1. Dream job mountain guide
You clearly enjoy mountaineering and climbing. The mountains fascinate you, and you spend every spare moment there. How cool would it be to do it professionally and get paid to climb mountains! Perhaps you’ve caught yourself thinking exactly that before? You might be toying with the idea of becoming a mountain guide, but aren’t quite sure yet whether it’s actually the right thing for you. Or perhaps you’re not yet sure how to go about achieving this goal. Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this Basecamp post, we’ll explain the key principles, requirements and procedures, and share professional tips and tricks with you – from your first serious mountain tours right through to specific preparation for the entrance exams for the mountain guide training programme. Let’s go – the mountains are calling!
Being a mountain guide is a demanding profession that carries a great deal of responsibility. At the same time, it is a rewarding career with a bright future – perfect for mountain enthusiasts who enjoy sharing their knowledge and inspiring others.
Committed to the Next Generation
At deuter, we have been supporting mountain adventures for more than 125 years. That's why we are committed to encouraging the next generation of mountain guides by sharing knowledge, practical insights and initiatives that help aspiring guides prepare for the challenges ahead.
"As a mountain guide, you turn your passion into a profession – and your greatest reward is the joy and excitement in your guests' eyes. It's an incredibly diverse career, all about making dreams come true.”
Michael Bückers
State-certified mountain and ski guide
deuter Pro Team
2. Why am I becoming a guide?
Mountain guide – a dream job? Perhaps not for everyone, but undoubtedly for those who have a deep connection with the mountains and with people. For those who feel called to it. This job not only takes you to many peaks, but also to the pinnacle of your own dreams. For many a mountaineer, passing the mountain guide exam is the crowning glory of their mountaineering career.
However, guiding is by no means solely about mountaineering achievements. In addition to technical skill, the following are crucial:
Group work
It’s not primarily about achieving your own goals. As a mountain guide, you support others and enable them to reach their goals in the mountains safely.
Responsibility and trust
Mountain guides are people you can trust, almost a bit like doctors. As a mountain guide, you are responsible for the lives of your clients.
This is a task that should not be underestimated. That is why the mountain guide examination is preceded by a rigorous training programme.
How long does the mountain guide training course last?
The course lasts three years and is supervised by the Technical University of Munich (TUM). It is organised by the VDBS in cooperation with the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs. Those who can fit it into their schedule can complete the modules, work placement and exams in as little as around two and a half years – or they can simply take a little longer.
Mountain guides – from a supporting role to managing experiences
The image of mountain guides has changed enormously over the course of mountaineering’s history. The first mountain guides in the 18th and 19th centuries were merely assistants to tourists and explorers who ventured into the mountains – without any special training. But they did possess in-depth local knowledge. It was only as mountaineering developed further that these guides became professional mountain guides with a formalised training programme. What hasn’t changed to this day is that mountain guides are passionate about being in the mountains and enjoy exposing themselves to the elements of nature.
Watch our documentary “Becoming a Guide”. In episode 4, “Guiding Lights”, you’ll learn more about the origins and history of this multifaceted profession.
As a modern mountain guide, you are much more than just a skilled mountaineer with local knowledge. You are:
- A mediator between the urban environment and the wilderness of the mountains.
- A motivator who helps guests achieve the goals they have set for themselves.
- A competent and responsible guide for guests who entrust their lives to you.
- A helper and safety professional with empathy, who can intuitively recognise the support your guests need.
- A service provider with strong human values and empathy.
- An enthusiastic and perceptive nature observer.
“The aim isn’t to be the best climber, but to guide people in the mountains to a high standard – safely and in a way that ensures they enjoy themselves.”
Bianca “Bibi” Schöferle
State-certified mountain and ski guide
deuter Pro Team
Why is being a mountain guide an attractive job?
“A reliable, responsible motivator and experienced risk manager with leadership qualities and organisational skills – with plenty of freedom to carry out their projects.” – That’s roughly how the job profile of a modern mountain guide might be described in a job advertisement.
Sounds appealing – and it is. Being a mountain guide is indeed an exciting job – far removed from the nine-to-five grind. A job with a great deal of personal responsibility and plenty of exercise in the fresh air. Ideal for multi-tasking talents who can find the positive side of wind and weather.
5 reasons to consider a career as a mountain guide:
Thanks to rising demand, mountain guides need not worry about finding work. Experienced mountain guides can set up their own businesses offering a wide range of mountain sports activities. Developments in the tourism sector are constantly opening up new opportunities for mountain guides.
Mountain guides are more than just technical assistants on the way to the summit. They are psychologists, organisers, sports instructors and mountain experts.
Even though the atmosphere can be tense during difficult situations on a tour, the general mood on mountain tours is positive. This requires the right mindset.
