Guide Training

Mountain guiding is a serious profession. Before you consider guide training you should serve a personal apprenticeship in the mountains and be skilled in your chosen pursuit.

A guide should take pleasure in the beauty of the mountains and wish to share that beauty with others. You should accept risk while striving to reduce it by total awareness of the mountain environment. A guide by definition, will show a spirit of goodwill to all other mountain users.

Guiding is not a nine to five job. It is a way of life.

Objectives

The Training and Certification Programme is the Association’s foundation for professional mountain guides.

Its objectives are to offer those who work or wish to work as professional guides in the mountains a practical training programme and an international standard of certification.

Through certification, the programme promote's accepted standards for movement on snow, ice and rock in the core disciplines of trekking, climbing and skiing. Generic to all disciplines are the skills and knowledge required of guides as independent leaders. These include successful management of guide/client relationships, assessment and reduction of risk, avalanche hazard forcasting and emergency procedures.

The programme must meet the international standards of the IFMGA.

Training and Certification

Use the links at the left or page bottom to find out what is required to become one of the categories of guides.

Categories of Guide

NZMGA recognises three streams of New Zealand guides – Ski, Climbing, and Trekking.
Guides may be trainee Guides, assistant Guides, or qualified Guides.

Only qualified guides are certifed as independent leaders.

The international categories recognised are Aspirant Guide and IFMGA Mountain Guide

Trainee Guides (must work under direct supervion of a qualified guide)

NZMGA Trainee Ski Guide and Trainee Climbing Guide
A member who has passed an NZMGA Guides Course Level 1 in either the skiing or climbing disciplines but has yet to complete the period of direct supervision required after passing this 1st  course.

Assistant Guides (must work under general supervision of a qualified guide)

NZMGA Assistant Ski Guide and Assistant Climbing Guide
A member who has passed an NZMGA Guides Course Level 1 in either the skiing or climbing disciplines and completed the period of direct supervision required after passing the course.

Aspirant Guide  (may work internationally under general supervision)
A transitional qualification recognised by the IFMGA that allows the holder to work in Europe under conditions.

Qualified Guides (are certified as independent leaders)

IFMGA Mountain Guide
A member who has completed both the NZMGA Ski Guide and NZMGA Climbing Guide Programmes to the standard set by the IFMGA. The full name is IFMGA Mountain Guide.

NZMGA Ski Guide
A member who has completed the NZMGA Ski Guide Programme.

NZMGA Climbing Guide
A member who has completed the NZMGA Climbing Guide Programme.

NZMGA Alpine Trekking Guide
A member who has completed the NZMGA Hard Ice and Alpine Trekking Guide Programme.
NZMGA Hard Ice Guide
A member who has completed the NZMGA Hard Ice Guide Programme.