Exploring the mountains, tackling technical climbs, and venturing into remote landscapes is a transformative experience. And although I normally write about solo adventures here, there are absolutely objectives that require more support! Whether you’re an outdoor novice or an experienced climber looking for a greater challenge, hiring a certified guide ensures safety, optimises logistics, and can enhance your adventure in a multitude of ways. For finding the best mountain guide, there’s no better resource than Explore-Share.
Choosing the right guide to match your objectives and expectations is key to ensure that you make the best of your experience together. And so, in honour of our new partnership with Explore-Share, here are essential tips and considerations to help you navigate Explore-Share to find the best guide for your next adventure.
What's in this travel guide
About Explore-Share
Explore-Share is a booking platform for outdoor adventures that was founded over ten years ago with the objective of bringing together explorers and the ideal guides for their feats. Over 2000 certified guides around the world are part of the Explore-Share community, and you can use the platform to book all types of adventures including mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, via ferrata, backcountry skiing, ice climbing tours and beyond.
Explore-Share was founded by two passionate and experienced hikers, mountaineers, and ski tourers who firmly believe that certified guides enhance adventures while making them safer. One of the biggest challenges in adventure travel is finding the right guide, and Explore-Share was created to connect you with experienced outdoor professionals and facilitate pre-trip communication for a smooth, personalised adventure based on your specific skill level and goals.
When to hire a mountain guide
Hiring a mountain guide isn’t just for beginners— it’s a valuable option for a range of adventurers, from those just starting out to experienced climbers tackling serious objectives or solo climbers in need of a partner. A guide can provide essential skills, safety, and logistical support, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
Here are a few scenarios where hiring a guide can make a big difference:
If you’re: a beginner looking to up-skill
If you’re new to mountaineering, rock climbing, or backcountry skiing, a guide can accelerate your learning curve. Not only will they lead the way, but they’ll also teach you essential techniques, from using crampons and ice axes to rope systems and avalanche safety. Many guides offer structured courses, such as ice climbing or crevasse rescue training, so you can build confidence and autonomy in the mountains.
I get heaps of questions about via ferrata in the Dolomites for beginners— there’s absolutely no better way to familiarise yourself with the gear, climbing techniques, and important safety protocols than hiring a guide for a 1-day via ferrata route. This will ensure you’re ready to tackle longer mixed routes like Alta Via 2 or Alta Via 4 with confidence!
If you’re: an experienced climber tackling a technical objective
Even experienced climbers and skiers hire guides when facing highly technical routes or new environments. Whether it’s glacier travel, high-altitude peaks, or committing backcountry lines, a guide’s expertise in navigation, risk assessment, and real-time decision-making can be the difference between success and turning back. They know the terrain, the best routes, and alternative plans when conditions change— an invaluable asset when tackling something big where professional-level experience makes all the difference.
On a technical mixed climb like the Matterhorn, where navigation comes down to metres and getting off route can mean, at best, failure to summit and, at worst, serious injury, a local guide is essential for both success and safety. Even for extremely experienced climbers, there’s no substitute for experience on this mountain— a friend of ours was heli-lifted off the Matterhorn just last year! The guides on Explore-Share have logged hundreds of successful Matterhorn ascents and know the route intimately, ensuring you make it up AND down the mountain. We can’t wait to attempt later this year with the help of a guide!
If you’re: a solo climber who needs a partner
For those who often explore solo but need a climbing partner for a specific objective, particularly when glacier travel or roped climbing requires a second person, a guide is the perfect solution. They bring experience and technical skills to necessary belay situations and can help you form a rope team for otherwise dangerous ascents.
I’ve hired countless climbing guides over the years to take me out to off-the-beaten-path crags and belay me while I lead (or follow) rock climbing routes that literally wouldn’t be possible without someone on the other end of the rope. From Wadi Rum to Chilean Patagonia, these have been some of my favourite climbing memories, made possible even when I’m travelling solo thanks to local expert guides.
Other Benefits of Hiring a Guide
Beyond technical expertise, guides offer a range of advantages:
- Direction: Guides know the terrain, the routes, the shortcuts, the alternatives when there is a problem, they know how to pace the adventure and get you to your destination
- Safety: Professional guides are trained to assess risks, make real-time decisions based on conditions, and manage emergencies
- Logistics support: Guides handle route planning, permits, transport during the trip, and often porters, equipment rental, accommodation, and meals, allowing you to focus on the adventure
- Local knowledge: A guide’s familiarity with the area can provide access to hidden trails, and lesser-known but breathtaking viewpoints; they are also equipped to make decisions based on weather and terrain conditions, and able to offer alternatives when necessary.
