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HIRE A MOUNTAIN GUIDE!

Thank you inquiring about the Mountain Guide Bureau’s worldwide directory of mountain guides. From Denali to Everest, from South America to Asia, from New Zealand to Thailand, from your local crag or rock climbing gym, to the Ice Park in Ouray, Colorado, this directory will help you locate a guide for your first or perhaps your next dream climb. We intend for this site to prove helpful as a valuable resource for first time or experienced climbers interested in researching and finding a certified mountain guide or guiding company to hire for a particular climbing endeavor. Whether you are looking for a climbing school format for instruction, a guide to coach you while on-route to improve your current climbing technique and safety skills, join an expedition, or if you are just looking to partner with a very experienced climber/comrade/guide to work together on a classic mountain climb, you will find your mountain guide listed here with The Mountain Guide Bureau.

Included in an extensive list of alpine, rock, ice, and ski mountaineering guides on these pages, are individual climbing guides who have met the requirements of certification set by a worldwide recognized body of standardization for professional mountain guiding, the Union de Internationale des Associations de Guide de Montagne (UIAGM), or also known as the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA), and their member country’s own association’s criteria. These individual alpinists are known as IFMGA Certified Guides, and are recognized by all member countries of the IFMGA.

Each member country of the UIAGM / IFMGA operates their own professional guide certification organization, such as the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) in the United States, and in Canada, the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). Certified guides of the AMGA and the ACMG, in various disciplines of mountain guiding which include rock climbing, ice climbing, ski mountaineering and alpine climbing, are listed as individual guides in The Mountain Guide Bureau’s directory.

Other member countries of the UIAGM /IFMGA are:
Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, New Zealand , Norway, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan.

On the “links” page on this site, you can access each of these UIAGM / IFMGA member organization websites, and learn of their particular certification process and requirements, and of their membership of certified guides. In any case, the information that these organizations provide on their individual sites, will be the most accurate information available, as to the status of their membership, and particular certifications of their member guides.

The Mountain Guide directory also includes an extensive list of guiding companies, or mountain guide agencies that may or may not employ certified climbing guides within their organization that are certified by an UIAGM / IFMGA member association, or similarly recognized union of professional guides within their country of origin.

The Mountain Guide Bureau maintains this climber’s resource, hireamountainguide.com, exclusively with funding provided by sponsorships from the climbing industry. The information on this site is a complementary service for climbers interested in locating a mountain guide to hire, as well as a free marketing resource for individual mountain guides, certified guides, guiding companies/agencies, and mountain guide associations. Established in 2005, The Mountain Guide Bureau is operated under the umbrella of the DIRETTISIMA GROUP-Ridgway Colorado, as a needed and valued service to the sport of climbing, and is currently provided solely by funding from Bradley Alpinist LLC, www.bradleyalpinist.com, as the The Mountain Guide Bureau’s Retail Sponsor. Additional categorical sponsorships will be eventually offered to the following climbing industry contributors; an equipment manufacturer of climbing hardware, a manufacturer of clothing for alpinists, a technical fabric sponsor, and a manufacturer of climbing related accessories.

Look for our HireaMountainGuide.com advertising in Climbing, and Rock & Ice magazine, found in the Guide and Travel sections, as well as on the respective publication websites.

Certified Guides
Climbing can be so many things to an outdoor athlete/enthusiast, and included in a long list of positive attributes is the experience, physical enrichment, and personal growth. Hiring a mountain guide is the best way to introduce yourself to the sport of climbing, increase your technical skills and use of the equipment, and expose yourself to the many genres of climbing. There are also an array of characteristics of a guide that will enhance your climbing experience; personality, people skills, technical skills, ability to teach and coach, safety awareness, sound judgment and mountain sense, rescue skills, and credentials. As in any country, anyone can claim to be a mountain guide, but there exists recognized organizations that certify individuals in the many disciplines of climbing. In the United States in particular, this such organization is that of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA). The AMGA certifies individuals in the following areas of certification: Rock Instructor, Rock Guide, Alpine Guide, Ski Guide, and Ski Mountaineering Guide. The standards of the AMGA are also recognized in the global guiding organization, Union de Internationale des Associations de Guide de Montagne (UIAGM) or also known as the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA). Most countries with mountainous terrain have an organized body of guides, and maintain a quality standard for technical training, with a method of certification and distinction for its members. Most of these organizations, including the AMGA, are also member countries of the UIAGM / IFMGA.

Benefits of Hiring a Certified Guide
Certified Guides are trained and evaluated in areas of leadership, client care, judgment, technical expertise, rescue skill, and environmental consciousness. These areas of expertise offer you, as a client, the most enjoyable and safest experience possible. Besides positive companionship on the mountain, a mountain guide also offers the benefit of organization and/or covering logistical details of an extensive climbing trip to a different region or country.

