KATHMANDU: Fifteen aspiring mountain guides have reached the final stage of an internationally accredited professional training programme, with their third and final component now under way at Kangla in Manang.

The Aspirant Guide Course (AGC) 2025/26, Component III, organised by the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), is being conducted under the accreditation of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA).

According to the NNMGA, 15 trainees, nine course experts and six staff members are participating in the 20-day field programme, which focuses on practical alpine activities and mountain-guiding skills.

The trainees will also sit their final examinations during the programme. Those who successfully complete the training and examinations will receive the Aspirant Mountain Guide designation, marking an important step in their professional guiding careers.

The final component builds on the training they received in the earlier phases of the course. The third phase includes practical skills required for guiding in technical mountain terrain, including glacier travel, technical ice climbing, crevasse rescue, alpine-peak guiding, short-rope techniques on complex rock routes and rock climbing in mountaineering boots.

The trainees had earlier completed the second component of the course through a 19-day programme conducted in Kathmandu Valley and Khijidemba, Okhaldhunga. That phase covered subjects including mountain meteorology, map reading and navigation, trip planning and management, tourism rules and regulations, rock rescue and multi-pitch rock climbing.

The first reported phase of Component III began with orientation and classroom sessions before the trainees moved into the field training programme at Kangla.

The course is being conducted by NNMGA with support from the Nepal Mountaineering Instructors Association (NMIA). Earlier theory sessions were hosted by the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal.

The AGC forms part of NNMGA’s effort to strengthen professional mountain guiding in Nepal and align the training of aspiring guides with international standards.