For us travellers, mountain guides play a crucial role in our expeditions. They help us explore new horizons, discover the landscapes around us and enjoy unforgettable experiences.
Whether in national parks, in the forest or even at the top of a mountain, the guides are experts who provide us with an enriching experience. And they do all this while providing us with a wealth of knowledge about these places. Thanks to their training and experience, we're lucky to be able to rely on them. Whether it's to guarantee our safety, or to help us develop our travel itineraries.
Mountain guides are therefore indispensable companions for any traveller wishing to discover the world in greater depth and more safely.
There are different types of guide, depending on the nature that surrounds us. There are two types of mountain guide: the medium mountain guide and the high mountain guide. But what are the real differences between them?
The mid-mountain guide
Becoming a mountain guide is no easy task, and requires a high level of knowledge and experience. To achieve this, it is essential for a mid-mountain guide to follow a number of specific training courses . The apprenticeship lasts three years and alternates practical and theoretical courses. These include ensuring the safety of clients, the ability to orientate oneself in the mountains, in-depth knowledge of the flora and fauna, and skills in hiking techniques. In addition, mountain guides must have strong interpersonal skills, such as the ability to communicate effectively with clients and to work as part of a team. They must also be flexible and resourceful. Mountain guides also need to be in good physical condition throughout their career in order to carry out their tasks successfully.
Where do you take your customers?
Thanks to their training, guides can take their clients into the mountains or forests, either on marked paths or off-piste. However, medium-altitude mountain guides cannot take their clients on paths that require technical skills.
The high mountain guide
Being a mountain guide is a demanding job that requires in-depth training and extensive mountain experience. This job involves accompanying clients in the high mountains and guiding them in conditions that are often difficult and dangerous.
High mountain
The high mountains correspond to a level of altitude where human development is subject to strong and unusual constraints. This environment is characterised by difficult and sometimes unexpected weather conditions, rugged terrain and, from time to time, an abnormally low level of oxygen.
Training
Becoming a mountain guide is not a job you choose on a whim. To qualify for this training , you need to have completed a certain number of routes. For example: high mountain mountaineering, ski racing or climbing.
Once they have completed this list of around forty routes, future guides can finally begin their training. This apprenticeship is spread over four years and includes different courses covering a variety of skills. These include mountain safety, orienteering, mountain rescue and preparing for difficult weather conditions. Mountain guides must also be able to communicate effectively with their clients and work as part of a team with other guides. In the high mountains, contact between traveller and guide is all the more important: a real relationship of trust is established between the two.
The risks
Being a mountain guide can be a very rewarding job. But it also involves many risks. Guides are sometimes subjected to extreme conditions, while at the same time taking risks to ensure the safety of their clients. High mountain guides also need to be in excellent physical condition to meet these challenges.
Where to take clients?
Mountain guides can take their clients to a variety of locations. Whether it's the highest mountains in the world or not. They can lead expeditions for experienced climbers, or simply for people wishing to discover new peaks. Their main objective is to provide a safe and unforgettable mountain experience for their clients.
DiscoveRent uses mountain leaders and mountain guides on their expeditions. Since the arrival of the guides on their expeditions, they have been a real added value for everyone involved.
