The Importance of Qualification in Mountain Guiding

Dangers are present in the mountains at all times, and in the Alpine Association of Slovenia we have particularly emphasized during the winter season through numerous preventive contents that the winter season hides different pitfalls from the summer ones, that winter conditions require qualified and experienced individuals, and if less experienced hikers venture into the mountains, they absolutely need guidance from qualified and licensed guides. The recent accident in Mali Mojstrovki has precisely highlighted that one must go to the mountains with a great deal of responsibility, knowledge of using winter equipment, and under the leadership of qualified guides with appropriate competencies.

Unfortunately, dangerous situations are present in the mountains at all times, which has been shown again with this serious accident. Even qualified guides cannot completely eliminate dangers, but they can limit them. The Alpine Association of Slovenia has been warning in recent years about the issue of leading hiking tours without proper qualification of guides who lead in the mountain world without appropriate knowledge and experience.



The Alpine Association of Slovenia, as the national branch sports association for the sport of mountaineering – alpinism, trains professional workers in sports, including PZS guides and alpine instructors, based on the Sports Act. The training is divided into different levels and competencies, and guides renew their license every four years for each difficulty level through refresher courses, and every year they submit a report for registration, on the basis of which they are also insured for liability within the framework of non-profit guiding activities.



For commercial guiding, guides must have their liability insurance arranged within the framework of their legal status. Commercially, mountain guides can lead based on the Mountain Guides Act or PZS guides or professional sports workers based on the Sports Act. Mountain guides can lead all tour difficulties, while professional sports workers lead according to their level of qualification and competencies and the limitations stipulated by the Mountain Guides Act.

The Župančičeva route on Mala Mojstrovka is a climbing ascent, and PZS guides do not have qualification for leading climbing routes. For them, alpine instructors are qualified, who operate non-commercially under the umbrella of alpine sections and clubs. They can climb with a maximum of two trainees or candidates who are roped up. Commercially, only mountain guides can lead a tour of this difficulty.



Guiding in the mountains without appropriate knowledge and qualification, inappropriate ratio between the number of guided participants and the number of guides is unacceptable and dangerous practice, and we strongly condemn it. We have been warning about all this for a long time within the framework of our preventive contents. However, we do not have the authority to intervene in any way, and the competent inspection services in the country must handle this task.



In this regard, an additional explanation that, according to the data published in the media and related to the recent accident, the association as the organizer is not a member of PZS, and the person who led the activity is not a professional sports worker within PZS.