Mountain guide vs mountain leader vs ski instructor: who does what in Chamonix?

Planning a day out in the mountains and not sure whether you need a guide, a mountain leader or an instructor? The three jobs are often mixed up, but each has its own qualification, terrain and activities, set out in the French Sports Code. Choosing the right professional is first and foremost a matter of safety, and sometimes of budget. To choose your activities, see our guide to things to do in Chamonix, season by season.

What is the difference between a mountain guide, a mountain leader and an instructor?

In a nutshell: a mountain guide works on all terrain, glaciers included; a mountain leader walks with you, in summer or on snowshoes, away from glaciers; an instructor teaches one specific discipline. Here are the essentials, profession by profession, with what makes the price vary.

• High mountain guide: Qualification: State Diploma in Mountaineering – High Mountain Guide (Diplôme d’État d’alpinisme-guide de haute montagne) · Terrain: All mountain terrain, glaciers included · Activities: Mountaineering, ice climbing, climbing, ski touring, off-piste · What makes the price: the activity, the duration, private or group and the number of people; the price is shown on the pro's profile or on the valley schools' websites

• Mountain leader: Qualification: State Diploma in Mountaineering – Mountain Leader for Moderate Mountain Terrain (Diplôme d’État d’alpinisme-accompagnateur en moyenne montagne) · Terrain: Moderate mountain terrain, away from glaciers and mountaineering terrain · Activities: Hiking, snowshoeing, nature outings · What makes the price: the duration, the activity and group or private; the price is shown on the pro's profile or on the valley schools' websites

• Ski instructor: Qualification: State Diploma in Skiing – National Alpine Ski Instructor (Diplôme d’État de ski-moniteur national de ski alpin) · Terrain: Pistes and off-piste, except unmarked glacier areas · Activities: Alpine skiing and related activities · What makes the price: private or group lessons, the duration, the time of year and the school; the price is shown on each school's website

• Paragliding instructor: Qualification: State Diploma in Free Flight (DEJEPS, or BPJEPS for instructors who trained earlier) · Terrain: The air, from take-off sites · Activities: Tandem flights, lessons · What makes the price: the take-off site and the length of the flight; on PEAKED, the price is shown on each flight's page, service fees included

• Climbing instructor: Qualification: DEJEPS in climbing in natural environments · Terrain: Crags, natural sites and via ferrata below 1,500 m, climbing walls · Activities: Climbing, multi-pitch climbing · What makes the price: the duration and the type of outing, such as the 10-hour multi-pitch outing near Annecy on PEAKED, whose price is shown on its page, service fees included

• Mountain biking instructor: Qualification: BPJEPS in cycling activities, DEJEPS in mountain biking, or a mountain biking certificate combined with another BPJEPS · Terrain: Mountain bike trails and tracks · Activities: Mountain biking, bike handling · What makes the price: the duration and the type of outing, such as the half-day e-mountain bike outing on PEAKED, whose price is shown on its page, service fees included

What can a high mountain guide do?

A mountain guide holds the State Diploma in Mountaineering – High Mountain Guide, which is taught at the ENSA, the French national school of skiing and mountaineering, in Chamonix. You can enter from the age of 18, after an entrance exam known as the probatoire. The training is long and not continuous: from 4 to 7 years according to Onisep. It covers climbing, summer and winter mountaineering and ski touring. Guides then complete a refresher course every six years. Their qualification carries the international IFMGA badge, which brings together guides' associations from more than 20 countries.

Their terrain is the whole mountain, glaciers included. A guide can take you mountaineering, climbing, ice climbing, ski touring and off-piste skiing, and down the Vallée Blanche. They are the only professionals who can lead you on a glacier away from marked pistes, and in mountaineering. They choose the route according to the weather, the snow and your level, and look after your safety from start to finish.

On PEAKED, Jeff Mercier, a mountain guide in Chamonix, offers climbing in the moulins of the Mer de Glace, with a night in a bivouac; the price is shown on the outing's page, service fees included. If you are new to ice, read our guide Ice climbing in Chamonix.

What can a mountain leader do?

A mountain leader holds the State Diploma in Mountaineering – Mountain Leader for Moderate Mountain Terrain. They also enter training after an entrance exam, the probatoire. The training takes several years, from 3 to 5 according to Onisep, and they complete a refresher course every six years. They are often known as AMMs.

