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This post is for anyone planning to hire a guide abroad. You have found someone in Chamonix, Zermatt or Japan who calls themselves a "mountain guide". How do you check they are IFMGA, what does a day cost, which costs are missing from the quote, and should you tip at the end?
For what IFMGA is and how it differs from Taiwan's mountain guide license, see Part 0: the overview.
When people hire a guide
Judging by what guiding companies actually sell, the common situations are these (prices under "Prices by region" below):
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Classic alpine routes | Mont Blanc, Grossglockner |
| Signature peaks | Matterhorn Hörnli ridge: all three outfitters found work 1:1, and ZERMATTERS requires a preparation climb with them first |
| Alpine rock ridges | Arête des Cosmiques on the Aiguille du Midi |
| Ice climbing | Chamonix icefalls, Canmore in Canada |
| Ski touring | Hut-to-hut tours in the Alps |
| Multi-day expeditions | Aoraki/Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring in New Zealand |
There is also a legal side: in some countries, anyone who takes money to lead people in the mountains must be qualified.
- Italy: leading clients in mountaineering, ski mountaineering or instruction, on any terrain and at any difficulty, is reserved for guides on the official register (Law 6/1989, art. 2, in Italian).
- Switzerland: guiding without a license is fined up to CHF 10,000, and the Swiss guide association says it counts as commercial "from the first franc earned" (SBV guidance on guiding without a license, in German).
These rules govern the person being paid; they do not require you to hire a guide. What this means for readers (our inference from the law text): paying an "experienced friend" to take you up in these countries may mean that person is working illegally.
How to check a guide is IFMGA
1. Look for the badge and ask for the ID
IFMGA's find-a-guide page says to look for the IFMGA/UIAGM/IVBV badge, and that every IFMGA guide holds an official membership card. IFMGA guide Eddie Schoen of Rebel Alpine describes the badge as round (blue or white), with a silver pin version as well.
That page has no search function. It lists three ways to find a guide: national member association lists, local guiding companies or guide offices, and climbing schools that employ IFMGA guides.
2. Check national association lists
| Country | List | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | NZMGA Find a Guide | Each guide is marked "IFMGA Mountain Guide", "Ski Guide" and so on |
| Canada | ACMG Member Directory | Filter by qualification (Mountain Guide, Rock Guide, Ski Guide) |
| Japan | JMGA active members (in Japanese) | Only those marked 国際山岳ガイド are IFMGA; 37 as of October 2026 |
3. IFMGA's ID lookup
searchguides.ifmga.info is a "Check Mountain Guide by ID" tool that checks a qualification by member number. At the time of writing it required a login, so in practice ask the guide for the number and have the guide or their association confirm it.
Another official page, ifmga.net/browse, has a search form, but queries returned empty results at the time of writing, and the page states the data comes from member associations and IFMGA does not guarantee it.
4. Titles that look similar
Being called a "mountain guide" does not make someone IFMGA:
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| "AMGA trained" | Took one AMGA course (Rebel Alpine) |
| "AMGA certified" | May only be SPI, a single-pitch climbing instructor |
| AMGA Certified Rock Guide | One discipline; all three of Rock, Alpine and Ski are needed for IFMGA |
| Japanese 登山ガイド or 山岳ガイド | Not the same as 国際山岳ガイド (international mountain guide) |
| "IFMGA No Ski" | Wears the badge but cannot guide skiing in other countries |
In the US, Colorado Mountain School headlines "Professional AMGA Guides" and does not say IFMGA. Before booking, ask directly: "Is the guide assigned to me IFMGA?"
