So what does the guide do?

I'm often asked "why would someone hire a guide to do that?"

The best word to describe Friday's weather was atrocious. The forecast was torrential rain, gale force winds, cold and developing into huge electrical storms. The reality turned out to be far worse....

Before we'd even left the hut three other parties had asked for advice (as a guide in the hut I'm obligated to help, part of the alpine code) , all three were strongly advised to change their plans, to set off early with us, to have a 'get out' option planned. We saw the one team who didn't later that evening, they'd had a truly awful epic, something that I suspect will be at least one trekkers lasting memory of her trip. My group probably never noticed any of the planning that changed through the evening and early morning.

A proper alpine start  - up and out in the dark, not something that's normally on the itinerary for client days, we were over the Col des Roux before the sun rose - when it did we could see the clouds massing to the West. With a lot of pace setting, motivation and encouragement I had my group 'running' ahead of the storm, our goal to reach the ladders at the Pas de Chevres before it arrived. In the end we were too slow by probably 20mins, the first explosion of thunder overhead signalling the need for a dynamic reassessment of our plan, so now we headed for the infamously awful Col de Riedmattan - a place that as a guide I try to avoid - loose, steep and with terrible consequences. Clients don't always notice (or indeed need to) the guide's carefully chosen position on the path, the subtle steering or obstacle blocking. They'll comment on a guide's ability to be at the front, the middle & back of a group, but they'll most likely think that's a matter of physical fitness.

Within minutes the storm was fully upon us - high in the mountains can be a very lonely place to be on the wrong day. Gullies turn to waterfalls - scree starts to move - everything gets real serious, real fast. We saw a lightening strike hit the Poigne de Arolla and cause a rockfall a couple of hundred metres or so away - the group didn't need to panic, though there might have been a scream or two - when it becomes difficult  to think straight, when the moment is consuming all of your attention and abilities - well that's when it's good to know someone else is making the decisions, changing the plan, has your back.
But when it matters, when it really really matters, just as it gets too much, just as you think "I can't do this",  just as you slip above the precipitous drop - that's when you'll feel that reassuring firm hand on your back and, well,  suddenly we're the best money you've spent.

It's not the best part of my job - that's the smiles.
It's not the worst part of my job - that's saying no.
But it is the part of my job where I feel most alive.