If you love nature and enjoy sharing your enthusiasm for the mountains with others, whilst at the same time helping others to develop an appreciation for safe, responsible and sustainable outdoor experiences, then as a mountain guide you have many opportunities to guide others towards a mindful experience of the mountains.
“As mountain guides, we cover all aspects of our profession. Versatility is therefore an essential skill.”
Hans Hocke
State-certified mountain and ski guide
Mountaineering is becoming more female – women in the mountain guiding profession
It wasn’t so long ago that women made up a mere 1 per cent of mountain guides in the Alps. But things are changing. Although the proportion of women is still well below ten per cent, it is on the rise. And new opportunities are opening up for female mountain guides. This is because mountaineering is becoming more popular with women in general. More women are taking to the mountains. More women also want to experience challenging tours that they wouldn’t dare attempt on their own. And more women would like to be guided by a woman. So there are good career prospects for female mountaineers who aren’t afraid to meet the same performance standards as men in the entrance exam and during training.
Take a look at our documentary “Becoming a Guide”. The first episode, “It’s not a man’s world”, focuses particularly on women in the profession of mountain guiding.
Interview with Bianca ‘Bibi’ Schöferle
Why are there still so few female mountain guides? What do women have to achieve to become mountain guides? And what strengths do women bring to the role? Allgäu-based mountain guide Bianca “Bibi” Schöferle offers fascinating insights into her life in the mountains and her training as a mountain guide. Bibi is a passionate skier and mountaineer. Having grown up in the Allgäu, she turned her passion for the mountains into a career after completing her degree in mechanical engineering.
Female mountain guides on the deuter podcast
Fancy finding out more about what it’s like to be a mountain guide and how to become one? Then have a listen to our deuter podcast, Schlafsackgeflüster. In the episode “Women in Mountain Sports”, Germany’s first female mountain guide and instructor Gudrun Weikert, along with Bibi Schöferle, reveal what it takes to become a state-certified mountain and ski guide. And they explain how the job can be balanced with being a mum.
3. General Requirements
Mountain guide – a job for ambitious all-rounders
Training to become a mountain guide is no walk in the park. But don’t worry – you don’t need to be a world-class mountaineer. What matters far more is being highly versatile. You should be just as much in your element on a ski tour as you are climbing on limestone or granite. And that includes belaying and walking with crampons on glaciated terrain.
As a prospective mountain guide, you can imagine that a successful lead on a difficult mixed route isn’t the only thing that makes for a good day in the mountains. Rather, you’ll also find joy and fulfilment in your guests’ experiences – in the shared experience on the mountain, regardless of how difficult or easy the tour was.
'For me, the most important thing about mountaineering, skiing, climbing and guiding is the adventure, the experience and, of course, the fun. As Alex Lowe once said: “The best mountaineer is the one who has the most fun.”’
Michael Bückers
State-certified mountain and ski guide
deuter Pro Team
Mountain guides – instructors in mountain sports
As well as simply guiding, teaching is also a key aspect of the mountain guide profession – the art of teaching. This starts with teaching safety techniques for climbing or the kick-turn technique for ski touring, and doesn’t stop at helping people cope mentally with situations that cause anxiety. You’ll learn the details of this during your mountain guide training. But it’s worth thinking now about whether you enjoy this and are motivated to pass on your knowledge and expertise in the mountains to others – in a way that ensures they enjoy it too.
The path to becoming a mountain guide involves three steps:
- Assessments/aptitude tests (skiing, climbing, ice)
- Mountain guide training (minimum 2½ years)
- Job as a mountain guide
"As well as technical knowledge, sensitivity and empathy play a major role in the role of a mountain guide. We mountain guides are service providers and rely on our guests wanting to come back. People are particularly keen to return to those with whom they feel at ease, well understood and safe. Furthermore, safety can be enhanced if, as a mountain guide, I can anticipate my guests’ fears, weaknesses and concerns.”
Michael Bückers
State-certified mountain and ski guide
deuter Pro Team
Mountain guide – is it the right fit for me?
Before you ‘commit’ to becoming a mountain guide, you should seriously ask yourself whether you’re really cut out for being out in the mountains with people you don’t know. After all, as a mountain guide, you’re rarely out on the tours you’d choose yourself, but rather on those chosen by your guests.
Even if you’re climbing the Zugspitze or the Weisshorn for the tenth time this summer, you should be just as motivated as you would be on a tour of your own choosing. As a mountain guide, fulfilling your guests’ dreams should ideally be a labour of love. To find out whether guiding really suits you, you have two options:
DAV instructor training
The instructor training course run by the German Alpine Club (DAV) provides a solid foundation that will also help you develop your safety skills. Above all, however, you’ll gain an initial insight into leadership techniques, get to know mountain guides (your instructors) and can then try out section tours to see if you’d like to work professionally with people outdoors and take full responsibility for your participants. There’s a wide range of courses on offer across the various disciplines. Feel free to start with one of your favourite disciplines and then venture into new territory. You can find details of the training courses at the DAV here.