- Skills development: If you’re looking to gain more autonomy in activities such as rock climbing, mountaineering, ski touring, or via ferrata, a guide can teach you essential techniques to advance your skills
- Preparation & training: Many guided trips include acclimatisation hikes, progressive training days, and pre-trip fitness guidance to ensure you’re set up for success
- Safety & Risk Management: Trained to assess risks and manage emergencies, a guide helps mitigate hazards in unpredictable mountain environments
How to use Explore-Share to search for a mountain guide
Finding a mountain guide for winter climbing in Japan, via ferrata in Slovenia, or high-altitude trekking in the Andes is incredibly easy with Explore-Share. The platform connects adventurers with professional guides worldwide, making it simple to browse and book specific trips from freelance guides and guiding companies, as well as endless opportunities for customisation— whether you’re after a structured course, a private expedition, or a once-in-a-lifetime summit push.
Explore-Share’s platform allows you to search by:
- Destination: Find guides based in specific locations
- Activity: Browse based on hiking, mountaineering, ski-touring, rock climbing & other adventures
- Time period: Compare available tours based on your preferred dates
- Group or private options: Select between joining a group tour or booking a private guided adventure
What to consider when choosing a mountain guide
When browsing mountain guides for a specific adventure, you should specifically consider the following:
- Certifications: All the guides on Explore-Share have either internationally recognised certifications like IFMGA, UIMLA, or relevant local certifications that have been verified (see below for an explanation of certifications)
- Experience: A guide familiar with specific mountains or routes provides additional value on a challenging adventure
- Reviews: Reviews from previous travelers offer valuable feedback on the guide’s expertise and approach
- Skill level: Some guides offer more technical climbs, while others specialise in beginner-friendly trips; make sure their style aligns with your expectations
- Trip inclusions: some guides only offer their guiding services, while others also include acclimatisation climbs, training, and the organisation of logistics such as accommodation, meals, equipment, permits, and other aspects of the adventure
- Personal connection: A guide’s personality, approach, and passion for guiding can greatly impact your overall experience, making it more enriching and enjoyable; use Explore-Share to chat with guides before booking!
GUIDING CERTIFICATIONS
All guides on Explore-Share hold relevant certifications for their activities, ensuring a high standard of safety and professionalism. These are some of the most highly regarded qualifications to look out for:
– IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations): The highest international standard for mountain guides, covering rock climbing, ice climbing, ski touring, and high-altitude mountaineering
– UIMLA (Union of International Mountain Leader Associations): Qualified guides for trekking, hiking, and mountain leading in non-glaciated terrain worldwide
– National Certifications: Many countries have their own rigorous guiding qualifications, such as the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) or British Mountain Guides (BMG)
Final tips for booking the right guide on Explore-Share
Questions to ask potential guides
One of the founding values of Explore-Share was open communication between guides and clients— you can and absolutely should use the platform to chat with potential guides about your objectives, your previous experience, and potential customisations.
- Experience level & preparation: What skills, fitness level, and acclimatisation are required? Is this reasonable given your current level of experience?
- Packing list: What equipment is required? Is there an ability to hire technical gear if you don’t own it?
- Group size & client-to-guide ratio: Will it be a small, personalised group or a larger group of people?
- Backup plans for weather changes: What are the alternatives if conditions make the original trip unsafe?
- Cancellation & insurance: What are the cancellation policies? Is insurance included or are you required to purchase your own?
Also be sure to check out the FAQ section on each listing— the guide may have already answered your questions!
How to compare different guides
- Consider certifications, reviews, and experience
- Compare prices, but remember that expertise and safety matter more than just cost
- When comparing prices, evaluate what each guide includes and calculate added costs or additional reservations and travel plans you will have to make
When to book a guided adventure
- High season: Book early to secure availability and allow for better planning— for example, Mont Blanc and Matterhorn climbs are best booked 6+ months in advance
- Low season: More flexibility and less crowded, but sometimes riskier conditions where a guide is even more crucial
Choosing the right guide can transform a good adventure into an unforgettable one. With Explore-Share, you have access to certified, experienced guides worldwide. By following these steps, researching guides, asking the right questions, and setting clear expectations, you can ensure a safe, enriching, and enjoyable adventure. Happy exploring!
Explore some of my favourite adventures with the help of a guide
Climb Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Americas
Climb Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe
Climb Pico de Orizaba, the tallest mountain in Mexico
Climb Mt Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan
