Member Directory
While the exclusive habitat of mountain guides is the undeveloped, impassable wilderness, the area of operation of hiking guides is the mountain world made accessible by paths and trails. So, if you go on a journey of discovery with them, you don't need a rope, crampons or ice axe. You don't even need any experience in planning the hike, as this is taken care of by the hiking guides.
The hiking guides offer their guests - whether individual hikers or hiking groups - support before they even set off. The hikes are tailored to the fitness of the guests as well as their interests. Accordingly, South Tyrol's hiking guides cover a very wide range of offers: those that are tailored to target groups, such as children or young people, or those that focus on special themes: fauna, flora, legends, local agriculture or South Tyrol's history, for example.
However, knowledge, experience and a passion for the mountains are not enough to be able to call yourself a "hiking guide" in South Tyrol. Rather, this requires comprehensive and in-depth preparation, passing an examination and registration in the corresponding special register of the provincial professional chamber of mountain and ski guides. Nothing works without this.
There is a simple reason for the strict rules governing access to the profession: with the support of the professional chamber of mountain guides, the province of South Tyrol wants to ensure that guests can count on qualified accompaniment and support on their hikes. And on a wealth of knowledge and experience that goes far beyond the "normal".
So, if guests want to play it safe and check whether an offer is reputable, there is an easy way to do so. All you need to do is run the name of the provider through the database of those registered in the special directory and you will know whether you are dealing with a professional hiking guide.
South Tyrolean hiking guides are also easily recognisable outside the directory, thanks to the uniform logo that adorns their ID card and professional clothing. The logo shows a dark and a light green semicircle between which lies a curved, opening mountain silhouette.
While South Tyrol's mountain guides wear a blue logo, the hiking guides are recognisable by their green. If you think of the forests, meadows and alpine pastures through and over which South Tyrol's hiking trails lead, this is an obvious choice.
