Also called: Climbing Guide, Alpine Guide
Leads clients up rock climbs, ice climbs, and high mountains, managing serious risk.
You set ropes on a cliff, coach a client through a hard move, and make the call to turn back when a storm builds. Expedition guides lead trips on peaks like Denali or Kilimanjaro. Full IFMGA certification takes years and is one of the hardest guide credentials in the world.
Internationally certified guides and expedition leaders earn the most.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 4 years after high school. AMGA/IFMGA certifications earned over several years.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Growing about average.
Low risk for 10 years. Weather and avalanche apps help, but judging risk on real mountains stays a human call.
Classes: Physical education, Earth science, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-7012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.