Hire a Ski Guide – Bergführer

Skiing in Europe is dramatic, with some of the biggest ski regions and the best ski resorts in the world.

Everyone asks us, as ski travel experts, what’s different about skiing the Alps versus skiing in the US and Canada? The biggie is that often one lift serves just one or two prepared groomed ski trails in Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy. All the remaining terrain is free riding or off-piste, its rarely roped off – just ski at your own risk. But the risk is real – the Alps are rocky, with glaciers, crevasses, cliffs, and you can easily ski out of bounds beyond return lift service. An alpine ski-touring adventure, backcountry skiing, could easily end up in the next village, or into the wild, or worse! Avalanche risk is real!

Off piste, free-ride, alpine touring terrain in the Alps is typically unmarked, with no avalanche control, no patrol, no signs of cliffs, you get the picture. You could die…

So… Know before you go, or go with someone who knows! Hire a guide!

If you wish to adventure into beautiful untouched wide-open ski bowls and descents, as an advanced and expert skier, hiring a Mountain Guide – a Bergfuhrer, is the best way to explore safely and reach ski terrain beyond the “pistes” – outside of marked groomed trails.

Bergfuhrers are Certified Mountain Guides who have completed rigorous mountain training, first aid, climbing and belay, avalanche and snow safety courses. They are much more qualified than a private ski instructor.

What are the costs for a Ski Guide in Italy, Switzerland, France and Austria? A bergfuhrer daily fee ranges in price from $300 – $800 per person per day, which sounds expensive, but the rewards can be awesome as your guide delivers you safely to secret stashes of powder you would never have otherwise found, or maybe not returned safely. Besides, can you really put a price tag on safety? What’s the price on avoiding an avalanche or slide, a cliff or even a long hike out of a ravine or valley at night?

Mountain Guides are experts who have trained far beyond ski instruction. Bergfuhrers spend at least five years becoming accredited, spending upwards of $40,000 on certifications, from medical to skiing skills, to weather to avalanche rescue.

Ski instructors with mountain guide training can take clients off-piste, but in limited terrain. A certified mountain guide, bergfuhrer, can take you anywhere, including climbing, belay, winter and summer. The ski instructor guide option can be a less-expensive if you are just looking to venture next to the trails, find some powder and return to the trails and lifts.

Skiing off piste with an experienced knowledgeable guide, we have had some of our best ski days in Europe! Guides can find fresh private powder – both quality and quantity of runs – far superior to days of heli skiing or cat skiing, for far less money. Good Ski Guides check the weather, the avalanche warning reports, know the terrain, and make a plan based on those factors and your skills and preferences.

Your interaction with the Guide is key so you achieve your ski goals. When you hire your own guide, tell him or her (mostly dudes but there are a few female berg fuhrers) where you want to ski, your true and tested ability level, how long you want to ski, your fitness level. The price is commensurate on the number of skiers and the length of your guided ski day.

What to expect in your Guided Ski Day
Guides can equip you with Avi Gear – backpacks with beacons (aka peips/transceivers) probe and shovel. Ask if this is included in your ski guide service fee or available for an extra rental. Avalanche air bags may also be available. You can also bring your own backpack with avi-gear. You will be asked to demonstrate your familiarity with this equipment. It important!

The Guide may set the morning meet time, you can indicate if you are a first chair/tram keener, or prefer a more relaxed pace. Be clear on the meeting place – we’ve had confusion on this, which leads to frustration, urgent international calls and texts, breaking out into a sweat, and a delayed start when you are stoked to go!

The Guide will often assess your ski or snowboard ability with a run in-bounds at the resort before you set off-piste on an adventure. Be patient and respectful, all safety decisions are the responsibility (and liability) of the Guide, their accreditation and reputation are at stake as well.

Ask the guide the plan and schedule for the day. This is your opportunity to communicate whether you want a few groomed runs, a big off-piste adventure with a climb, a sit-down chalet lunch, then a few more free-ride runs, or more, or less. A good guide spells out the tentative schedule, but not all do, so ask.

Ski Guide Status – The Bergführer are the upper echelon in ski resort towns. The Mountain Guide Association of the Alps dates back to 1858. Becoming a Bergführer is no small accomplishment. Many guides are a legacy to previous generations and mentors, predominantly male and very athletic with alpine experience. The hierarchy in the Alps is jokingly Bergführer first, ski instructor next, mountain managers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, tourism departments on down the line – that’s how the snowball rolls.

A bonus of being with a guide, you learn about the ski history, local lore and legends. In St Anton with Chris, for example, we learned about the earliest skiers to local resort gossip, where to go for après ski and where new lifts would be installed. Guides also know the best lunch spots, and reserve the best tables – so buy them lunch! Off to treat them to apres ski too, and make some local friends

Our Guides have been super friendly, super fit, mostly humble and highly skilled. We’ve only had a few disappointments, the rare guide that thinks he walks on water, or snow as the case maybe, or the elder statesmen that prefers chatting over skiing. A mere ski instructor is not as qualified, trained or certified to take you into backcountry, but less money if you just want a ski companion or a guide around the ski resort in-bounds terrain, for a half, full-day or a week!

Some of our past Guides in the Alps who provide an excellent day of adventure:
Austria:
Kitzbuhel – Markus Dagnun of Alpin Experts
Ischgl – Stefan Siegele at SkiSchule Ischgl
Pitztal Glacier – Rifflsee – Harald Fichtinger of Tauernwind
Obergurgl Hochgurgl – Hannes of Alpin Sports – a mountain certified ski instructor
Obertauern – Marcus – mountain certified ski instructor at Obertauern
The Arlberg’s St Anton – ask for Markus
Rauris in the Salzburg Ski Region- Jochem Wieser at Ski School Hohe Tauern
Schladming Dachstein – Heli – Bergfuhrer at Schladming
Tauplitz – Stephan Skrobar from Die Bergstation freeride-center – a mountain certified ski instructor