2026 Course and Exam Dates

2026 SPI Course Dates

$580.00 per student, unless noted otherwise.

  • March 13-17 – Shelf Rd. CO $700.00 per student. Campsite at The Bank Campground included with course.
  • April 17-19 – Estes Park, CO
  • May 29-31 – Estes Park, CO
  • July 10-12 – Estes Park, CO
  • August 21-23 – Estes Park, CO
  • October 23-25 – Estes Park, CO
Apply For an spi course

2026 SPI Exam Dates

$500.00 per student, unless noted otherwise.

  • May 2-3 – Estes Park, CO
  • May 23-24 – Estes Park, CO
  • June 27-28 – Estes Park, CO
  • October 17-18 – Estes Park, CO
Apply For an spi exam

AMGA SPI Program Overview

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. Benefits:

  • It significantly improves the instructor’s skill sets and integrates into the next level of training, which includes the AMGA Rock Guide Course and the Multi-Pitch Instructor certification.
  • 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 re-certifies the SPI certification for another three years.

AMGA SPI Course Overview

The SPI Course is a 27-hour training course that typically runs as three consecutive nine-hour days or a mix of day classes with evening sessions. This program is the first step in earning one’s SPI certification and completion of the SPI Course is required prior to pursuing the SPI Exam. The SPI Course has a sunset time of two years. After two years, if the SPI Course graduate has not passed an SPI Exam, they will need to retake the SPI Course prior to pursuing the SPI Exam. There is no minimum time frame between successful completion of the SPI Course and when you can participate in the SPI Exam, as long as the candidate meets the prerequisites for the SPI Exam. Most successful candidates practice their skills for 3-6 months prior to taking the SPI Exam.

Candidates who are unsure of their qualifications would benefit from reaching out directly to the program provider teaching the program. The provider will have good insights into steps towards preparing for the SPI Course. Alternatively, hiring an AMGA Certified Multi-Pitch Instructor, Rock Guide, or Mountain Guide to evaluate and enhance their skill level prior to enrollment in an SPI Program may be necessary.

AMGA SPI Exam Overview

The SPI Exam is a minimum of 16 hours run over a two-day period. There is no minimum time frame between successful completion of the SPI Course and when you can participate in the SPI Exam, as long as the candidate meets the prerequisites for the SPI Exam. Most successful candidates practice their skills for 3-6 months prior to taking the SPI Exam.

First aid training is not a pre-requisite for participation in a course or assessment. For SPI certification to be valid, however, instructors must hold appropriate medical certification for the location in which they will be working. SPI certification is not valid for instructors whose medical certification has lapsed. It is the responsibility of individual instructors to maintain appropriate medical certification.

Why KMAC Guides?

With Estes Park, CO as our home base, we are situated in the epicenter of Rocky Mountain National Park tourism. Because of this we see thousands of visits every year from folks on vacation looking to get a taste of what rock climbing is like. We also work closely with the numerous youth camps that call this place home. Because of these things we have an exceedingly high volume of single pitch instructor level trips that our guides work. We have learned a lot from our decades of work in the mountains and we are excited to share our deep knowledge of the SPI curriculum and set you up for a successful career in guiding.

Because we care so much about helping out new guides and sharing our SPI knowledge, we are offering our courses at a reduced cost. We believe becoming a mountain guide shouldn’t break your budget, especially in the early stages. So join us for your AMGA SPI Course and kickstart your mountain guiding career.