Welcome to the Professional Climbing Instructors' Association!

The PCIA Accreditation Program is the sole accreditation program in the United States that requires formal examination and certification of all the accredited organization's lead instructors. Additionally, any active assistants at the climbing site must have formal training. Only the PCIA connects training and certification with accreditation.

Two of the founding directors of the PCIA have been involved with the various nationally recognized accreditation programs for nearly twenty years. The PCIA accreditation program builds upon knowledge that the founding members have garnered from their development and administration of the these programs.

Our Accreditation Program has been designed for organizations teaching rock climbing or using rock climbing for other objectives such as team building or group development. It is one important tool land managers and clients can use to assess the quality and technical competency of a climbing school.

An Accreditation Application is here. (You need to be a member to access the file)