Prices by region
Checked 2026-10-17. Prices are in the page's own currency. "Year" is the year the page states; "not stated" if it gives none.
| Place | Operator | Item | Price | Year | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamonix, France | Independent guide Nicolas Annereau | Hire one guide | €450 a day, €320 half day | 2026 | Depends on route |
| Chamonix, France | Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix | Private ice climbing day | 1–2 people €455, 3–4 people €495 (group price) | 2027 | Up to 4:1 |
| Chamonix, France | Compagnie Mont Blanc Premium | 4 days | €3,445 per person | 2027 | 1:1 |
| Courmayeur, Italy | Guide Alpine di Courmayeur | Private Cosmiques ridge day | 1 person €470 | Not stated | Private |
| Zermatt, Switzerland | ZERMATTERS | Matterhorn | CHF 1,550 | 2025 and 2026 seasons | 1:1 |
| Zermatt, Switzerland | Mountains & Beyond | Matterhorn, 2 days, hotel not hut | CHF 1,450 | Not stated | 1:1 |
| Austria | Tauernguide | Grossglockner, 2 days | 1 person €750, 2 people €420 each | Not stated | Up to 2–3:1 |
| US company in the Alps | Alpine Ascents | Private day with an IFMGA guide | 1:1 US$1,100 a day | Not stated | 1:1–4:1 |
| Washington, US | Alpine Ascents | Private climb | 1:1 US$775 peak, $650 off-peak, per day | Not stated | 1:1–4:1 |
| Wyoming, US | Exum | Private climbing day | 1 person US$610 | 2026 | 1:1–5:1 |
| Canmore, Canada | Yamnuska | Private ice climbing day | 1 person CA$899 | Not stated | Multi-pitch up to 2:1 |
| Japan | Genki Narumi (IFMGA) (in Japanese) | Private day | Hiking from ¥40,000; multi-pitch from ¥50,000; hard routes from ¥60,000 (1 person) | Sept 2026 | Depends on route |
| Aoraki/Mt Cook, NZ | Alpine Guides | Private, 3 days | 1 person NZ$4,095 (meals and huts included) | From May 2026 | 1:1–4:1 |
| Wānaka, NZ | Aspiring Guides | Mount Aspiring, 5 days | 1:1 NZ$6,250 | Not stated | 1:1 |
Three things to keep in mind:
- Not every row is confirmed IFMGA. Exum's page does not say whether its guides are IFMGA; Alpine Ascents' Alps price list explicitly says IFMGA guide fees.
- Japanese association rates are not IFMGA rates. The Kanagawa Mountain Guide Association (in Japanese) charges ¥30,000 a day on ordinary trails as its standard for general guides.
- Prices jump by year. Compagnie has already switched to its 2027 price list, and Mont Blanc Premium is €85 more than in 2026; book now and you get the new price.
In Taiwan dollars: at the Bank of Taiwan spot selling rate on 2026-10-17, €450 works out to roughly NT$16,500. Check again the week you travel.
What quotes usually leave out
Treat the guide's fee as a starting point, not a total.
- The guide's hut and meals: in the Alps the client usually pays. ZERMATTERS says the Hörnli hut half-board is paid for "you and the guide", about CHF 150 per person.
- The guide's lifts and trains: Courmayeur states the client pays the guide's €25 Aiguille du Midi cable car.
- Your own lifts, huts and transport: the Aiguille du Midi cable car is €81–83 per person (Courmayeur).
- Preparation climbs: ZERMATTERS requires a preparation route before the Matterhorn, at an extra CHF 360–785 (2024 official price PDF).
- Gear rental: about CHF 50–70 in Zermatt.
- Insurance: Courmayeur asks for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or personal health insurance. The EHIC is issued by European national health systems; Taiwan's National Health Insurance is not part of it, so Taiwanese clients need their own policy that covers mountain activities.
- Taxes and fees: Canada adds 5% GST (Yamnuska); Courmayeur charges a 5% admin fee.
- Helicopters in New Zealand: Aspiring Guides charges NZ$1,500 extra for the helicopter approach, while Adventure Consultants includes it on the same mountain.
Japan is no different: the Kanagawa association states the guide's transport, lodging and meals are charged on the day.
When comparing quotes, ask two questions first: is the price per person or per group, and who pays for the guide's hut and lifts?
