Founding and current PCIA Board Member Jon Tierney is an internationally certified IFMGA mountain guide and has helped shaped PCIA curriculum since its inception. Jon began climbing in the mid 70’s in central NH. With a passion for rock, ice and mountaineering his accomplishments as a climber and guide include multiple high altitude peaks, first ascents on rock and ice, and hundreds of multi-pitch rock and alpine routes worldwide. Jon started his outdoor career as a naturalist and interpreter for the National Park Service and then became involved in outdoor education working with universities, youth-at-risk programs, and Outward Bound. In 1984 he co-founded the University of Maine outdoor program which he directed until 2001.  UMaine was home to one of the first large climbing gyms in the northeast and became the first university program to undergo accreditation of its climbing program. In the late eighties Jon worked as a backcountry climbing ranger for the park service during the summer and in 1994 he established Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School. Jon has maintained a second career in emergency medicine and has been a practicing paramedic and wilderness medicine instructor since the mid 80’s as well. Jon believes strongly in the value of education and that clients should be able to have confidence in their instructor’s skills through credentialing. He has been involved in the initiation and development of several educational programs. He continues to synthesize good concepts, challenge usual paradigms, and develop new ideas to raise outdoor leadership and guiding standards. His involvement in the PCIA is the next step in that evolution.