FAQ:

What exactly does it mean to be a AMGA Certified Rock Guide, and what did you do to earn your accreditation?  

QX:

The AMGA stands for American Mountain Guide Association and its the national certifying body in United States for mountain guides. In AMGA, you can get certified in Rock, Alpine and Ski disciplines and in order to be a IFMGA guide you will need to complete all 3 disciplines. In addition, you have to have an 80 hour wilderness first responder course and Pro 2 avalanche training.

For now, I am a AMGA Certified Rock Guide and AMGA Assistant Alpine Guide completing 48 days of training in US over a span of few years.

Apart from the time spent on course, there is many pre requisites prior to each training, many of which cannot be done here in Taiwan or Singapore, hence a lot of time and effort is spent on travelling Europe and US to complete these pre requisites. I am working towards completing all 3 disciplines and be a IFMGA Mountain Guide through the AMGA program.

FAQ:

Why do you recommend visitors to Taiwan or Asia hire an AMGA guide to climb? 

QX:

Risk management would be the biggest reasons to hire a AMGA certified guide. Climbing along the coast of Long Dong requires not just experience and knowledge but also constant adjustment to risk management that comes along the day. In Qxadventures Mountain Guides, all the guide plans are supervised by the lead guide.

A certified guide is trained to be efficient while focusing on the overall client experience. There are also good guides that are not certified but hiring a certified guide will guarantee you that they passed a high minimum standard of training and examination.

FAQ:

Where does your mountain climbing passion come from?

QX:

I grew up as a city boy and was a runner all my life as a kid. That’s all we really had in Singapore back then, rock climbing wasn’t exactly a known sport and there isn’t any mountains in Singapore. I really got the first taste of climbing as a kid when I first went for my Singapore Polytechnic school orientation program where I chose rock climbing because it sounded cool. Clearly I was totally destroyed by that single experience, as I had zero upper body strength being a runner all my life.

Fast forward a couple years, after I joined the military I managed to own my first pair of climbing shoes and harness. I started to climb in the gym where I met other climbers who later took me out to Thailand to have my first rock climbing experience. I was smitten and never turned back. Constantly seeking out bigger lines and more adventures routes. Soon I became the first Singaporean to climb The Nose on El Capitan after reading about it for years.

After which I started to venture into alpine rock climbs which later gave me a really good base on my current passion now. During the Covid years, I picked up skiing and ice climbing in Ouray, Colorado. Since then I have ice climb all over the world like Iceland, Norway, US, Scotland, Japan and also backcountry skied in Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand, Italy and Japan.

FAQ:

What are some of your favorite places to rock and ice climb?

QX:

Long Dong always have a special place in my heart as a climbing destination. The scrappy coastline, wild positions and varied climbing all contribute to a good day of climbing. Kaldakinn in Iceland remains my favourite ice destination in the world. It’s remote, quiet and wild. You will hardly see another climber here during the winter months. It’s a great place to explore yourself, restore your mind and learn from the frozen landscapes.

FAQ:

How much does a day of climbing cost with you?

QX:

It all depends on the objective, location and number of people in the group. A premium location like Croatia is going to cost a lot more than half a day outing in Taiwan.

I have to say it is an investment when you hire a certified guide like me, you focus all your efforts on enjoying the day instead of worrying about logistics. You not only get the most updated education, you also spend less time realising your goals and aspirations. I like to think of it as ‘maximising your returns while minimising your risk on a holiday’.

I am constantly hiring certified guides and instructors to help me realise my education goals too!

FAQ:

What are you up to when you’re not climbing a mountain?

QX:

I enjoy a session of muay thai training or sit by the pool all day!