You as a climber, after an outing with a certified guide, come away with broader knowledge and practical experience in safety, gear usage, route finding, better awareness of terrain hazards, keen evaluation of proper weather conditions for safe climbing, and a sense for the type of climbing that you prefer.

Hire a guide to introduce you to another type of climbing, hone your rope and gear placement skills, or learn modern technique. You may be an experienced rock climber, but need some more practical experience or a refresher course in of anchor building. Hire a Mountain Guide! You may have climbed ice and rock, but want to gain experience in climbing multi-pitch, multi-day alpine climbs. Hire a Mountain Guide! Hiring a certified guide will greatly accelerate your learning, and in an environment of increased safety.

Since most certified guides will climb with clients in many different mountain ranges, across many mountainous regions or countries (regardless of their home base), you can choose a destination, and hire a guide to handle all the necessary logistics of climbing in a destination away from your home. Even the most experienced of climbers can benefit from hiring a guide as a travel companion, bringing a broad range of expertise to the trip, enhancing the overall experience and likelihood of a summit.

It is very common for a client/guide relationship to become a friendship and climbing partnership. Many clients return year after year for another adventure with the same guide. Together, you can see the world, and climb safe and often, trying a new route on the same or different mountain, perhaps in a different country. Who knows, your first guided experience may eventually lead your life in the direction of someday, obtaining your guide certifications, and sharing your experience with others, giving them, what your guide and the wonderful sport of climbing gave you.

AMGA, ACMG, and other UIAGM/ IFMGA Guide Disciplines / and General Areas of Mountain Guide Certification

Rock Instructor
Certified for up to grade III rock routes or equivalent
Rock Guide
Certified for any grade of rock Climb
Ski Guide
Does not include glaciated terrain, or mechanized method of access
Ski Mountaineering Guide
All ski terrain, including mechanized access (heli-ski, snow cat)
Alpine Guide
All grades, all types of terrain (rock, ice, glaciated terrain, high altitude)

Mountain Guides Receive the UIAGM /IFMGA distinction when they have achieved all three of the following certifications:
- Rock Guide Certification
-Ski Mountaineering Guide Certification
-Alpine Guide Certification

GUIDES AND GUIDE SERVICES
Some certified guides operate as individual contractors, and work in the mountains of their home state region, or country, and/or travel to destinations at their client’s request. There are also organized guiding services that may have a team of certified guides, either employed full time, part time, or contracted, and guide clients in the mountains around their base of operation, or within organized trips around the globe. Other such services or agencies may have exclusive permits to guide a particular mountain, or national park, such as Denali, Mt. Rainier, or Yosemite.

Hiring a Mountain Guide
Choose a mountain guide by first identifying that they have been certified by an UIAGM / IFMGA member organization, or other similar certifying organizations of their country of origin.

If inquiring about a certified mountain guide who is based in the United States, you can contact the AMGA by calling 303-271-0984, to inquire as to the current status of an AMGA guide’s certification and membership, or reference their information on www.amga.com. In the US, you should look for a guides and guiding organizations who include the insignias of the AMGA and/or IFMGA in their informational materials, and those guides that maintain their annual memberships with their certifying organziation. To see what these insignias look like, visit www.amga.com, or www.ifmga.info.

If you are inquiring about a guiding agency, you should ask about there safety record, and ongoing training, as well as the certification of all their guides. You may also ask for a referral to several of their current clients.

*Disclaimer: Bradley Alpinist LLC, the Direttissima Group, and The Mountain Guide Bureau provide information about mountain guides and mountain guiding agencies as a causal endeavor to support professional mountain guiding, and the climbing industry. This service is a courtesy, as this site does not function as a placement service, referral service or a broker of guiding services, nor do we recommend one particular mountain guide or mountain guide service over another. It's up to the user of this site to utilize the information found here, coupled with any necessary additional information you may require in selecting a guide or guide service that fits your needs. You are encouraged to utilize the link provided on each guide listing to discover more information about your possible selection of a particular guide. By your use of this site, you also agree to hold harmless, Bradley Alpinist LLC, the Direttissima Group, and The Mountain Guide Bureau of any liability of any kind. By your use of this site, you also acknowledge that climbing activities of any kind are inherently dangerous, and can result in bodily injury and even death. Your usage of this site acknowledges that you have read and understand the risks associated with climbing as outlined and found on the Bradley Alpinist website under “Warnings!” Please refer to the “Warnings!” page here, before continuing.

Whether it’s on your home crags, in your local mountains, or any destination your imagine holds for your ultimate climb, Hire a Mountain Guide! A guide can help make your climbing dreams come true.

In the US, only the AMGA (www.amga.com) maintains accurate and current certification and membership status information for certified guides and accredited guiding companies. For the most current, and extensive information on certified guides and AMGA accredited guiding companies, please refer to the American Mountain Guide Association by calling 303-271-0984, or visit them on the web at www.amga.com. The lists on this site that feature AMGA guides, may not be complete, may contain inaccuracies, and may not be up to date as to membership status, or guide qualifications.