Their terrain is moderate mountain terrain, in summer and winter, excluding glaciers and terrain that calls for mountaineering equipment or techniques, such as rock or ice. In winter, they lead you on snow, over rolling terrain without significant features. They lead snowshoeing, but not skiing.

They are the hiking specialists. They adapt the outing to your pace, introduce you to the wildlife, plants and history of the valley, and know the quiet corners. In winter, they take you snowshoeing on routes chosen according to the avalanche bulletin. Our article Guided hiking in Chamonix: why go with a mountain leader? explains what they bring, and Snowshoeing in Chamonix will help you plan a winter outing.

On PEAKED, Alex Bruneau, based in Chamonix, offers hiking, snowshoeing, mountain biking and nature discovery. His outing Discovering our mountain ecosystems lasts 1 hour, and its price is shown on the outing's page, service fees included. Valérie Dubois Delplanque, a mountain leader based in the Arve valley, offers an introduction to the avalanche transceiver, the device that helps locate a buried person: Searching for an avalanche victim lasts 3 hours, from age 10, with a meeting point in Sallanches; the price is shown on the outing's page, service fees included.

What can a ski, paragliding, climbing or mountain biking instructor do?

"Instructor" is not a single profession: each discipline has its own qualification, and each instructor stays within their own.

A ski instructor holds the State Diploma in Skiing – National Alpine Ski Instructor. They teach you to ski, from your first turns to off-piste. Their limits are unmarked glacier areas and mountaineering terrain. To take clients down the Vallée Blanche, for example, you need a high mountain guide.

A paragliding instructor holds a State Diploma in Free Flight: the DEJEPS today, the BPJEPS for instructors who trained earlier. On a tandem flight, they do the piloting, and you don't need to be sporty. On PEAKED, David Paragliding Chamonix, whose BPJEPS (ENSA) has been verified by PEAKED, offers a flight facing Mont-Blanc and a flight from the Plan de l'Aiguille; the price is shown on each flight's page, service fees included. It's all explained in Tandem paragliding in Chamonix: everything you need to know before you book.

A climbing instructor holds the DEJEPS in climbing in natural environments. According to France Compétences, they lead on natural sites and via ferrata below 1,500 m, as well as on climbing walls. Higher up, or on mountaineering terrain, you need a guide. On PEAKED, Marius Larrieu, a DEJEPS climbing instructor based in Grenoble, offers a multi-pitch outing around Annecy, whose price is shown on its page, service fees included.

A mountain biking instructor holds the BPJEPS in cycling activities, or the more comprehensive DEJEPS in mountain biking. On PEAKED, Yan Chatellard's half-day e-mountain bike outing lasts 3 hours, and its price is shown on its page, service fees included.

One professional can hold several qualifications: Yan Chatellard is a mountain leader, a cross-country ski instructor and a mountain biking instructor, with qualifications verified by PEAKED. Yan offers a half-day e-mountain bike outing in the Mont-Blanc region: 3 hours, from age 12, in French; the price is shown on its page, service fees included. Message Yan from his profile to find out his dates.

Which professional should you choose for your outing?

• You want to walk, in summer or on snowshoes, without glaciers: a mountain leader.

• You want to go onto a glacier, or try mountaineering, ice climbing or the Vallée Blanche: a high mountain guide.

• You want to learn or improve in a discipline (skiing, paragliding, climbing, mountain biking): an instructor in that discipline.

• You want to climb on a crag near the valley: a climbing instructor or a high mountain guide.

If in doubt, describe your plans to the professional: a reliable one will tell you straight away whether the outing falls within their remit.

How do you check a professional's qualifications?

In France, anyone who leads a sporting activity for payment must hold the required qualification and register with the State authorities. They then receive a professional sports educator card, and must renew their registration every five years. Ask to see it: a reliable professional will show it to you without hesitation.

On PEAKED, our team checks each professional's qualification, professional card and professional liability insurance before accepting them. If any of these documents is not valid, the professional is not accepted. On their profile, you can see their activities, languages and prices, service fees included. You can then message the professional from their profile. All our professionals are listed in the PEAKED directory.