Guides Europe

Jörg Wilz

Jörg is the owner and head guide for OnTop. He grew up in Heidelberg, Germany and has been mountaineering and skiing in the Alps since early childhood. He has climbed and guided many “classics” in the Alps (Complete Peuterey Traverse and Freney Pillar on Mont Blanc, Tempi Moderni at the Marmolada, Dolomites), extensive ski traverses as well as fast Big Wall ascents in Yosemite (Salathe on El Capitan at age 18)  and in the Himalayas (Nameless Tower, Yugoslavian Route, 2nd ascent at Age 24).

Internationally certified as a mountain and ski guide (UIAGM / IFMGA) by the Technical University of Munich in 1986, he was granted reciprocity by the American Mountain Guides Association(AMGA) in 1997 and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) in 2000. He also holds CAA (Canadian Avalanche Association) Level 3 certification and a blasting license for avalanche control in B.C. The UIAA Expedition Commission appointed him twice to lead their International Mountaineering Camps, 1993 in Pakistan and 1997 in China. In a former life, he took advantage of his graduate business degree and a CPA diploma by working for an international business consulting firm in Frankfurt, Chicago and Denver.

Jörg bases himself for most of the year in Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. He can also be found quite often in the Alps, in Colorado or in Revelstoke BC, where he has been putting in first tracks as a helicopter-ski guide for Canadian Mountain Holidays for over 25 seasons. He speaks German, English, French and Italian.

Walter Andrighetto

Walter Andrighetto grew up in Meran in the German speaking region of South Tirol, Italy. He started skiing as soon as he could walk and got into climbing and mountaineering at the age of 16. Although he also has a degree in environmental engineering, Walter prefers to test the mechanics of snow in the field as a full time mountain guide, which he practices since he received his full IFMGA / UIAGM certification in 2007.

Walter now lives in Brunegg / Brunico, from where he has quick access to his beloved Dolomites as well as all the other ranges along the main divide of the Alps. Walter is very popular with our clients for his patience and high client care standards. He speaks native German and Italian as well as very good English.

Andreas Biberger (Bibi)

Andreas has been a fully certified mountain guide for more than 20  years (IFMGA / UIAGM).  He grew up in Mittenwald in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. As a child he was drawn to the mountains and spent a lot of time on skis. His passion for the mountains began with rock climbing and naturally his interest other mountain sports grew as well. After school, he became a car mechanic but found his passion for the mountains make him reconsider his career choice. Andreas took climbing courses at the local mountain school and then trained to become a state-certified mountain and ski guide. Endurance sports have always been a passion of his and he pursued other sports like triathlon where he was allowed to participate in the famous Ironman competition in Hawaii. Mountain biking is also a big passion of his. For more than 20 years he has guided guests through the Alps. Andreas really enjoys guiding people to less familiar, but equally as beautiful, mountains in his homeland.

Marica Fave

Marica is a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide from the Fassa Valley in the Dolomites. Following in her father’s footsteps, she finished her certification process in 2009 and is to date still the only female mountain guide in the entire Trentino province. Marica speaks the local language Ladin, Italian, English, German and some Spanish.  She spent 9 years with the Italian National Alpine Ski Team and has traveled a lot all over Europe and mainly the Alps. Marica also spent 2 years in California on a scholarship as a ski racer. Marica lives with her daughter and close family in her home village Campitello right next to Canazei in the Fassa Valley in the Dolomites.

Matthias Larcher

Matthias Larcher was born in Brunico, Italy in 1980. His father first introduced him to the mountain ranges close to home, where his passion for the outdoors developed. As he grew up he began rock climbing in the Dolomites and the French Swiss Alps. Throughout his travels, the Dolomites remain his favourite mountains to climb, downhill ski, and ski tour. His favourite part of guiding is getting to share some of his knowledge and experience in the mountains with his clients, especially enjoying the happy looks on their faces at the end of a rewarding day.

Matthias earned his IFMGA / UIAGM certification in 2010 and still lives in Riscone/Brunico close to the Dolomites with his wife and the four kids. Matthias speaks fluent German, Italian and English.

Philippe Pouts

Philippe  “Poutsy” Pouts is a fully certified mountain guide (UIAGM / IFMGA) from Chamonix. Philippe has been a full time mountain guide for well over 20 years with extensive experience all over the Alps and Internationally. Before guiding full time commercially, Philippe was part of the famed PGHM mountain police and rescue group as a professional mountain rescuer. Aside from his native French, Philippe speaks English very well. “Poutsy” is ever popular with our clients for good humor and great energy! He lives in Chamonix with his wife and son.

Thomas Exner

Thomas grew up in Mittenwald in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, skiing and climbing from the day he could stand straight. With the Austrian border being only a stone’s-throw away, he ended up going to the University in Innsbruck, where he graduated with a master’s degree in Meteorology as well as his UIAGM / IFMGA mountain guiding certification.