VDBS Evaluation Camps
Not sure yet whether your skills are up to the standard required for the aptitude test and the subsequent mountain guide training? No problem! That’s exactly why the VDBS offers evaluation camps – in the disciplines of rock, ice and skiing. During these one- to two-day workshops, you’ll receive expert feedback on your skills and tips on how to improve in specific areas. Experienced mountain guides will be on hand to coach you. They’ll help you assess your skills and knowledge without any exam stress. And best of all: you’ll get an initial insight into what it takes to be a mountain guide and can network with like-minded people who are also about to embark on their mountain guide training. The VDBS Evaluation Camps are free of charge, excluding accommodation, meals and travel costs. You can find the latest information on the Evaluation Camps here.
“For anyone who already has plenty of experience in challenging mountain terrain but is still unsure whether they’re ready for mountain guide training – the VDBS Evaluation Camps are a great way to get feedback on your current skill level and the direction you should take.”
Hans Hocke
State-certified mountain and ski guide
4. The ideal preparation
Enjoying mountaineering
At the start of your mountaineering career, it’s best not to think too much about training to become a mountain guide. The important thing is to gain experience in all disciplines of mountaineering, become increasingly confident, and not lose your enjoyment of climbing. Future mountain guides are well-rounded individuals who engage in all disciplines of mountaineering throughout the year:
- Ice and mixed climbing
- Ski touring
- Sport and alpine climbing
- High-altitude mountaineering
A solid foundation in all areas is essential. Even the best mountaineers started small. Ensure variety in your choice of destinations: try granite climbing at the Furka Pass, seek adventure on the alpine routes of the Dolomites, and undertake high-altitude tours in the Valais and the Bernese Oberland. And do pop over to the stronghold of alpinism in Chamonix. This variety doesn’t just make you a better all-rounder. Every time you explore new areas and routes, you’re also honing your sense of direction. That way, you learn to adapt to constantly changing situations.
Level – step by step
Increase the difficulty and challenge of your route step by step. Turn back if it doesn’t feel right, and don’t put yourself under pressure. The mountains aren’t going anywhere. Many routes require good conditions to be feasible at all. Stay away from suicide routes like the Ortler North Face. “Routes that require long stretches of climbing beneath seracs may be prestigious,” says mountain guide instructor Martin Schmidt, “but in truth they are one thing above all else: absolutely dangerous!” So look after yourself as best you can. And remember: the best mountaineer is the one who has the most fun. By the end of this phase, you should have gained the necessary experience and developed the personal skills required to consider mountain guide training.
What does that mean in practice?
Before you can begin your mountain guide training, you must pass the aptitude assessment test (EFP). Here, too, you’ll need to demonstrate versatility in mountaineering across the disciplines of rock climbing, ice climbing and ski touring. Use the time before registering for the aptitude test to brush up on your tour logbook. See where you still have gaps in your skills. Find suitable partners who ideally already have more experience in the relevant disciplines and regions, and use this to familiarise yourself with the requirements. You’ll see that exciting and enriching mountain adventures await you along the way. And that makes updating your tour log a real pleasure.
And one more tip: don’t rush things! Better to have a blank space in your tour log than a serious mountain accident.
"The tour logbook serves as proof of alpine experience. This can only be gained through numerous tours. Of course, experience is acquired during training. However, a basic level of prior experience is also necessary to ensure safe and effective training.”
Michael Bückers
State-certified mountain and ski guide
deuter Pro Team
The Climbing Log
To demonstrate your experience when applying for the mountain guide training course, you should keep a logbook. In it, you should record your mountaineering activities and projects. The trips documented in the logbook should cover a period of at least three years.
What qualifications do you need to sit the aptitude test?
- Climbing: You should be able to lead climb at around the lower 8th grade on the UIAA scale for sport climbing, and at the upper 6th to just below 7th grade for alpine climbing (even when the protection is a bit dodgy or you have to place your own protection).
- You should have completed high-altitude tours up to S/difficult on the SAC scale.
- Ice climbing: You should have safely led ice falls up to WI 5.
- Ski touring: You should have completed many ski tours and high-altitude ski tours, including some challenging projects.
5. Preparing for the aptitude tests
Get ready
The aptitude tests are just as varied as the role of a mountain guide. You should be well prepared for the ten tests that make up the VDBS Aptitude Assessment Test (EFP).
The aptitude tests – an alpine decathlon
- Downhill skiing on the piste
- Off-piste skiing
- Ski touring: track-setting, safety procedures and avalanche awareness.
