What is a mountain guide? - Rock climbing, via ferrata, hikes, ski

A Mountain Guide is someone with the IFMGA carnet, the highest qualification in the world for leading people in the mountains, whether skiing, climbing or mountaineering.
Mountain Guides come in many shapes and sizes – the one thing they have in common is their passion for the mountains. Wherever they live and work, they will have a mass of experience, from rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing all over the Alps, and experience of difficult climbs and remote mountains in other ranges around the world.
A Mountain Guide’s mountaineering background is consolidated with a rigorous training and assessment course lasting up to 5 years, with an apprenticeship period working alongside experienced Mountain Guides for 2 years before being finally certified to lead people in the mountains. Regular professional development training keeps Mountain Guides up to date with the latest techniques and standards.
In short, Mountain Guides are international mountain experts.
Qualifying as a Mountain Guide is a demanding and rewarding process. It is a tough route, but worth it because it is, quite simply, the best job in the world!

In a minimum of 3 years an already highly experienced mountaineer and skier turns into an expert capable of looking after people anywhere in the mountains.

The experience required even to start the training scheme needs both breadth and depth: high standard on rock, experience of top alpine grandes courses, solid competence skiing any snow in a mountain environment.

Are you, by any chance, interested in a career as a mountain guide? If you love the thrill of rock climbing, ski mountaineering and or mountain climbing and are truly passionate about your love for a life leading people up the world's towering peaks then it's time to pack your bags and compare flights going to the nearest mountain guide association in your area of the world and have yourself certified by the IFMGA as professional mountain guide after 2 years of rigorous training and assessment.

Thanks to these first guides Cortina became famous all through northern Europe as one of the most extraordinary centers for mountain climbing. Some of the best remembered names from that period are: the Hungarian barons Von Eotvos, Albert the king of Belgium and Teodoro Wundt, guided by the famous  cortinesi Agostino Verzi, Antonio Dimai and Angelo Dibona (famous not only for his ascents in the dolomites, but also throughout France and the western alps).

The guides of Cortina are famous for having executed the most difficult ascents of the first half of the 20th century. One remembers: the Dimai brothers and their summit of the north face of the Torre Grande of the Tre Cime, Ettore Costantini and Albino Alverà for their routes on the three Tofana peaks, and Lino Lacedelli, who summitted K2 in 1954, and Luigi Ghedina who summitted the west face of the Cima Scotoni.
Today, the Gruppo Guide Alpine of Cortina counts 28 professional guides active not only in our local dolomites but throughout the world. Along with the organisation of Courmayer, the Gruppo Guide Alpine of Cortina is the largest in Italy.