Feature  History  Bios  Events  Orgs  Gear  Photos  Forum  Quotes  Reads  Links  Home		This feature article was snagged from . Click here for the previous articles How do I Choose a Guide? While we focus on choosing a climbing, mountaineering or backcountry skiing guide, many of the suggestions apply to any guided situation. Choosing a guide can seem overwhelming, with a plethora of guides and guiding services operating all over the country and often overseas as well, and no obvious means of determining the best choice. Regulations, qualifications, and requirements for guiding vary widely in the U.S. and abroad, and this adds to the confusion. We believe in asking about things like certification and training, safety record, client satisfaction and recommendations before you go, to avoid any nasty surprises. There are various systems of guides training, qualification, and permitting in the U.S. and abroad. It pays to know about them. You can then decide how much certain factors like certification mean to you. It’s also a good idea to think about the kind of trip you will be taking and whether you are the right person for that kind of trip and that kind of guide. If your guide is AMGA or UIAGM certified in the discipline relevant to your trip ( see About AMGA and UIAGM Certification), you can be assured that they have been judged by qualified guides trainers and examiners to have met a minimum technical standard of training and qualification in the field. If they are not certified, you should talk to them, or the company employing them, or another guide you trust, as to the company's guides training policies and practices, as well as your guides' individual training and/or guiding experience. Information regarding safety record, history in the business, contact information for past clients, or references, might also be of interest to you, depending on your level of energy and concern. Much of this information may be of interest to you even if your guide is certified.
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