- Limestone climbing (routes up to a maximum of 6c+ lead climbing, taking into account the belaying techniques used, navigation, mountaineering conduct and physical fitness)
- Granite climbing (routes up to a maximum of 6c+ lead climbing, taking into account the belaying techniques used, navigation, mountaineering conduct and physical fitness)
- Mountain running (fitness test): target time 750 metres of elevation gain per hour
- Lead climbing on ice up to a maximum gradient of 80° (taking into account the belaying techniques used, navigation, alpine conduct and physical fitness)
- Demonstration of technical skills in vertical ice climbing techniques
- Steep ice climbing (ice cracks, ice falls)
- Mixed climbing
If you don’t pass part of the EFP, don’t worry. You can retake the aptitude test twice. So you have three attempts.
You can find detailed information about the aptitude test here.
Training tips – how to get fit for the aptitude test
The EFP requirements are no mean feat. But don’t worry – the exams are spread across three courses. Taken individually, each test isn’t actually that difficult on its own. With targeted preparation, you’ll manage it – even if you grew up far away from the mountains.
Do you already have the necessary basic experience? Now it’s time to fine-tune your form. To help you prepare specifically for the entrance exams, we’ve teamed up with the VDBS experts to put together some important tips that will help you get physically and technically fit for the aptitude test.
Fitness and climbing technique – tips for the summer exams
Alpine course
Mountain guides spend a lot of time on rocky and mixed terrain wearing heavy mountaineering boots and crampons. This is tested on the alpine course, alongside your stamina. So make sure you climb some properly challenging routes (ideally UIAA grades 6–7) whilst wearing thick mountaineering boots. You’ll see that it works quite well if you train specifically for it. The same applies to walking and climbing with crampons. Also practise climbing and walking with crampons on rock. This is best done on a boulder field or an easy section of rock set up as a course. Bouldering traverses are also suitable for this.
Endurance test
Granite climbing
You should prepare specifically for granite climbing. Large holds are rather the exception here. Friction climbing is the order of the day. Familiarise yourself with crack climbing and tackle a few Grade 6 granite classics. That way, you’ll be able to tackle the granite crack in the EFP even without using a toe hook.
Climb frequently and regularly on varied terrain. Supplement this with regular ice climbing and high-altitude tours. You’ll see: this will almost automatically get you in shape for the aptitude test.
Ice climbing and ski touring – tips for the winter exams
Ice and mixed climbing
Preparation for ice and mixed climbing is simple: do plenty of climbing in autumn and early winter. When it gets cold and unpleasant, don’t flee to Kalymnos – carry on climbing at home, using crampons and ice axes. Dry tooling builds up your strength for ice climbing. As soon as it gets cold, practical training on an icefall is on the agenda. If conditions are poor, you can often find good conditions in artificial ice parks.
The same rule applies here: be careful and don’t force anything. If it’s too warm, simply don’t go ice climbing. Remember: everyone else (including your instructors and examiners) feels the same way.
Skiing
Although mountain guides are not ski instructors, they should nevertheless have a basic understanding of the methodology and teaching principles of skiing and, above all, possess the necessary ability to demonstrate techniques. It is therefore not enough simply to whizz down the slope quickly and without falling. You also need to be able to put appropriate instructions into practice regarding turn style, speed, turn angle and range of movement. If you don’t have a background as a ski instructor, you should definitely attend the relevant preparatory courses. To practise your technical skills, you’ll definitely need to head to a ski resort. After all, you won’t manage to get in the necessary number of runs whilst out on a tour on your own.
So, off you go to practise on and off the slopes! Ideally with someone who knows what they’re doing. A good ski instructor, hired for a few hours, is easily worth a few weeks of trial and error on your own.
If you go ski touring regularly, you don’t need to do any special preparation for the ski touring route. It’s all about clean ascents, good track-setting and solid snowplough and kick turns. You should be able to do all of that in your sleep.
Dates for aptitude Tests
Summer & Winter
You can find the latest Information on EFP Dates here:
6. The training
Aptitude test passed - what happens next
You’ve passed! Congratulations! You can now start your mountain guide training. Like many other training programmes or degree courses, mountain guide training is an investment in your future. The cost of the courses and training materials amounts to around 11,500 euros, plus accommodation and equipment. The time commitment is 107 days for the courses and 20 days for the exams. On top of this, there are 36 days of work placements, training and many more climbing, mountaineering and ski tours to consolidate what you’ve learnt and gain further experience. Because one thing is clear: the best mountain guides are experienced mountain guides.
Additional qualifications for mountain guide training
As well as mountain guide training, the VDBS also offers a number of interesting additional qualifications relating to sporting activities in the mountains.
- Mountain hiking guide
- Climbing instructor
- Rope access technician / industrial climber
- MTB guide
Then do have a look at the other two videos from our documentary ‘Becoming a guide’:
