Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School

Specialties

Experience a half-​day or full day climb with professional guides from Maine’s original and most respected climbing school. Acadia Mountain Guides is one of the most sought out leaders of climbing instruction and guide education in the US.

We specialize in designing unique, personalized climbing experiences for all ages and abilities on the scenic shores of Acadia and throughout Maine! Guaranteed to be a highlight of your vacation.

Unlike other local seasonal schools, guiding is our full-​time, year round profession. We guide on rock, snow, and ice. Climbing is healthy fun for all. All equipment provided. 100% of our staff are independently trained and certified above national guiding and medical standards set by the American Mountain Guides Association and the Professional Climbing Instructors Association. AMGCS has the distinction of being the only school in Maine to be accredited by both the AMGA and the PCIA.

History

Established in 1993.

Under the same ownership since opening. In 1993, we set out to establish a new kind of guide service — one that merged education with new and innovative state-​of-​the-​art guiding methods. AMGCS ushered in modern guiding in Acadia and raised the bar for other guides to strive for. Building on our success locally we led the charge to design up-​to-​date climbing instructor training for organizations such as the AMGA and the PCIA. Today these courses have become mainstream. However, good companies do not rest on their laurels and AMGCS continues to explore ways to better instruction and minimize risk.

We understand you have a choice of guide services. While we are proud of the many thousands of climbing instructors, including many local guides and competitors, who have either learned directly from us or were influenced by our innovation, we believe AMGCS can provide you with the best possible service with the greatest concern for your welfare.

Experience the AMGCS difference!

Meet the Business Owner

Jon T.

Business Owner

Jon began guiding in 1983 and is one of America’s most accomplished guides. Jon is one of a few Americans to earn the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) guide license. The IFMGA license is the PhD of guiding and requires full AMGA certification as a rock, alpine and ski mountaineering guide.

He also works professionally as a flight paramedic and has worked as a backcountry rescue specialist in several locations including Rocky

Mountain and Denali National Parks. Jon’s accomplishments include high altitude peaks, difficult first ascents and hundreds of rock, alpine and ski routes.

He served many years as a director, accreditation leader and instructor/​examiner for the AMGA. Jon was honored with a lifetime award from the AMGA for his educational contributions including leading the development of the first nationally recognized program to train and certify climbing instructors (now called SPI). In 2007 he co-​founded the Prof. Climbing Instructors Assoc.