Hire A Mountain GuideA Comprehensive Directory of Mountain Guides, Worldwide

This service of the Mountain Guide Bureau is made possible in part through financial support from BRADLEY ALPINIST, a retailer of fine equipment for high altitude climbing. Special thanks to manufacturers/suppliers of proven brands offered by BRADLEY ALPINIST, such as Wild Things Gear, DMM, Valandre, Simond, and JULBO.

Included in an extensive list of alpine, rock, ice, ski mountaineering, and Heli-Ski 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 manufacturers in 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 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.

Meet the Director of the Mountain Guide Bureau:  Lance Johnson

As the owner of BRADLEY ALPINIST, I felt it was imperative to focus and direct our company's community service efforts on the mountain guiding profession.  To this end, we contribute dollars and resources to both the Certified Guide Federation, a crucial entity with the Amercian Mountain Guide Association, as well as being a Patron Sponsor of the American Mountain Guide Association, and provide this site as both a service to the professional guiding community as an international whole, and also for clients all over the globe that seek their valued experience, comradery, safety skills, mountain intuition, and expertise.  

I feel that every guide lives that life that a lot of us wish we had, and that most of us dream about from time to time.  Guides live out the passion for what they do, and have made the choices and sacrafices to do their life work.   Guides push innvovation in the functional design of climbing equipment.  Mountain Guides push limits in modern technique, grades, and stimulate a new or continual interest in climbing by novices, and thoses of us who have been climbing for years.   So, at BRADLEY ALPINIST, we have endeavored to support guiding as our company's contribution to the community, and for our brand of corporate goodwill.   This site will always be a complimentary service to those who wish to find a guide for any type of climbing objective, worldwide.   In addition, this site will always be a complementary marketing service to certified guides, and guiding companies , in all mountaneous terrain, worldwide.  

I am not a guide, but I day dream about it a lot when I am out mountain running, listening to my iPod.   I love climbing, and skiing, and enjoy making a contribution to this great industry through BRADLEY ALPINIST (retailer of some the finest, and often hard to find, climbing equipment), and the advertising/marketing agencies I operate, FULL CIRCLE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (a full service advertising agency-Albuquerque, NM), and the DIRRETISIMA GROUP (marketing services for guides and agencies).   I like to ice climb in Ouray and Valdez, have summited some nice peaks, including Denali in Alaska, Rainier, Mt. Aspiring in New Zealand, and have rock climbed all over the lower 48.   Although no summits yet in Peru, two trips have taken me over 20,000ft.  I remain humbled in my training for climbing by participating in crazy events like ultra marathon mountain endurance runs.  To date, I have three finishes at the Hardrock 100 Miler in Silverton, Colorado,  a finish at the Leadville Trail 100 Miler, and Arizona's Crown King 50 Miler.  I have also not finished a few of these 100 Mile races, but am a veteran of six short races, the normal marathons, including notable races such as the Boston Marathon and Pikes Peak Marathons.

To all the guides, keep living the "life unordinary"! Climb light, but fast!  

Lance Johnson  

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