UIAGM course in Jotunheimen

I made it. 
A long time goal realized, starting the UIAGM mountain guide scheme feels really good! It was not easy to get here but I was certain that I could do it. Now a new journey begins, the education to become a certified international mountain guide.

Many readers already know what the Mountain guide education is about so I'm not going to write too much about it but briefly here's a short description:

The UIAGM mountain guide education
There is only one international mountain guide diploma, the UIAGM/IFMGA/IVBV diploma, that allows a mountain guide to work globally. You can achieve this diploma by follwing a guide scheme by any of the above mentioned guide organisations and it usually takes about 3,5-4 years to get ready depending on how well you perform. Once certified, you'll be confirmed to have the highest professional mountain guide expertise in all alpine terrain, winter or summer.

In order to be invited to start you need many years of experience from both climbing, alpinism and skiing, logged ascents and descents at a certain level of difficulty in different mountain areas, through out all seasons, documented competence previous from mountain work etc etc.

A trek and talk about values and botanics with Nils Faarlund, UIAGM member of honour and a legendary person.

Entry tests
If the "list" of experience is accepted by the guide organisation you're invited for entry tests. In the Norwegian scheme Nortind you first have 4 days of skiing tests/navigation and snow in springtime followed by another bulk of climbing tests in varied terrain/weather a month later. Getting through the "needles eye" was anything but certain and the toughest all-around tests I've been through. I passed the last tests in May and last week we had our first guide course.

Lesson of geology and vegetation with Stein Møller and Anders Vollan

Great class !
We are 8 new candidates and the class is superb. I'm certain that I will learn as much from my fellow class mates as through the courses. And another great thing is that I'm not the only woman but we are actually two. There are today only 3 Swedish and 3 Norwegian certified UIAGM female mountain guides so let's hope well increase that number!

The scheme started by a course in the Norwegian legendary mountain massif of Jotunheimen with a course in geology, mountain vegetation and values. For 5 days we walked around examinating the nature, and had a lot of discussions about values, the guide role, some soft skills etc. A good way to start an education that will have a lot to do about the handcraft of guiding, skills and sharp focus.

In Norwegian a so called "Sildre" flower making her way in a sea of quartz, feldspar and glimmer.

I'm resting the brain with some moves on the rock (Glimmerskifer btw)...

It was nice to find some good boulders for play aswell :-) I don't think I was the only one who appreciated that session!

Thank you everyone for a good start, looking forward to the summer climbing course up next.

Bjørg giving the boulder a go, "spotted" by Sander and Øivind

The first picture is by the very talented mountain photographer Jack Brauer. Check out his work and fabulous images here: http://www.mountainphotography.com/