Join the Appalachian Mountain Club climbing committee. An eighty year old community of local climbers. Check out the link.

http://www.amc-ny.org/recreational-activities/climbing/climbingtrainingclass

Or spend a few days with one of the excellent guide/training operations in the Gunks and not have to spend 25 trips becoming an "AMC qualified second" or be forced to join the creaky, crotchety AMC.

Oh, the AMC is not so creaky, crotchety these days. Like so many things these days it has unfortunatly become far more commercialized than it used to be. It had some good years in between and I think it still does good things. But, the post here is nothing more or less than commercial advertisement.

don't mind him. he's just spamming every climbing board he can think of

is there a Iphone app for AMC?

i support nynjtc.

I knew this was an add before I verified and this was the basis of my comment. It was more a lamment of what the AMC has become than a complaint about a single add.

Its not new news though.

Mark, I think the AMC is a nonprofit?

Spamming is when you (or more typically a bot) posts or emails in hundreds to millions of places for products that are unrelated to anything. I don't think posting the AMC climbing info to a handful of climbing boards qualifies.

The Boston AMC does a great job with their climbing training program. They take utter beginners and spit out climbers who are actually ready and somewhat aware of their own safety & participation in climbing. That just cannot be done in a three-hour gym class or in one day of guiding, with every amount of due respect to the guides. As far as I know, it's on a volunteer basis by the leaders.

I'm not an organized-group person myself, and I've never had much to do with the AMC personally, but I do have a decent amount of respect for at least the novice-training aspect of it.

My friend introduced me to a friend of hers whome she climbed with through AMC. They suggested I might be interested in the club.

I said "I don't think I would be a good Appie. I heard that the Appies insist the belayer is anchored in each and every time. Even on the ground!"

The guy went on to explain why this might be a good idea, to which I countered with "On the GROUND? When there's no real weight difference? When it's flat? You're trying to say this is reasonable???

It went on a bit, and then he said... "You know, you're right."

Surprised, I was, that I could win an old Appie over to my side of an argument. I said "No kidding! Whay would you have to anch..."

"Not about that," he interrupted. "You're right that you wouldn't make a good Appie."

Ha nice. I wonder if the gumbies that had a 20' "anchor" sling attached to the Rhodo tree stretched all the way to the middle of the carriage road were AMC i really really wish i had taken a picture >:(