Mountain- and Hiking guides

In many countries the (professional) supervision of walking groups is regulated by law. And that applies in particular to the Alpine countries. That is not surprising, because when walking in the mountains you simply run more risk than when walking in the Kralingse Bos. Practicing the profession of mountain guide or hiking guide is therefore regulated by law in most Alpine countries.

You can roughly divide guides into three groups. At the top of the pyramid are the mountain guides, then come the international hiking guides (International Mountain Leaders) and then you have a large group of regional hiking guides. What exactly is the difference between those three groups?

A mountain guide is a protected profession in the Alpine countries.

To become a mountain guide you have to follow years of training. For which you are not just admitted. Before you start the training as a mountain guide, you must already have built up enormous experience in the mountains, be good at climbing and skiing.

All mountain guides are affiliated with the international guide association UIAGM/IVBV/IFMGA. Mountain guides are allowed to accompany commercial trips, both in summer and winter.

The activities that a mountain guide may accompany are virtually unlimited. Think of rock climbing, ski tours, expeditions and alpine courses. But mountain guides also accompany mountain hikes and hut tours.

Another important internationally recognized training is the International Mountain Leader (IML) training.

An IML is also trained to professionally guide mountain hikers (in summer and winter) through the mountains.

With mountain guides, the focus is more on climbing and climbing technical skills. IMLs focus on mountain hiking and experiencing the mountain world.

Rope and other materials are exceptionally used by IMLs to guarantee the safety of the participants.

In the Netherlands, an IML training starts approximately once every three years. If you successfully complete this training, you can act as a professional supervisor of hiking groups in (almost) all Alpine countries.

In many regions of the Alpine countries you can train to become a hiking guide. Also called Wanderführer or Wanderleiter. The training to become a hiking guide contains components that focus on technique and safety. But the focus is often on gaining knowledge about the region (flora, fauna, geology, culture and history).

The idea is that a walking guide is more concerned with theme walks in which the walking guide acts as a substantive local expert.

What a walking guide is and is not allowed to do differs per country. In general you can say that a hiking guide can accompany his or her guests on roads and (mountain) paths. Without using material such as rope. So no via ferratas either.

And... very important: limited to the region where the hiking guide has done the training.

There is much more to tell about professionally guiding hiking groups in the mountains. Going out with a licensed guide not only makes your trip safer, but also much more interesting. The guide often knows a lot about the area where you are walking and has a wealth of experience that he or she can share with you. In any case, make sure that you are on the road with a licensed guide.