The
most important element in any of our courses, is
the quality of the staff leading you. We are more
than aware of this, and truely believe that our
team of guides / instructors / leaders is outstanding.
All the guides that we use are bilingual in English
and the language of the Alpine country that they
are working in (be it French, Italian or German).
Our guiding team all live in the Alps at least for
the season, and they have a vast local knowledge
of routes, conditions, and weather systems. In addition,
they have great contacts, such as arranging priority
tickets for cable cars, which helps course flexibility.
The
guides have total responsibility for all decisions
taken on the mountain, to ensure your safey at all
times.
You can keep up to date with what the guiding team
has been up to by looking at the Icicle Chamonix
Blog headline on the left, and for those with RSS
news readers, you can subscribe to the news feed
for free. The blog is regularly updated by the Chamonix
team and guides.
Photo:
an Icicle instructor in the Italian Alps near Mont Blanc
Icicle's
Team of IFMGA Mountain Guides & UIMLA Leaders In the Alps
there are only two qualifications that are recognised
for leading groups in the mountains. The highest
is the IFMGA Mountain Guide, and
they are the only people who lead any of our skiing
or climbing courses in the Alps.
All our IFMGA Guides hold the International Mountain
Guide carnet (use of IFMGA logo authorised by
named course directors below), and have been selected
for their leadership style, personality, and sense
of humour, not to mention the fact that they aren’t
too bad at climbing and skiing either! All the
Alpine trekking and snow-shoeing courses are run
by UIMLA mid mountain guides (use
of UIMLA logo authorised by named course directors
below).
These instructors also run a lot of our avalanche
awareness courses. Our itineraries are planned
with guide to client ratios within the guidelines
outlined by the IFMGA and UIMLA. Each course itinerary
states these daily guiding ratios. These two qualifications
are your guarantee of the highest standards and
professionalism, and the holders of these qualifications
wear their badges with pride. Rest assured that
you are being led in the mountains by the best.
For more details on the guides qualifications,
please click here.
Icicle
Key IFMGA & UIMLA guides and instructor team 2010/11
IFMGA
International Mountain Guides
For
more information on the Icicle guide team's
qualifications, please click here.
UIMLA
International Mountain Leaders
For
more information on the Icicle guide team's
qualifications, please click here.
Gilles
Originally from Annecy, and qualified as both a
Guide and an engineer. Gilles is an especially strong
rock and ice climber, and is also a very keen skier.
Gilles is an excellent teacher, and is an instructor
at ENSA, the Guide School in Chamonix.
Kingsley
Kingsley
is the course director of all the Icicle trekking
and snowshoeing courses in the Alps. He first climbed
Mont Blanc when he was 17, and has climbed the six
classic north faces of the Alps. He has lived in
the Alps for over 10 years now.
Stefano
Originally from Milan, he now lives near Gran Paradiso
National Park. As well as being a Guide, he is also
a technical consultant for Ferrino equipment. Stefano
leads many of our courses
Vic
Originally
hailing from the UK Lake District, Vic's becoming
a regular face on our Tour du Mont Blanc trips,
and also the acclimatisation weekend courses. She
is also a fully qualified MIC for UK work.
Lang's:
IFMGA
mountain guide
Languages:
UIMLA
fully qualified
Jacques
Jacques is from Paris, and is a hugely respected
local Guide. In his spare time he crystal hunts
around the Mt Blanc massif and is also a qualified
electrician - not a bad eclectic mix of skills.
Rob
Rob
had led several Icicle trips both in Europe and
also further afield. He is a regular face on the
TMB and GR20 trips, and his private climbing and
skiing has taken him all over the world.
Languages:
IFMGA
mountain guide
Languages:
UIMLA
fully qualified
Filippo
Filippo is from the Aosta region of Northern Italy,
and is a regular face on our off piste and ski tours.
He is much liked for his teaching style and his
infectious love of the mountains.
Mark
Mark
is very much a local, living full time in the Savoie
with his young family. This season he is leading
TMB and Haute Route treks for Icicle, as well as
some of the acclimatisation weekends.
