The American Mountain Guide Association's (AMGA) annual conference is to be held at the new Petzl Technical Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Oct. 22 to 24. More than 100 of America's top guides are expected to congregate at the 15,000-square-foot technical training center for the three-day summit, to discuss training and certification standards. Petzl, a family-owned French company whose North American subsidiary is located in Salt Lake City, opened the Petzl Technical Institute last year to promote the proper application of technical skills and to facilitate exchanges with guides from a variety of backgrounds. In addition to three classroom that can accommodate up to 135 people, the institutes boasts several installations for climbing. Petzl operates a similar training facility at its global headquarters in France.