Here are a few words describing some aspects of the organization of a day with a mountain guide. Even though it may seem a bit tedious, reading those lines carefully might prevent us from bad surprises during our projects. If you have any doubt concerning one of these aspects, do not hesitate to contact me to talk about it directly.



The role of the guide
Equipment
Prices
Risk tackling
Insurance and responsibility
Transports and lifts
Training and preparation

The role of the guide  

The guide shall support his customers in their projects. Therefore, he should first understand clearly their expectations in order to adapt his advice and decisions. IT is not only about bringing someone to a summit as quick and efficiently as possible. He may give some advice for the equipment, the alpine techniques or the strategical choices. When it comes to making a decision, he may talk about it with his companions and ask for their opinion. However, he stays the only one to take the final decision, especially when it comes to safety aspects. The safety of the group is his priority, even though it could imply giving up. Calling on a guide also means to accept his decisions.
This is the vision I have of this great job which is mine.

Equipment 

The required equipment depends on the style of the considered route. Individual technical equipment (clothes, crampons, ice axe...) is generally not provided by the guide. Many shops offer rental possibilities for this equipment. On the other hand, I provide all the mutual equipment such as ropes, etc. I may lend you helmets and harnesses. During winter time, I also can provide avalanche tranceivers, probes and shovels for each member of the group.
For classical alpinism, you can find a list of the required equipment here.

Prices

Although prices are set fixed in France, usual prices are generally given by local guide companies. However, what the prices include may vary from one place to another (nights, meals, transports...), so remember to take this into account when you compare prices.
It is usual that nights in mountain huts as well as diners are paid by the customers. Think of this when planning your budget.
I ask for a 30% account when making a reservation for a determined date. This in order to avoid last minute cancellations, especially in high season. Those 30% can be retreived in case of cancellation up to one month before the planned date. If ever the project had to be cancelled because of bad conditions (weather, mountain conditions...), AND if the decision comes from the guide, those 30% would also be retrieved.
Note that in case of bad conditions in the initial plan, I will certainly propose another route, possibly in another location. Of course, this other proposition would be as similar as possible to the initial plan. If you do not want to consider doing another route than the one initially planned, please inform me at the beginning of the project, so things are clear between us.

Risk tackling  

Whatever the plan and the precautions, mountaineering cannot be done without risk. Going in the mountain, even with a guide means to accept this fact. During our outings, my role will be to reduce this risk as much as reasonably possible. Depending on our project, your level, and your experience, the margin we take may vary. From my point of view, the evaluation of this margin is a central aspect of risk tackling, and I want all the members of the team to be aware of this aspect. Without taking alarmist proportion, risk tackling is a subject on which I appreciate to exchange with my companions in order to be sure we are all on the same page. So, do not hesitate talk about it with me during our outing, or before, if anything seems unclear.

Insurances  

I have my own professional insurance which is not enough to cover you completely in case of an accident. I advise you to get informed about your individual insurances concerning mountain sports such as alpinism or off-piste skiing. If not covered, some insurance providers offer individual solution, even for one day (FFCAM, FFME or diot montagne for example).

Transports and lifts 

Generally, we should use your vehicle if needed. If this happened to be a problem, we can of course find some solutions together.
You should also consider that the lifts prices are not included in my prices (and that the price of the pass for the guide is at the expense of the customer).

Training and preparation 

Although some routes can be done without any mountain experience, all of them require a good physical fitness. The better you prepare, the more you will appreciate your day. For classical routes, a strong habit of hiking in mountains is a good basis. Practicing endurance regularly (by running for example) will help you to feel more comfortable.
In case of a project at high altitude, hiking at moderate altitude or even sleeping on a hut a few days before the outing will help you to know how you react to altitude.
For more technical projects, estimating your skills objectively will help us to find a project as close as possible from your expectations.