Lang's:
IFMGA
mountain guide
Languages:
UIMLA
fully qualified
David
David
is a Canadian Mountain Guide who visits the Alps
each summer. This summer he led everything from
Mont Blanc courses to technical ascents such as
the Moine
and Matterhorn.
Lindsay
She
splits her time between guiding in the Alps based
in Chamonix, and BBC work as a producer for the
Adventure Show! As well as guiding, Lindsay is a
keen skier and mountain biker too.
Languages:
IFMGA
mountain guide
Languages:
UIMLA
fully qualified
Paolo
Paolo comes from the Turin region of Italy, and
is well known for his ice climbing and new routes.
Paolo is a great all rounder, and he definately
speaks better English than any of us!
Mark
A
rare Danish IML, Mark is a Chamonix resident now,
and his climbing has taken him from Mount Logan
to Ama Dablam. Mark is a strong snowshoeing guide,
and is a ski instructor too.
Lang's:
IFMGA
mountain guide
Languages:
UIMLA
fully qualified
Icicle
part time Guides & Instructor Team 2010/11
Luca
Ervin
Yves
Stephanie
Jean-Luc
Lang's:
IFMGA
Guide
Lang's:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Aspi-Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Popular
Italian guide from near G.Paradiso
Slovakian
guide, with new route on Everest
Has
guided all of the
seven summits!
Previously
ice world cup competitor
A
great ski tourer & happiest on rock!
Francis
Mauro
Laurence
Francois
Alain
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Lang's:
IFMGA
Guide
Lang's:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
A
true specialist in
guiding Mont Blanc!
He
works in Cham &
Verbier also in winter
One
of only 20 female guides in France!
From
village of Villes
in the Haute Savoie
From
the Pyrenees a trail runner & cyclist
Yan
Severin
Evans
Marcellin
Christophe
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
Tanzanian
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Infamous
off piste
ski guide in Cham
From
the Jura, Sev
also works in NZ
Icicle
Kilimanjaro &
safari's head guide
Skis
all winter in the
Val Thorens area
Christope
is a ski
patroller and guide
Benoit
Mohammed
Franck
Pascal
Enrico
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
Mt
Toubkal Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Lang:
IFMGA
Guide
Teacher,
paraglider,
and very keen skier
Mohammed
is also a keen trail runner
Good
rock climber
& expedition leader
Telemark
skier and
also an osteopath
A
keen ski guide
and ice climber
Jennifer
Craig
Serge
Jacques
Anna
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Lang:
IFMGA
Guide
Canadian
guide, from
the Canmore region
Canadian
guide, who
specialises in ice
Strong
ski guide &
expedition climber
Plays
in a jazz band
when not guiding
Ice
competition
climber & guide
Eric
Pierre
Julien
Francois
Alan
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Languages:
IFMGA
Guide
Strong
off piste ski
guide & heliskier
Vallorcine
resident &
all round good guy
Famed
for his love of
the Grand Jorasses
Grenoble
resident,
loves La Grave ice
Paragliding
& guiding
specialist
Icicle
Key Admin Staff 2009/10
Sarah
Sarah
is a keen ice climber, and has led several grade
V routes. She is planning to climb the Aiguille
Verte and the Matterhorn. In 1996, Sarah led an
environmental expedition to Siberia. She arranges
all the day to day logistics in Chamonix.
Languages:
,
Role: Chamonix
Office - Operations
Dave
Dave
comes
to Icicle having just left university, and is working
during the summer season before leaving to travel
around the world for a year. He is a keen climber,
as shown by the photo of him on the top of Mont
Blanc. Dave is a strong rock climber.
Languages:
,
Role: Chamonix
Course Host
Rachel
The
photo on the left
shows Rachel on the Chapelle de la Glière
in the Aiguilles Rouges, which is one of several
classic routes she has climbed this summer, whilst
working for Icicle as a course rep. She helps run
the Chamonix office and accommodation.
