Mountaineering has turned into one of the world's most popular sports. It includes walking, hiking, climbing, camping and snow trekking on mountains. The sport has seen an incredible boom in popularity in the last five years and as a result Mountaineering is being included in adventure sport activities more and more.

With this increase in popularity comes an increase in the demand for professionals who know the sport and can guide and teach others in a safe and exciting way. Thus, more than ever Mountaineering is becoming a profession on the rise.

Being a climbing guide is perhaps one of the best jobs for a climbing enthusiast. Combining their climbing passions with work means they get to do something they enjoy while being at work! Seeing the world's most beautiful locations and the satisfaction of sharing that joy with other people are only a few of the perks to being a Mountaineering Guide.

Types of Mountaineering Jobs

Because of the popularity of the sport, mountaineering and rock climbing activities are popping up everywhere. There are rock walls in gyms, gyms specifically designed for climbing and rock walls on cruise ships. For adventure and summer camps, rock climbing and rappelling are some of the most popular activities and more than ever people in the general public seeking out mountain climbing and overnight adventures on some of the worlds highest and most dangerous mountains. There is mountain climbing, ice climbing, bouldering, climbing for competition and technical climbing. All of these areas require professionals to lead and teach groups on the proper safety measures and techniques of climbing. In many cases, mountaineers act not only as climbing guides, but as survival experts as well. The two go hand in hand and many climbing professionals are also excellent outdoorsmen.

Requirements

Gyms and Rock wall Gyms Guides

For a person with some climbing experience and a good social nature, working for a gym with a rock wall, or a rock wall gym is a great place to begin. There are perks like free memberships and climbing hours working for a gym is a great place to gain experience as a teacher. Applicants must have knowledge of climbing and must apply to the gym or rock wall gym directly. They will most certainly be put through a training course and given teaching courses on working with the public. This is a great way to experience an outdoor skill while staying in your hometown and gaining work experience for a more advanced climbing job in the future.

Climbing Guides

To be an outdoor or wilderness climbing guide, the applicant must have extensive training.

A climbing school or training certificate is a must, along with first aid knowledge and experience. Guides must have years of climbing hours on their resume before taking groups out on tours, which could be potentially dangerous. A guide resumes the responsibility for the climbing group and thus must take great care to ensure the group understands the safety issues involved as well as how to climb safely. Guides must also have people skills and enjoy sharing their knowledge with other people. The specific requirements for these tour guide jobs will vary depending on the tour group they work for and the positions available.

Summer camps and adventure tour companies are a great venue for climbing instructors to find work. Camps need climbing guides to instruct campers and other counselors on the proper use of zip lines, rock walls and to lead outdoor climbs. Applying directly to a summer camp or adventure camp is an excellent place to begin as a formal climbing instructor.

Climbing Schools

There are a variety of climbing schools available to receive accreditation and the climbing hours necessary to be a mountaineering guide. These schools offer excellent segues to work opportunities and give guides the skills needed to acquire these jobs. These schools specialize in specific types of climbing and in giving instructors the skills they need to climb successfully in difficult situations, such as harsh weather and tricky mountain conditions.

Arizona Climbing School
Fox Mountain Guides Climbing School
Alaska Guide and Climbing School

These are just a few of the many climbing schools located in the U.S.

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