Single Pitch Instructor Program

The Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) Program teaches climbing instructors to proficiently facilitate and instruct the sport of rock climbing in a single pitch setting. The SPI is the only internationally recognized single pitch climbing instructor certification program in the United States. It was developed to fit in the AMGA Rock program.

The Climbing Wall Instructor Program (CWI) was introduced in 2007 to certify professionals who teach in an indoor or artificial wall environment. It aims to increase the level of professionalism in indoor climbing and to improve the level of climbing wall instruction, to develop a more consistent standard of care for climbing instructors in the US, to evaluate the skills of climbing instructors in the US, and to provide guidance for further professional development. There are two certification levels: Top Rope and Lead.

Benefits:

• It significantly improves the instructor’s skill sets and integrates into the next level of training, the AMGA Rock Instructor Course.

• The program is for current, active rock climbers who have a real desire to teach rock climbing to novices in a single pitch setting.

• The SPI Course is a 27-hour training course that normally runs as three consecutive nine-hour days or day classes with evening sessions.

• The SPI Assessment is a minimum of 16 hours run over a two-day period.

• Certification lasts for three years as long as the candidate keeps current AMGA Membership and First Aid Certification.

• After three years current SPI’s can re-take the SPI Assessment to regain the SPI certification.

• Taking any higher level AMGA Course also recertifies the SPI certification for another three years.