Interview with Alex

Continuing our expert series, today I interview Alex Langdon, one of our expert UIMLA trekking guides. 

Alex starts off by gently clearing up the differences in mountain qualifications as I had mistakenly used the blanket term mountain guide. As UIMLA (Union of International Mountain Leader Associations) guides, they are qualified as middle mountain or trekking guides, focusing on activities like hiking and trekking rather than technical climbing in high-altitude environments.

After learning something new on my part, we dove into our interview…

I come from an outdoorsy background. Did lots of ski touring, lots of mountaineering, lots of climbing, lots of trekking, but did a completely different job. I did this in my 20’s for a bit, did a completely different job for 20 years, then I came back into this world about 20 years ago. 

I come from an outdoorsy background. Did lots of ski touring, lots of mountaineering, lots of climbing, lots of trekking, but did a completely different job. I did this in my 20’s for a bit, did a completely different job for 20 years, then I came back into this world about 20 years ago. 

I come from an outdoorsy background. Did lots of ski touring, lots of mountaineering, lots of climbing, lots of trekking, but did a completely different job. I did this in my 20’s for a bit, did a completely different job for 20 years, then I came back into this world about 20 years ago. 

Every country has its own certification scheme, if you’re British, which I am, you come through our mountain training organisation,BAIML, and we have a load of background qualifications in order to even be allowed to go on the training course for the IML, which is the International Mountain leader. If you're an IML, your own country's organisation, British would be BAIML, French would be SNAM, and each of those organisations are part of UIMLA, which is the international organisation. That's the umbrella organisation for all of the country ones. By default, you end up being a member of UIMLA. We would all have to be a member in order to be allowed to work. 

So I have the UIMLA certification, the mountaineering one, and I have a few degrees as well, in Geography and International Politics and Human Anatomy which have all been incredibly useful in my job as a trekking guide.

I'd been working already for several years for other trekking agencies, and I've been very lucky. They've all been good. I haven't worked for a bad trekking agency, and I should say that, but they all do vary. I bumped into Sarah when I was working for another trekking agency I was guiding. She was picking up some clients in Italy. We got chatting, and then the next year, I did one trek for Mont Blanc Treks, and slowly I've done more. And then slowly it’s become all my work is for MBT and I answer the inquiries as well.

I hope it kind of goes without saying that you have to be competent in the mountains, all the time, in any weather, and that's your benchmark start point. I think we're probably all really different, but I think a sense of humour is massively important. Bucket load of patience, enjoying spending time with people, because fundamentally, the job is about looking after people, and if you don't enjoy that, then you’d hate the job. You need to be massively flexible, not physically, but lots of problem solving. So those are the chief skills, and not really anything to do with the mountain side of it, because that's taken as read that you can already do that.

I usually drag my partner along, and recce. He reciprocates by dragging me along to do the things he needs to do.

We have a Tekking Kit list of the sensible items like waterproofs, and first aid kits etc. and I take it as read that we all should carry that stuff. In addition to those standard things, I always carry a multi tool, which is super useful because it's got a knife, but it's particularly got things like pincers, so really useful. What amuses the clients most is I often carry an umbrella. I've been called Mary Poppins a few times. When I worked in Nepal, a lot of the Nepalese guides carried umbrellas in warm, humid and rainy conditions, and I thought what a good idea.

Risk assessment is an ongoing judgement, and it changes with the terrain, the weather, but also the specific group that I'm working with. And I think all guides after a while, risk assess. We do it constantly, and I don't know that we're even aware we do it because it is just an ongoing thing. 

There's been quite a lot of those over the years, but if we limit it to the TMB, it reduces it massively. The snow can change everything. An innocuous stream crossing that you'd see in summer, when it's covered by a snow bridge that's thinning out, can have massive potential danger. I try and talk our clients through that and why I'm doing something perhaps different to lots of other people. Once they understand, it's really interesting how they watch what other trekkers are doing and also think, no, that's the wrong thing to do. Very sadly, in 2024 two trekkers died on the TMB falling through snow bridges. I should point out that those were not Mont Blanc treks clients. It's still very sad nonetheless, and they were, crucially both trekking solo. That's also worth mentioning, because those sorts of things might not happen if you're with someone, because they might have time to pull you out.

