Mountain guides and companions

A mountain guide is a professional who specializes in guiding mountaineers, hikers, or climbers in mountainous environments, often in difficult and dangerous terrain. These guides have extensive knowledge of mountains, weather conditions, climbing techniques, safety, and orientation.

The role of the mountain guide is to:

• Ensure the security : They guide groups or individuals on sometimes perilous routes, constantly assessing the risks of avalanches, rockfalls, changing weather conditions, etc.
• Train and teach : They teach climbing techniques, orientation, risk management, progression on snow and ice, etc.
• Offer personalized advice : Depending on the level of the participants, they adapt the route and the difficulties of the climbs.
• Ensure logistics : The guide organizes the itinerary, the timetables, and sometimes the accommodation and meals.

In France, mountain guides hold the State Certificate of Mountaineering Guide, issued by the National School of Skiing and Mountaineering (ENSA). This is a very demanding training. Guides also have skills in first aid and emergency management. They may also be specialized in areas such as ski touring, climbing, or polar expeditions.

Un mid-mountain guide is a professional specialized in accompanying people in mountain environments that are more accessible than those of the high mountains, generally on hiking or trekking routes. Unlike mountain guides, their routes do not require advanced technical skills in climbing or mountaineering, but remain adapted to a sometimes demanding natural environment.

The role of the mid-mountain guide is to:

• Ensure the security : The guide ensures the safety of participants during mountain hikes, taking into account weather conditions, the state of the trails, and risks linked to fauna or flora.
• Train and teach : It transmits knowledge about nature, fauna, flora, and hiking techniques. It can also teach first aid gestures or risk management principles.
• Offer personalized advice : Depending on the level of the participants, the guide adapts the route and the difficulties of the hike, and ensures orientation, ensuring that everyone advances at their own pace.
• Ensure logistics : He organizes routes, schedules, and can manage accommodation and meals for multi-day hikes.

Mid-mountain guides hold the  State diploma of mountain guide, which has a drastic selection process. Although they do not have the technical skills of a mountain guide, they have an excellent knowledge of mountain terrain, hiking practices, and safety rules in the natural environment.

A high mountain guide is qualified to supervise activities in difficult and dangerous terrain, such as mountaineering or ski touring. The mid-mountain guide (AMM), on the other hand, focuses on less technical hikes, sometimes accompanied by an educational dimension on the fauna, flora and local culture.

No, mid-mountain guides are not trained to manage high-risk activities such as ice climbing or mountaineering. They specialize in more accessible and often less technical hikes.

Both ensure the safety of the group, adapt the itinerary according to the conditions, and accompany the participants to ensure an enriching and safe experience. They can also play an educational role by sharing their knowledge of the mountain.

A guide or a companion allows you to discover routes, sometimes more technical, in complete safety, to learn specialized techniques and to avoid the risks associated with a potentially dangerous mountain environment.