Joining the IFMGA

Joining the IFMGA

 Application by an Association to Join the IFMGA as Interested Country

 5.1    An application for membership may be made either by a National Association representing the Mountain Guide profession in a country, or by a Transnational Association representing the Mountain Guide professions in more than one country.  The Association may be authorized or regulated by the State, but in any case it must, if a National Association, be the main one in the country, and, if a Transnational Association, be the main one in the countries it represents. 

 5.2   The IFMGA Technical Committee then establishes the status of the Interested Association and the level of training currently being provided in general mountaineering, skiing, rock and ice, in case the Association wants to run its own training. In order for an Association to be accepted as an Interested Association, the following Pre-conditions must be established:

• the Association must have at least 20 national or multi-national (mountain guides of different countries) mountain guides as members.
• In a case where they have their own training, their personal skills in the disciplines of general mountaineering, skiing, rock and ice must be at the IFMGA’s required minimum levels, although an application can be made to replace Skiing with Winter Mountaineering (see 3.11 and 5.15)  
• In a case where they have their own training, an Association must have a current training programme in place, as well as a detailed training curriculum (with training content)
• 3 of the 4 disciplines must be available in the country of the Interested Association, or in the case of an Interested Transnational Association, in one of the countries it represents.
• recognition by Government should be an objective
• the Association must prove the real potential of mountain guides activities. A goal of the IFMGA is the establishment of the complete IFMGA Mountain Guide (alpine guide, rock guide, ski guide), except for No Ski countries (see 3.11 and 5.15)
• Associations that fulfil the above mentioned requirements may be accepted, but may delegate the training of their Mountain Guides to another IFMGA Member Associations or to a  multi-national training programme run by the IFMGA.

  5.3  It is primarily the responsibility of the IFMGA Technical Committee and secondly of the IFMGA Management Committee to establish whether all criteria has been satisfied.  

Candidate Association

5.4 The Association submits a Training Programme including a detailed training curriculum to the IFMGA Technical Committee for approval. The IFMGA Technical Committee presents the status quo of the Candidate Association to the Instructors’ Conference. The Training Programme must comply with the IFMGA’s Objectives and with the minimum standards of Training as laid down in this document.   

5.5 The IFMGA supports the Candidate Association in establishing a viable Training Programme by:

• members of the Candidate Association visiting the countries of at least 2 IFMGA Member Associations with different training cultures
• members of the Candidate Association must be trained by a minimum of two IFMGA Member Associations.
• a sponsor country: if an IFMGA Member Association supports a new Candidate Association, this has to take place in coordination with the IFMGA Technical Committee.
• the IFMGA Technical Committee participating in training courses in the country of the Candidate Association or in delegating one or several experts from the instructors pool of the IFMGA Technical Committee who have a thorough insight of the basic training systems of the IFMGA and necessary knowledge. Ideally instructors with a well established experience of the IFMGA training sector will be used for this.
• the IFMGA expert/s may act either as instructors or as consultants 

Ideally both are used; and the costs are paid by the Candidate Association. The General Assembly  may decide on any financial support from the IFMGA . A corresponding concept about mentoring and support of new Member Associations is presented by the IFMGA Technical Committee. 

5.6 It is compulsory that the Candidate Association attends meetings of the Instructors’ Conference and the General Assembly.  

Final Assessment

 5.7 In consultation with the IFMGA Technical Committee, the Candidate Association makes an application to the IFMGA for the Final Assessment, which will be carried out in the 4 main disciplines of general mountaineering, skiing, rock and ice. For “No Ski countries”, see 3.11 / 5.15.

 5.8 The Final Assessment takes place on an Aspirant and/or Mountain Guide Course(s) with a minimum of 5 participants and is carried out by the IFMGA Technical Committee, in exceptional cases by a minimum of 2 IFMGA Instructors  who have a thorough insight of the basic training systems of the IFMGA and necessary knowledge. Ideally, instructors with a well established experience of the IFMGA training sector will be used for this.

 It is recognised that considerable co-ordination is required between the Candidate Association, the IFMGA Technical Committee and the Management Committee.

 An prerequisite for the final assessment of a Candidate Association to become accepted as an IFMGA Member Association is the Mountain Guide Course which certifies the Aspirant at the standard of a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide. 

 5.9  The IFMGA Technical Committee members or delegated IFMGA Instructors assess:

• the Candidate Association’s own instructors (i.e. both their technical and their soft skills)
• the participants of the course (i.e. their experience and their skills) 
• the organisation of the course (i.e. location, process, finances)

 5.10      The IFMGA Instructors’ fees and expenses for accommodation, food, local transportation and other local additional costs are paid by the Candidate, whereas travelling expenses for the journey to the country of the Candidate Association are paid by the IFMGA. If further visits are required in order to complete an Assessment, the full costs are paid for by the Candidate Association.