We all carry phones, and there's coverage on most of the TMB. I also carry a Mont Blanc Tres satellite phone, and I also carry an inReach device (a satellite communicator that allows you to send and receive messages, share your location, and call for help when you're out of cell phone range while trekking) thankfully, accidents for us on the TMB are really unusual. I've not had to call out the rescue services yet. I think it's important to mention that accidents are incredibly rare, but they do happen, but on the TMB at least, we've got helicopter rescue really close by, Weather emergencies, that's really rare because forecasts now are so brilliant that largely there aren't emergency weather forecasts, but you quite often have to change what you're doing when it becomes too rainy.

We send as part of the inquiries team, I send information and the kits and the fitness level required right from the get go. So that goes out right from the very first inquiry then more gets sent out from MBT on fitness levels, and fitness is part of the safety. Obviously, if someone's not fit enough, it isn't safe, and it can actually endanger the rest of their team members and the rest of us. But I always try and explain the reasons why I'm doing anything when the groups are actually with me, and if you explain why you do something, then people understand, and once someone understands, they're much more likely to do what you're asking. So if we go back to the snow bridges, example, once people understand why I'm asking us to walk maybe 10 metres apart, or one at a time, or cross here, not cross there, once they know why you're doing that, they'll do it and wait and ask and check, whereas if you don't explain it, they just think you're being officious. I think it's really important that everyone understands that safety measures are only as good as if people actually do them. 

We send as part of the inquiries team, I send information and the kits and the fitness level required right from the get go. So that goes out right from the very first inquiry then more gets sent out from MBT on fitness levels, and fitness is part of the safety. Obviously, if someone's not fit enough, it isn't safe, and it can actually endanger the rest of their team members and the rest of us. But I always try and explain the reasons why I'm doing anything when the groups are actually with me, and if you explain why you do something, then people understand, and once someone understands, they're much more likely to do what you're asking. So if we go back to the snow bridges, example, once people understand why I'm asking us to walk maybe 10 metres apart, or one at a time, or cross here, not cross there, once they know why you're doing that, they'll do it and wait and ask and check, whereas if you don't explain it, they just think you're being officious. I think it's really important that everyone understands that safety measures are only as good as if people actually do them. 

I love all of it! I think the nicest thing being a guide, is when you see a group of people arrive, they don't know each other from a bar of soap and by the end of the trek, they build as a team during the trek, then they support each other, then they look after each other when people are unhappy or need encouragement. And then by the end of the trek, and we've all got round, they all celebrate together, and they've become in those 10 days, this support network, family, whatever you want to call it, but a group of people who've experienced something very much together. I think any group of people who have experienced a challenge together, whether that’s the army or whatever, there's a bond there, usually forever. So I enjoy that. I enjoy watching people bond and change and support each other.

We send out a trekking experience form, and you can get some idea how much fitness somebody does from that. But actually on a piece of paper, it's almost impossible, because what people have done in the past doesn't always reflect how fit they currently are. So we do try and do it on paper before people come, and we do send out a lot of information before people come and lots of people are brilliant at hiring fitness trainers and getting fit in the run up to their trek. The truth is that as a guide, you assess people on the terrain on day one, because that's the only time you can do it. Looking at people in the room when we all meet up doesn't do it because we all come in different shapes and sizes. It's nothing to do with weight or height or how rounded somebody is or not. For the fitness needed, you don't need to be an Olympic athlete. Two of the fittest people I had this summer, had never really trekked regularly before. One was a cyclist, and one was a tennis player. So people don't have to have done multi day treks before in order to be trekking fit. They just need to regularly do something and also understand that they are going uphill and downhill, that this is not a flat hike.

It's just a steady fitness, a stamina fitness too, where you can get up and do the same thing the next day, and there's a large amount of head stuff in there too. It's not just a physical game, it's a head game as well, because you need to be prepared to and want to do that, because trekking isn't for everyone. And why should everybody enjoy a 10 day, multi day trek? It'll be total misery for lots of people. 

