by Gadgetgeek » Thu 12 Dec, 2019 8:35 pm
Yeah, I don't know how many people would call themselves a professional mountain/glacier guide when most would have a far more general skillset. Depends on how the question was asked, I think many would list themselves as "Outdoor Guide" "outdoor instructor" or something along those lines. In my time working in Australia (granted not that long, and in a pretty narrow part of the industry) I've met very few specialists. Those have all been paddlers, as they are more likely to have full time work over the year. Anyone who can run ropes tends to diversify more since you can only guide so many cliff trips in a year, and there is work in the easier end of the recreation/education market.
Not surprised to see that few "mountain guides" in Australia considering that I'd suspect there were only a couple hundred in Canada. Again, as soon as you diversify out on the skillset, I can see someone using a different description. Its not exactly a legally protected professional designation.