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Hi all,
Contemplating life lately and I don't see myself being very satisfied with the path I'm on later in life. I'm in college and doing well with a year and a half left, so I will definitely finish it out. However, I feel like the only way I'm going to be happy is doing something in the industry. Is becoming a backcountry guide feasible (eg for a heli/cat ski company)? I figure a lot of it has to do with knowing the right people and luck...
It's less about luck and knowing the right people in the beginning, and more about putting in the time to get your certifications, and get experience etc.
Depending on what you want to do this could take up to 10 or so years, different jobs require varying degrees of certifications. Those certifications require varying degrees of experience to get.
The connections to get a job will most likely come as you follow the path to becoming a guide since it takes quite some time.
You better know your shit, know it well, and have the proof you know your shit.
You have your entire groups lives in your hands. Entire group of people that don't know what their beacon is after 15 min of training and are there to ski pow and take selfies.
its scary. I enjoyed it when I did it. But all I did was think of every bad scenario and played it out and thought of what if and how and if this if that.
I'd imagine that it takes years and years of experience. You need to know where you're at in the back country with a blindfold on. Obviously you would need tremendous first-aide/search and rescue skills, as well as all around outdoorsmanship and mountaineering. I would think that at the end of the day, you would have to display all of this to an employer in order to earn their trust to put you in the position to guide. There is sooooo much liability at stake here, I'd imagine that the guide companies are extremely selective in who they hire and allow to go out.
sickskiIf you're set on being a guide you should have gone to the whistler adventure school, they have actual guide certifications and it only takes about a year...
I dont know if you work there or not... But NO. NO NO NO NO NO.
absolute worst program of my life, literally the only thing it gives you is an EXTREMELY expensive ast 1+2 course. Thats it.
In order to be a volunteer ski patrol with wb you at least need AST1, AST2, WFR80, and ops1. WAS literally gets you jack shit in terms of a guiding job.
With that said, the instructors of the course were SUPER knowledgable and helpful. But the scope of the course is far too narrow, and quite short. Not to mention how the business is absolutely horribly run, I dont expect it to stay around for more than a couple more years.
/sorry I just got super triggered, but avoid this place at all costs and sink the 3.5k into things that actually get you somewhere.
**This post was edited on Nov 9th 2017 at 12:54:27pm
NightFantasiesI dont know if you work there or not... But NO. NO NO NO NO NO.absolute worst program of my life, literally the only thing it gives you is an EXTREMELY expensive ast 1+2 course. Thats it.
In order to be a volunteer ski patrol with wb you at least need AST1, AST2, WFR80, and ops1. WAS literally gets you jack shit in terms of a guiding job.
With that said, the instructors of the course were SUPER knowledgable and helpful. But the scope of the course is far too narrow, and quite short. Not to mention how the business is absolutely horribly run, I dont expect it to stay around for more than a couple more years.
/sorry I just got super triggered, but avoid this place at all costs and sink the 3.5k into things that actually get you somewhere.
**This post was edited on Nov 9th 2017 at 12:54:27pm
Good to know, I don't work there, but i was considering going there.
Its a long road. Many guide outfits these days require AMGA (in the US) certification which is a time consuming and expensive process. Its definitely about who you know and taking advantage of opportunities when they arise. The best first steps are to get your medical (WFR) and Avalanche certifications. Those are baseline requirements, and will make you more marketable when the time comes. Keep in mind as well that winter only lasts part of the year, so be prepared to make sure that you have the ability to make money year round, chasing winter is the dream but its tough to tell your bosses that you're going to leave for 3-4 months a year and expect to have a job when you come back. Not to discourage you, but as a ski guide, I can tell you, the valleys are just as high as the peaks, so if you go for it, settle in for the ride.