I think it’s a good idea to have done a little bit of trekking before you sign up for a multi day trek. It might look great on Instagram, but you might absolutely hate every second and then you’re committed to 10 days. So even if you aren't a trekker, before you sign up to something like the Haute Route or the TMB, I would absolutely go out trekking with somebody for a day here and a day there. Then there are the really obvious things like what you're wearing on your feet. Have you got used to what you're wearing on your feet, whether it's boots or trail runners? Good clothing is essential but for first time trekkers, you get lots of stuff in secondhand stores and shops. You don't have to buy everything from Arcterix.

I would say it changes every time with the group and what the stress factors are. I would say that’s one of the hardest skills to have acquired, and being slightly more mature helps. 

I think people pick up a lot on your confidence levels, and I'm lucky that trekking for me is nothing like me working at my maximum, because I've done much trickier, more technical, more remote trips. So for me, trekking, in like the Alps, is so massively within my comfort zone that I am very comfortable with that and I think clients do pick up on that so if you’re looking like you're okay, then they stop panicking quite so much. Also not patronising somebody and telling them not to worry, it's really important to listen to someone's concerns and stresses and actually answer them, not just go, Oh no, it's fine because it isn't fine for them until they understand why. I think that's really important. So sitting down and actually addressing what the concerns are, and it's sometimes an uncomfortable conversation for one person, two people, maybe the entire group. I think often, if there's something building it's important to address it and get it resolved, although that isn't always possible.

I would say it changes every time with the group and what the stress factors are. I would say that’s one of the hardest skills to have acquired, and being slightly more mature helps. 

I think people pick up a lot on your confidence levels, and I'm lucky that trekking for me is nothing like me working at my maximum, because I've done much trickier, more technical, more remote trips. So for me, trekking, in like the Alps, is so massively within my comfort zone that I am very comfortable with that and I think clients do pick up on that so if you’re looking like you're okay, then they stop panicking quite so much. Also not patronising somebody and telling them not to worry, it's really important to listen to someone's concerns and stresses and actually answer them, not just go, Oh no, it's fine because it isn't fine for them until they understand why. I think that's really important. So sitting down and actually addressing what the concerns are, and it's sometimes an uncomfortable conversation for one person, two people, maybe the entire group. I think often, if there's something building it's important to address it and get it resolved, although that isn't always possible.

I’ve been mountaineering for a long time, attitudes have changed, environments have changed. I can’t tell you how the Chamonix valley looks now compared to when I first started mountaineering there. There’s the whole climate change thing going on. On a more personal level, mountaineers and trekkers have got much better at understanding that you need to take waste out so from Scotland through to Patagonia there are measures now that waste is either collected or carried out, even in the refuges in the Alps, they’ll have signs saying ‘Please take out your waste, we are not going to collect your refuse. One of my big bugbears, when you follow a big trekking group, you might find toilet paper behind boulders, so not everyone is getting the message.

Very carefully, It's important not to go on too much about it because it can put people off and push them the other way, so it's important to strike a balance there. I do think that if we want to visit these amazing environments the onus is on us to protect and look after them for the next generations. Sometimes clients educate me about conservation, and that’s nice.

Last December, my partner and I went to a tiny island called the Isla de Navarino, which is south of Ushuaia and the south side of the Beagle Sound and we did a 4-day trek called the Dientes de Navarino (Navarino’s Teeth). It’s really remote, really hard to find any information on it, really hard to navigate, the weather is challenging and you’ve got to be completely self-sufficient for four days. We loved it! The whole area and environment is pristine. It was an amazing trek in an incredible place.

It's been an utter privilege to do what I do. Advice is that it’s important to know what you’re getting into. As with a lot of jobs you can look in on it from the outside and assume what's involved in doing that job, whereas the nuts and bolts of functioning in that role are very different to what one might perceive to be that role. For instance if I’m going to work to lead a trek in Nepal, people will say have a lovely time as if I’m going on holiday. I adore those environments but there is a stress factor for the entire time you are responsible for 10 other human beings in a mountain environment. That’s not something to be taken lightly. So, shadow a trekking guide and see if you actually like doing it. I do know people who got their outdoor qualifications and went into working in the outdoors and found that they didn’t love it. They found they didn't want to walk around at a slower pace, at the client’s speed and they didn’t enjoy looking after people. It’s also expensive to qualify, months and months of training and experience just to qualify so if you’re going to do that then you need to be sure it's what you want to do and if you can legally work in the country you choose to work in, for example if you’re British and want to work in other parts of the world.