A guide is a professional who is responsible of an individual or a group, performs several tasks such as teaching and sports training and managing the risk of the activities in the natural environment providing safety to all members of the group who performs.
The guide profession is as old as the history of sports that take place in the natural environment. The appearance of the first guide is to be found in the early stages of mountain sports whose beginning was with the ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786 by Doctor Balmat with the help of local guide Paccard, or the rise in our state emblematic Naranjo de Bulnes (Picu Urriellu) by Pedro Pidal and guidance Gregorio Perez “The Cainejo” in 1904.
The Spanish Association of Mountain Guides (AEGM), the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (UIAGM), ensuring the quality of training and professionalism of all the guides, ensure the qualification of all guides.
In our state, the professionalism of the guides has taken place in recent decades, following the path begun by the countries of the Alps and are regulated by two State Standards: RD 318/2000 and the Order ECI / 858/2005.
The formation of the High Mountain Guide in Spain is currently focused on three schools (Basque, Catalan and Aragonese), which through a European project, the Maple projects, unify resources to improve the quality of this specialty.
It is important not to confuse the Professional Mountain Guides, trained regulated by the state, with the benevolent monitors operating in some clubs and federations. Have nothing to do in terms of training, expertise, professionalism, taxation… etc.
