Wander to Become a Mountaineer: Know How to Start a Successful Career

Have you ever travelled to the Himalayas? Are you also fond of snow and winter? Do you want to climb famous mountain peaks? Do you always imagine how the world looks from up there? Can you help friends in trouble because as a Mountaineer you will be in a team and have to help others while climbing? Explore to find what Mountaineers do, how they do it and how to become one.

Mountaineers are involved in climbing, hiking, snow trekking and camping on mountains. They may be part of expeditions and mountain climbing activities organized by various Government Ministries, corporate establishments, adventure tour companies or private mountaineering and trekking organizations, etc. or they may climb individually or as a part of a group.

Why become a Mountaineer?

As a Mountaineer, you will be involved in climbing, hiking, snow trekking and camping on the mountains. You may be a part of expeditions and mountain climbing activities organized by various Government Ministries, corporate establishments, adventure tour companies or private mountaineering and trekking organizations etc. You may also climb mountains invidually or in a group.

You will need excellent physical stamina as you will stand or walk for extended periods of time usually on an inclined surface. You will also have to be very cooperative towards your team members as Mountaineering is essentially a team game and will require you to tolerate difficult climates (very cold temperatures) and harsh living conditions (in mountain camps) as well.

You will have to be physically fit and mentally robust to be a Mountaineer. You may also be involved in search and rescue operations on a rock, snow and ice for which you will need specific training in mountain navigation, evacuation methods including the use of helicopters, first-aid, audio and visual communication signals etc.

What does a Mountaineer do? 

As a Mountaineer, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities: – 

1. You will yourself be participating in or helping in organizing mountain climbing activities.
2. You will be calculating various factors before planning a climb/trek such as weather conditions, acclimatization process, route accessibility, the strength of the team, logistics and equipment to be carried.
3. You will be needing a thorough knowledge of technical routes like how to tread over ice, snow, scree, boulders, etc. 
4. You will be using mountaineering equipment such as ice axes, carabiners, fixing ropes and crampons
5. You be applying basic knowledge of the geography of the place (river crossings, clean water sources, landslide-prone areas, etc.) while on a trek.
6. You will be utilizing common knowledge about various altitude related illnesses such as AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema), and constituting a proper plan of action.
7. You may have to lead a team and be reliable when it comes to making decisions in case of any unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather or an avalanche (Force majeure).

How to become a mountaineer – eligibility criteria 

There is no necessary educational qualification required to be a Mountaineer. A student at any age can go for training but most training institutes select candidates of at least 18 years of age. Although the youngest Everest climber in the world was only 13 years old when she reached the peak of Everest! Continuous rigorous training is essential to become a professional Mountaineer.

After Class 10, you can go for Basic Mountaineering courses followed by Advance, Adventure or Search and Rescue courses.

Educational Fees

The educational fees to become a mountaineer is somewhere around Rs. 1000 to 50,000. 

Job Opportunities 

You will working individually or as part of a group. After a good number of years of experience, will may work opportunities as a guide or a coach or as a Mountaineer with different organisations.

Salary of a Mountaineer

While most work options in this stream are on a contract-basis, here’s how much you can earn on payroll or per trip:

As a trekking guide on a contract basis, you can earn Rs. 1,500 – Rs. 2,500 per day. If you’re working with a company on permanent payroll, you can earn a starting salary of Rs. 10,000 – Rs. 15,000 per month. After some experience, you can earn up to Rs. 40,000 per month.

As a mountain guide hired on a contract basis by adventure companies, you can earn Rs. 3,000 – Rs. 5,000 per day.

If you join a government-sponsored climb as a professional mountaineer, you can earn between Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 60,000. 

As a professional mountaineer and given your achievements and experiences, you can also earn additionally by writing books, giving speeches at corporate events or joining outdoor equipment manufacturing companies as a retained athlete

Career Progression in mountaineering Profession 

In this field of Mountaineering, there is no desk-job or industry specific job involved hence no particular designations. However, you may become part of regular Ministry sponsored or privately sponsored expeditions, search and rescue operations, or individual treks.

However, there are various adventure sports, tourism sports or trek organizing companies in India today where you can grow through roles like Adventure Instructor, Climb Leaders, Trek Coordinators, Assistant Trek Leaders, Trek Leaders, Slope Managers, Senior Slope Safety Coordinator etc.

You may also be involved in publishing books to share experiences, individual pictures and interest areas and grow to be a writer or columnist in the future.

What does industry trends say – Future Prospects

Adventure sports can be divided into air, land and water based activities. Speaking of mountaineering, which also comes under hardcore adventure sports is still in its nascent stage. States like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir which have the highest mountaineering activity among all adventure sports, also have the largest market size of 1200.6/1815.21 Crores as of 2015. This also means that while the pay from this career stream might be on a slow upward trend, there is definitely a lot of scope for expansion of this adventure sport.

Also Read:

• Career in Adventure Sports
• Career in Sports Management
• Career in Sports Science
• Career in Sports Psychology
• Career as a Sports Coach
• How to Become an Athlete/Sportsperson?