Client-to-guide ratios
Ratios are set by the route. You cannot squeeze in more people to save money.
| Activity | Typical ratio | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Matterhorn Hörnli ridge | 1:1 | ZERMATTERS, Mountains & Beyond |
| Mont Blanc normal route | 1:1 or 2:1 | Compagnie, Simmons Mountain Works |
| Grossglockner | Up to 2–3:1, 2:1 when conditions are poor | Tauernguide, MT Experts |
| Ski touring, hut-to-hut | Commonly 3:1 | Simmons Mountain Works |
| Multi-pitch ice | Up to 2:1 | Yamnuska |
| Single-pitch rock or ice instruction | Up to 6:1 | Yamnuska |
Many European guides charge "one guide for one day" and the group splits it. Simmons Mountain Works gives the example of US$700 a day: two clients together each pay half.
Tipping
| Region | Custom | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | Common, about 10–20% of the trip price | Mountain Trip; RMI says 10–15% |
| Canada | Listed as not included in the price | Yamnuska |
| Chamonix, France | Guides do not expect tips | IFMGA guide Stuart Macdonald |
| Europe overall | No fixed rule; appreciated if given | UK-based Alpine Guides |
| Switzerland | Voluntary, CHF 50–100 per day per group for a private full day (travel company advice) | Swiss Epic Tours |
| Japan | Tipping is generally not expected; if you do, use an envelope | JNTO |
| New Zealand | Not expected for guided outdoor activities | Tourism New Zealand |
Mountain Trip adds two points: tip even if you do not summit, because you are paying for judgment and care; with several guides, hand it to one of them to share.
The Japan and Switzerland entries come from general tourism or travel company sources; no guide-specific rule was found.
Next
- What these guides go through: Part 2: Training and Exams
- Country systems and associations: France and Switzerland, USA and Canada, Asia
References
- IFMGA: Find a IFMGA Mountain Guide
- IFMGA: Check Mountain Guide by ID
- IFMGA: Browse guides
- NZMGA: Find a Guide
- ACMG: Member Directory
- JMGA: active members (in Japanese)
- AMGA: Single Pitch Instructor Program
- Rebel Alpine: Why Hire A Fully Certified Mountain Guide?
- Normattiva: Law 6/1989 (in Italian)
- SBV: Führen ohne Bewilligung (short version, Feb 2026, in German)
- guide-chamonix-mont-blanc.fr: Tarifs (in French)
- Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix: Ice climbing
- Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix: Mont Blanc Premium PDF
- Guide Alpine di Courmayeur: Arête des Cosmiques
- ZERMATTERS: Climb (archive.org, 2026-04-12)
- ZERMATTERS: Matterhorn price variants 2024 (archive.org, in German)
- Mountains & Beyond: Matterhorn
- Tauernguide: Großglockner (in German)
- MT Experts: Großglockner (in German)
- Alpine Ascents: Private Alps Climbs
- Alpine Ascents: Private Washington
- Exum Mountain Guides: Private climbing
- Colorado Mountain School: Rock climbing guiding (archive.org, 2025-10-22)
- Yamnuska: Guided ice climbs
- Genki Narumi: private guiding (in Japanese)
- Kanagawa Mountain Guide Association: requests (in Japanese)
- Alpine Guides (Aoraki): Private guiding
- Aspiring Guides: Mount Aspiring
- Adventure Consultants: Mount Aspiring
- Simmons Mountain Works: Alps rate inclusions and exclusions
- European Commission: EHIC
- Bank of Taiwan: exchange rates (in Chinese)
- Mountain Trip: How much should I tip my guide
- RMI Expeditions: Mt. Rainier Four Day Select Climb
- Stuart Macdonald
- Alpine Guides: Travelling from the USA/Canada
- Swiss Epic Tours: Tipping your private guide in Switzerland
- JNTO: Tipping in Japan
- Tourism New Zealand: Tipping on guided outdoor activities