Languages:
,
Role: Chamonix
Course Host
Beth
Beth
worked in our Chamonix office during 2006, before
qualifying as a personal fitness trainer. Her detailed
knowledge of Icicle courses and expeditions makes
her an ideal choice for those requiring fitness,
strength or cardio training before a trip.
Languages:
,
Role: Personal
Fitness Trainer & Chamonix Course Host
Icicle
UK administrative team
The
Icicle Office Staff are based in the UK throughout
the year. Spare a thought for them when you are
enjoying your time climbing in the Alps! We have
a small but highly specialised office team. Between
the hours of 09:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday,
the office is open to take your enquiries by phone
(0845
058 98 78)
and e-mail.
Maximus,
Chamonix Office - Dog!
Max
is a Bernese Mountain Dog who lurks around the Icicle
Chamonix office!
To
keep up to date with the latest news, and
to see photos posted by our course guests,
join our Facebook group.
FAQ
about guide qualifications
FAQ
about Icicle guides & hosts
How
do you select the guiding team? Personal
recommendation, climbing with them,
experience, personality and style.
We use over forty IFMGA Mountain Guides
and UIMLA Leaders, some of which are
featured in the section above. We
carefully match the guides to each
course, so that their skills are optimised.
Locally resident guides have great
knowledge of routes, conditions, and
the orographic micro-climate. Icicle
guides are chosen for their drive,
experience, knowledge, and professionalism.
They are exceptional in that they
have all climbed new routes or major
peaks such as K2. Your guide, as much
as the route, enhances your experience.
Is
there any difference between guides
qualifications if they are of different
nationalities?
No, the IFMGA and UIMLA qualifications
are international, and so you can
rest assured that a guides from any
country have been tested to the same
highly rigourous standards. The IFMGA
member countries include the UK, France,
Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Norway,
Italy, and the USA. UIMLA
member countries include Andorra,
Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy,
Poland, Spain and Switzerland. The
UK association of the IFMGA are the
British Mountain Guides or BMG, and
of UIMLA the British Association of
International Mountain Leaders or
BAIML. The IFMGA and UIMLA ensure
that each country branch qualifies
guides of an internationally agreed
standard. It often takes guides over
five years to qualify. IFMGA guides
can lead groups on glacial terrain,
climbing or skiing, while UIMLA guides
lead groups on moderate mid-mountain
terrain, either trekking or snowshoeing.
We verify every single one of our
guides qualifications annualy.
How
do you become a guide? There
are many stages and different approaches
to becoming either a IFMGA or UIMLA
guide. If you want further information
on these processes, click
here.
Do
all Icicle guides speak fluent English? Yes,
both English and French is fluently
spoken by all our guides working in
the Alps. Both are essential for the
Alpine courses, as the guides can
speak French fluently to tell the
hut guardians of any requirements
you have, to get advice from other
guides on the conditions they encountered,
and to get you onto cable cars quickly
(often avoiding queues). Speaking
fluent English is now a tested element
of the French Guide scheme, as it
is seen as the international rescue
language. All the guides who don't
speak English as their first language,
are carefully vetted for their communication
skills and range of vocabulary. Similarly,
all guides with a language other than
French as their first language are
vetted for their extensive ability
and knowledge of both French and English.
Why
are the majority from Chamonix? The
vast majority of our guides are local
residents, and we always try to use
guides who live in the Chamonix valley
as they know the area and the current
conditions better than those guides
who visit the region from other areas
of France or from another country
to work for a week here and there.
This doesn't mean they are all French
- far from it - there is a good mixture
of British, French, Italian, American,
Canadian, Argentinian and even Slovakian
guides working with us, to name but
a few.
What
do the Icicle course hosts do? The
key roles of the course hosts are
to organise course logistics, provide
advice, and to give daily route briefings.
Once the Guiding has finished for
the day, they run evening classroom
based instruction sessions to cover
technical aspects in greater detail.
The hosts also run our Chamonix Office,
and organise the course logistics;
check & fit equipment, book huts,
arange airport transfers, buy cable
car tickets, give advice and daily
briefings, and run the course instruction
sessions.