Thomas moved to Canada in 2005, where he spent his first years doing avalanche control work for the ski resort in Jasper AB and guiding for Yamnuska Inc. His interest in avalanches led him to pursue a Ph.D. in applied avalanche science in the engineering department at the University of Calgary. Subsequently, he worked and published as a member of the famed safety research group of the German Alpine Club in Munich.

After spending a year in  Kamloops, BC, where he took on an instructor position in the outdoor guide adventure program at Thompson River University (TRU), Thomas moved back to Germany where he splits his time working for the Icelandic branch of the TRU adventure guide program and continues to guide OnTop clients in his old hunting grounds in the Alps.

Till Kramann

Till Kramann is originally from the town of Koblenz in Germany but he lived for the longest time in Heidelberg, where he also studied to be a school teacher, eventually graduating with a PhD in Pedagogy. An avid mountaineer since childhood, Till concurrently pursued his IFMGA mountain guide certification at the Technical University of Munich, which he finished about 10 years ago. Till is moving around a lot lately between mountain guiding in the Alps during the summer, sometimes skiing in Canada and otherwise living with his wife and young daughter in the Blue Mountains of NSW / Australia. Till speaks native German, very good French and English with a Aussie accent.

Christjan Ladurner

Christjan Ladurner is a fully certified mountain guide from Meran / Merano in Italy’s South Tirol Province. Christjan has over 20 years of experience as a mountain guide including many years as a  heli-ski guide for Canadian Mountain Holidays in the Canadian west, where he still spends most of his winters. He is also a licensed helicopter pilot, a well published photographer and guide book author. His Dolomites Via Ferrata guide books are the best on the market! Christjan speaks German (native) and excellent English and Italian.

Sebastien Fourure

Sebastien is a young mountain guide from the “Hautes Alpes” region of southern France, where he still lives for most of the year in the shadow of the Ecrins range. “Seb” finished his French guides certification (IFMGA / UIAGM) in 2014 and mainly guides for us in Chamonix and the Western Alps. Following his banker’s advice that mountain guiding is a passion not a “profession” Sebastien has travelled extensively in the mountains of the world to follow his calling.

Christoph Hummel

Christoph was born in the Bavarian Highlands and still lives south of Munich, just a stone’s throw from the Austrian border. Originally a certified high school teacher, Christoph earned his full credentials as a certified mountain and ski guide (UIAA / IFMGA) from the Technical University of Munich in 2013. Aside from guiding he is an instructor in the youth training programs of the German Alpine Club and a member of their safety research group (“DAV Sicherheitsforschung”). Christoph speaks excellent English and has spent an a long stint in the Canadian Rockies in his earlier years! An allround alpinist, Christoph is particularly passionate about rock and ice climbing and working with young people.

Nino Guagliano

When Nino was 19, he drove coast to coast in Canada and vowed to come back and live in the Canadian Mountains at some point in his life.  After graduating from the Art Centre College of Design and pursuing a photography career from many years, Nino decided to follow his true love of living and working in the mountains.  Since leaving California, he made Canada his home and is fulfilling his dreams.

Nino started climbing in his late teens and quickly realized it was a deep-rooted passion.  It has taken him around the world and his love for mountain exploration and finding quiet places to share with friends are still a very important part of his life.  Splitting his time between skiing guiding and all disciplines of climbing keeps Nino busy all year long…with the only problem being he doesn’t know which he loves the most!

Nino is a certified IFMGA / UIAGM mountain guide.  He is also currently working on a few photography projects around his home in the Columbia Mountains dealing with glacier recession and large format mountain landscapes.

Rinaldo Borra

Like most of us, Rinaldo is on the move a lot. A native Swiss from Stalden, (just down the road from Zermatt) he has made the Canadian West his second home, where he spends a large part of the winter in Revelstoke, B.C. as a helicopter-ski guide for Selkirk Tangiers. However, a busy guiding schedule makes for several transatlantic trips a year from his home in Grindelwald right below the Eiger North Face, where he lives with his wife and three young kids.

Rinaldo has an impressive list of guiding and skiing related certifications to his credit: Internationally certified (UIAGM / IFMGA) as a mountain & ski guide in Switzerland in 1992, certified ski instructor in 1993 and snowboard instructor in 1996. He is also an active instructor and examiner in the Swiss mountain guide certification process. Rinaldo’s climbing resume stands for diversity: Aside from countless peak ascents and ski traverses in the Western Alps, he summitted Gasherbrum, Mount Logan, did remote ski traverses in the Cascades and enjoys hard rock climbs anywhere in the world. Being Swiss, he speaks (Swiss-)German, French, Italian and of course English. His friendly, ever cheerful personality gets him through even in places where he doesn’t happen to speak the language

Arne Bergau

Arne grew up and still lives in Regensburg, Bavaria / Germany, a small town close to the famous crags of the Frankenjura. Not surprisingly, he started his rock climbing career as a teenager, which was then gradually extended to the Alps and the mountain ranges of the world over the years. Fascinated by mountainous landscapes not only from the climber’s but also from a scientific perspective, he earned a graduate degree in Geo Sciences. After a couple of years of working the field as a researcher, Arne decided to turn his true passion into his profession and he earned his full accreditation as an IFMGA / UIAGM Mountain Guide from the Technical University of Munich in 2012. A life-style decision he has yet to regret!