 In exceptional cases it is possible to make an application to the IFMGA for financial support which has to be approved by the General Assembly.

  5.11     A Report is written by either the IFMGA Technical Committee or by the delegated IFMGA Instructors

 Admission of the Candidate Association

 5.12  Subject to a positive Report by the IFMGA Technical Committee or the delegated expert IFMGA Guides and subject to the Management Committee being satisfied that the Pre-conditions have been met, a resolution is put to an IFMGA General Meeting that the Candidate Association can be accepted as a Member Association.

5.13  For existing Guides in the Candidate Association who already meet the IFMGA standards and are older than 45 years, a shortened transitional programme of Training and Assessment may be arranged in co-operation with their Association and the IFMGA Technical Committee.

 The First 5 Years

 5.14  Technical support from the IFMGA continues for the initial 5 years, mainly in a consulting role, but also verifying that IFMGA procedures are being followed. The costs for such quality assurance visits by the IFMGA Technical Committee are paid by the IFMGA. At least one Training Programme should be run during this time and the shortened transitional programme of Training and Assessment for existing Guides must be completed within these first 5 years.

  “No Ski Countries”

 5.15  Subject to Conditions, which are carefully considered on an individual basis by the IFMGA Technical Committee following a presentation to all Association delegates  during  an IFMGA General Assembly, a Candidate  Association can be accepted into the IFMGA without the skiing discipline.  

 Conditions: 

• due to an absence of infrastructure, skiing cannot be practiced in the country of the Candidate Association and in neighbouring countries. 
• skiing is not a discipline and tradition of the Candidate Association`s existing Guides
• skiing will not in the foreseeable future be a discipline of the Candidate Association`s existing Guides in their own country or in neighbouring countries
• the standard of the other disciplines is unaffected 
• as a replacement of skiing, a Winter Training Course on snow, in high mountains according to feasibility of the country will take place, preferably with snow shoes. Intensified training content (snow and avalanche training, avalanche assessment, activities in snow-covered terrain, risk management, route planning, route choice and risk analysis, snowpack analysis and stability tests, group management/guiding etc.) is required to be carried out in compensation and completely covered according to the “winter training elements of an IFMGA Mountain Guide with skiing certificate”, including theory about snow and avalanche training.

 5.16      Countries with a working infrastructure of skiing are in principle excluded from this exception -  i.e. skiing must be included as a discipline. Countries in Europe and North America, as well as all countries with a working infrastructure of skiing or a skiing culture are considered as ski countries.

 5.17      An IFMGA Mountain Guide card with the note “No Ski” identifies a Mountain Guide without the discipline of skiing. A “No Ski” Mountain Guide has no reciprocal rights as regards skiing with other Member Associations.  A “No Ski” Member Association is not allowed to train applicants of Ski countries  nor countries in the admission process to become an IFMGA Association.

5.18       A  Mountain Guide or Mountain Guide Aspirant (who has carried out training days according to the Platform) of a “No Ski” Member Association can opt to carry out the discipline of skiing and the skiing qualification, provided that:

•  the training takes place in a Member Association where the discipline of skiing is practiced
•  the entry test in skiing is passed
• a No Ski country can join with another No Ski country to take training together in a Ski country, in which case it is the Ski Country which issues the Diploma
• concept and quality assurance has to be in accordance with the Ski Country and the IFMGA Technical Committee and be assured in different courses
•  in order to guarantee CPD in skiing, the Mountain Guide takes out a second membership of that Member Association
• at least 2 CPD days in skiing has to take place every 4 years in a Ski Country

 Suspension or Exclusion

 5.19  If it is suspected that a Member Association is in breach of any aspect of the IFMGA Platform, the Management Committee will in the first place invite the Member Association to respond. If after a reasonable amount of time this fails to resolve the issue, the Management Committee will put in place an investigation. If the issue is to do with Training or any other technical point, the Technical Committee will normally carry out this investigation.

 5.20 If the investigation identifies a serious failing(s) by the Member Association, and if the Member Association fails after a reasonable amount of time to address the failing(s), the General Assembly may vote on whether to suspend or expel the Member Association.

 5.21  If a Member Association is expelled from the IFMGA, a Mountain Guide of that Member Association may apply to join any other Member Association and is then subject to that Member Association’s entry requirements. 

 5.22  A Member Association may leave the IFMGA at any time, of its own freewill. 

5.23  Whether a  Member Association is expelled or leaves the IFMGA of its own freewill, no monies paid are refunded.