Do you regularly use a guide or instructor?

Hi guys, I work with a company that works to link guides and instructors with clients from around the world. We have a real focus on building a community and ensuring that your needs and wants are heard.

So my question for you guys is what do you look for in a guide or instructor? What are the key attributes that make you hire them?

I look forward to hearing your answers!

I do ~10 days a year with professionals, 7 days + with guide and 2 days with a ski instructor.

For the instructor is simple : Used same 3 people for last 5 years with one additional bad experience
1) Someone technical who can give me a few keys things to focus on and some simple drills which I can revert back to.
2) Pushes your skiing, makes you ski faster or more direct, it pretty easy to revert to pottering about on the slopes.
Definitely looking for more than someone just to ski about with and video is a big plus.

Guides: I have only used 2 guides for last 5 years , both super.
1) Access terrain that you might not otherwise feel comfortable getting to
2) Someone to learn from; be it rope work, assessing slopes, perhaps crevasse rescue to fill in time if you are stuck in a hut (basically make sure you get your money's worth and can leverage the experience on non-guided days)
3) Someone to push you physically
Ultimately to get the most benefit from a guide you need to have them trust you, be it fitness or that you will behave. By which I mean ski within set corridors, ski in a controlled manor where required, be organised and efficient with your equipment. This is when you can get interesting things done.

I think I saw the same question asked on Snowheads and I think you are starting from the wrong end. You need to build up a strong base of instructors first, not asking what potential clients want as they will have varying requests and expectations based on individual levels and goals. ANY top level instructor should normally be able to address those, so they are who you need to look for and try to convince to become a part of your project. Clients will come once you have something to offer. As of now ski schools are matching clients with instructors for private lessons fairly successfully. The same goes for guiding. I always ski with the same instructor and the guide. personal general expectation of instructors is that they are holding the highest local qualifications - Austrian in Austria, French in France, Swiss in Switzerland etc., and know the area well. Guides should be native/local or at least permanently based in the area where they guide. I won't trust the guide who doesn't know what a particular mountain is like without snow on.

Thanks for the input, we actually already have a database of around 100 professionals. What we feel is important is understanding what it is that people like you look for so that we can ensure we are offering the best guides and instructors for each of you. For example some common feedback we have received is based around instructing for children. With this sort of insight we can ensure our database caters for that and is easily searchable based on that specific criteria. The question is less about informing us on what a good guide is and more about understanding what you feel is important, to ensure you can search based on your needs.

I hope this helps inform you a little more on why we are asking this question on a couple of different forums. We have been getting some really great feedback so far and we look forward to hearing what else you guys have to say.

Technical skill and knowledge and ability to pass it on. And full legal qualifications. Having a good guide is important so when people say what they think a good guide is it's the same as if they say what's important :)

When I book a guide I need to know that they have an intimate knowledge of local terrain. I'd be nervous of booking with a company who aren't based in the resort.

Even more really great feedback guys, adding it to my list now!

Local knowledge is nice, but a good guide needs to sometimes make a call on moving out of their home turf. Better to try something / somewhere new than accept poor conditions even if there is no guarantee. Honestly is also definitely the way forward, if snow is bad better to spend day skinning than trying to do tons of downhill. Too easy to say conditions are not great lets mess about at edge of piste, which is definitely not what you are paying for.