Paul Vidalin

Paul Vidalin is yet another long time friend, who is a lifetime mountain professional. Starting out as a safety and rescue specialist for Alberta Mountain Parks he quickly became certified as a Mountain Guide (IFMGA / UIAGM) in the 90s. By now, Paul spends most of his time in the services of Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), currently as the manager of the Monashees Heli Ski Lodge in Mica Creek, BC.

Aside from his native Rockies and Columbia Ranges, Paul also regularly guides for OnTop in the Alps, namely in the Dolomites. Paul is notorious for his practical jokes and sense of humor. He lives with his wife and dog more or less on the other side of the creek from us in Canmore AB.

Geoffrey Arvis

Geoffroy Arvis has been a fully certified mountain guide (UIAGM / IFMGA) for well over 15 years. He has a wealth of experience in the Western Alps, namely in the Mont Blanc area and the southern ranges of the French Alps, not only as an independent mountain guide but also from his former career as an officer with the PGHM, a police department that is responsible for mountain rescues in the French Alps. Geoffroy is popular with our clients for his patience and perseverance, which is important especially given the challenges guides face on our Mont Blanc ascents. He lives with his partner close to the Lake Geneva and his English is excellent.

Joern Heller

Joern has been a certified mountain guide (UIAGM / IFMGA) for more than 15 years including many years as an instructor / examiner for the German Alpine Club. Jörn has a Masters Degree in education and lives with his family in Freiburg in the south western part of Germany, very close to the borders of Switzerland and France. The Valley of Chamonix has become his second home and – no wonder – he has been on the top of the Mont Blanc more than sixty times.

Jörn is an excellent technical climber with an impressive international resume including Cerro Torre and Cerro Standhardt in Patagonia.

Martino Peterlongo

Martino is a true climbing aficionado from his early youth on. Born and still at home in Trento, northern Italy, he calls the Dolomites and the mountains around the Garda Lake (Arco) his home turf. Nevertheless, Martino is also well familiar with the western Alps and particularly the Mont Blanc range, where he climbed many of the hard classics, such as the Hyper and the Supercouloir at the Mont Blanc. At home in the Dolomites he managed a free ascent of the “Weg durch den Fisch” at the Marmolada South Face in the Dolomites – still one of the hardest alpine rock routes in the Dolomites.

Martino has also a Masters in Sociology, however since he gained full IFMGA certification in 2000, he works full time as a mountain guide, mainly in the Alps but he has also spent two summers in Canada in the services of Yamnuska Inc. Martino is a member of the guides instructor’s team of the independent Province of the Trentino and has been the President of the Professional Mountain Guide Association for over 10 years now. Aside from his native Italian, Martino speaks English and German fluently. Martino lives with his wife in Riva TN at the northern tip of the Garda Lake.

Paolo Tassi

Originally from Bologna, Paolo has been a certified mountain guide IFMGA for well over 20 years. He is an avid rock climber with many first ascents to his credit and he loves skiing, especially telemark! Like few other guides, Paolo guides all over the world: Norway, Greenland, Patagonia, Siberia, Canada and of course, the Dolomites. A resident of Cortina for almost 20 years Paolo is married and has two little boys! If you ask Paulo what his favourite climb is he will always “the next one!” Paulo is very popular with our clients regardless of their aspirations and abilities for his outgoing nature – he speaks Spanish and English.

Kurt Walde

Kurt is a UIAA / IFMGA certified “full blood” mountain guide from Bruneck / Brunico in Italy’s South Tirol Province. Kurt has been guiding professionally for over 25 years and climbed in his back yard of the Dolomites since early childhood. He is well known for pushing the standards in the 80s and 90s with his first ascents of alpine rock routes as well as some exploratory trips to the Himalayas. Kurt has been active in the guide certification program of his home province of South Tirol / Sued Tirol for over a decade and currently serves as the President of the Professional Mountain Guide Association. He lives with his wife and a young son in his home town of Bruneck at the foot of the Dolomites  – aside from his native German, Kurt speaks Italian and English.

Josef Hilpold

alias “HILTI“ was born in the Dolomites and grew up in Lajen, which is close to the famous Sella Pass where there are many choices of climbing routes and Via Ferrata in the summer and really nice freeride possibilities in the winter. He started his mountain guide course more than ten years ago, and got the IFMGA / UIAGM certification in 2009, since then he’s worked full time as a mountain guide. He spends every free minute on a rock wall or on skis. Josef was on a few climbing expeditions in Patagonia and India, he loves to open new routes in every terrain, mixed, ice and rock climbing. In 2013, he was nominated for the Piolet d’or which is a nomination for new ascents on a mountain. Over the past 2 winters he has worked for CMH Heliskiing in Canada. Josef speaks native German, Italian, English and Spanish.