing paradigms employed while guiding fifth-class terrain. 

• PCGI assessment paradigms strive to create similar levels of stress to any given day of professional rock climbing guiding. PCGI approved mentors take into account that assessments provide a unique level and type of stress that is not typically seen in a guided day with clients, even under the worst conditions and situations. Rescue drills are perhaps the most contrived and stressful assessment component. In themselves, rescue drills create enough stress due to time constraints that they are deemed equally if not more stressful compared to a real rescue. The assessor’s goal is to help reduce assessment specific stress in general and allow the person being assessed to perform as if they were actually guiding clients or performing a real rescue.