Reaching the summit of a mountain has become the biggest dream of many people. However, climbing mountains is an extreme sport, it is putting your life at risk, leaving all your comforts and luxuries aside and forgetting your comfort zone. It is very important that you are well informed if the mountain guide you have chosen is a "good guide". In this article, I will tell you seven ways to find out.
It is very important to be well informed about who will be the person who will take you to the summit of a mountain. You must know who will be that guide who will motivate you step by step, instruct you on what to do, that guide who is there to help you, to always pull you up and tell you that YES you can do it!
However, regardless of the beliefs or religions of each person, we must remember that it is important to ask permission to the mountain to let us climb, permission to God, permission to the Universe or permission to whomever you want, but always knowing that there is a greater force that governs our ascent. Remember that we must be humble in the face of whatever comes, always accepting and respecting what has to happen, because it will not be easy.
Mountaineering in Peru has become more and more popular and that is a very good thing, however, it has its flaws. In the past, those who climbed mountains were only people with a high level of technical and mountaineering knowledge. However, there are more and more people who, just because they know the route well, believe that they are capable of taking on the responsibility of taking whoever they want to run one of the highest risks of their lives.
The first thing you should be interested in is that your guide is a certified guide. Before what? Before MINCETUR, since the guides specialized in high mountain is a technical career. MINCETUR grants credentials as a high mountain guide.
Investigate their curriculum, although if you are new, it may be difficult to know what is true and what is a lie from what they tell you. Their resume should include projects that are considerably more demanding than the summit or excursion you want to do.
Make sure you know how long he has been working as a mountain guide. Does he have climbs outside of Peru? How does he guide? What companies does he work for?
Some guides do not belong to just one company, but to several, ask him which ones he has worked with before and if you can, contact that agency to get information about your guide. Doing a good research does not mean that you are suspicious, it simply means being aware that your life and your health are more important than a summit, because the real summit is to return home safe and sound.
Most guides know each other, and if you don't know who to ask, you can look up one of their clients and don't hesitate to contact them to ask about their experience with that guide.
The guide should be familiar with the terrain, trail or mountain to be hiked, so that he/she can avoid any unforeseen events or adapt the itinerary according to the condition of the group. Above all, to be able to minimize the risks derived from the ascent that is being planned and in case a contingency happens, he/she will know how to act.
The guide should demonstrate good physical condition and technical preparation. He/she should also be able to regulate his/her pace according to the condition of the assistants, which could have been previously evaluated in previous hikes or acclimatization hikes. The technical aspect refers to climbing, ice progression, slopes, knowing how to hydrate, feeding, breathing, first aid knowledge, and having the appropriate technical equipment in good condition for the ascent being planned.
The guide should always be an example to follow with respect to the attitude in which one arrives at the mountain. When doing adventure tourism, you must also live in a sustainable way, and speaking of sustainable tourism can be encompassed in 3 headings: Ecological, Economic and Social. Taking into account the ecology refers to not harming the environment, not polluting, not wasting natural resources, which may well follow the 7 principles of Leave No Trace.
Being socially sustainable refers to taking into account the communities to be visited, respecting their customs and seeking direct or indirect benefits to improve the quality of life of the locals.
Economically viable is seeking to contribute to the local economy, consuming their food, using their services and at the end of the day leaving an economic benefit that could improve the quality of life of the community.
The guide should have knowledge of survival, orientation, first aid, camping, mountain living, in general. Just the interpretation of the mountain can help you a lot to understand the weather. The weather in the mountain changes minute by minute and that can cause a bad experience, if you see that a day is sunny you can not believe that the whole day will be "a good day", the conditions may not be the best, even if there is sun, the terrain may be, for example, with very hard ice or with so much wind that you can hardly walk. For this and more, look for the best guides, do not go for the price, because remember, cheap is expensive and especially if your satisfaction and your life is at stake.
Make the trip of your dreams possible, get a personalized quote and payment facilities tailored to your needs.
No strings attached!
Consult an expert
Chat