April 22, 2019
IMG Guide Staff 2019 (Robert Jantzen)
It’s hard to believe we are less than two weeks away from our first Rainier climb of the season! Our dedicated office staff has been busy since September processing applications and answering gear questions and now it’s time for all of their hard work to come to fruition. But before we turn our full attention to climbing the mountain, we must first tend to the task of guide training. Every spring, veteran guides and new guide candidates meet at IMG HQ in Ashford, WA for orientation, a BBQ, and training. This year’s turnout was the biggest yet and we were fortunate to have excellent weather both days.
2019 guide training on Mt. Rainier (George Dunn)
I asked IMG Guide, Rowan Stewart, what he enjoyed most and he said, “The highlight of the weekend for me was the training day at Paradise on Sunday. We had the opportunity to practice rescue skills, work on in the field problem solving, and absorb information from the knowledgeable senior staff of IMG”.
There was certainly no shortage of knowledgeable senior staff. On Saturday, we had Emily Johnston, MD present her “Doc Talk”, followed by hands-on technical training with Jason Edwards, Andy Polloczek, and Jonathan Schrock. Emily, Andy, and Jonathan will all be guiding on Denali this summer before stints on Rainier, in the Alps, and on Elbrus.
IMG’s world-class guide staff is the best in the business. Join them on guided treks, climbs, and mountaineering expeditions all around the world!
Heather Garland