Words By: Sean James
Believe it or not there is a science and a lot of research behind tourism and the tourist industry. Nice beaches, hiking trails, the position of hotels, tour operators and the supply of transport does not just happen. Countries and regions that have positioned and marketed themselves correctly such as Jordan, Costa Rica, France, New Zealand, Morocco are in our minds as adventure destinations. They have paid attention to the details and benefitted from it.
In the UAE and Oman the natural resource of mountains, desert and wadi is world-class but in comparison to other countries, virtually undiscovered by residents, locals and oversea tourists. There are a number of social/community groups started by enthusiasts in the UAE that take people out hiking, kayaking, climbing and exploring here and even overseas. There are also some commercial companies that do similar. As with every business or group the quality of these varies. This month we are going to look at why it’s a good idea to hire a professional, experienced and qualified guide and what you should look for when making your choice.
Adventure seekers or tourists, be they day trippers from Dubai or week long vacationers from China are classified by tourism planners with labels to help determine their needs and wants. Four of the most popular labels are enthusiasts, dabblers, activity groups and learners. You probably know which one you are. It may be different for a particular activity.
Planners can then allocate a different provision of facility to each category. For example, an expert or enthusiastic hiker in the UAE might be happy planning and preparing for the majority of their hikes and only take a guide on more demanding and difficult trails such as Stairway to Heaven or in preparation for an overseas expedition. A dabbler, i.e. an occasional participant with a busy schedule might benefit from joining a group or taking professional instruction to progress quicker in say climbing.
At the end of the day, feeling comfortable and enjoying your time outdoors is what matters. Whether you do it in a large group of 10 or 15 people or with a personal guide. A professional gives you peace of mind and if they are good you will take them again, asking for suggestions for the next, more progressive hike to improve your skills.
What it takes to be a guide
It is not necessarily the best climbers or hikers who make the best guides. If you have paid to spend all day with someone, you at least want to enjoy their company as well as learn something.
With many of the qualifications that instructors and guides take, there is a minimum personal standard of performance that is assessed. Whether it is hiking, climbing, yoga, biking, kayaking or sky diving you can expect they have a level of expertise and decision making.
Any keen enthusiast can start a hiking group and take people on an adventure. And it is true that experience counts for a lot. However qualifications are a definite benchmark and standard, showing you that your guide has been through a learning period themselves, a training course, a period of consolidation and then an evaluation course. In the UK these evaluation courses are high pressure situations and to be a basic level mountain leader the continuous assessment lasts five days. The time and money spent on qualifications and continuing CPD courses to remain up to date by those working in the adventure industry is often not recovered for a long time.
Why should I pay?
A guide can help you to progress to wherever you want your mountains to take you, and whatever the level you aspire.
In many countries, instructors and guides are self-employed. However in the UAE getting a business license and therefore insurance to cover yourself and your clients is difficult and expensive. Some operate without the necessary range of requirements and just hope that accidents won’t happen.
Other instructors come under the umbrella of larger companies. A good company should be run by experienced industry staff who know the pitfalls. They will have done their risk assessment and checks and able to talk to you about your adventure experience.
These companies will be able to organise complete itineraries for their clients, arranging transport, camping, suitable trails, climbs, equipment hire and accommodation. So if you are a busy person, looking to maximise your free time in the outdoors, then your first stop should be a suitable guide.
The benefits of hiring a professional, qualified instructor
- It will enhance your time in the mountains
- They can enable you to achieve your goals with a greater margin of safety
- They will pass on some of their experience and advice on climbing, hiking and expertise
- You will become a better, safer adventurer and have a great time in the process
- To explore areas you are not familiar with
- To quickly achieve specific objectives in the mountains
- The hard work of planning and organisation of the adventure is all done by a professional
- If you have limited time but want to get the best out of an area
- It’s difficult to find a suitable hiking or climbing partner who has the same objectives as you
To sum up, the BMG, an association in the UK that sets professional standards for its members has some nice thoughts and put it very succinctly as to why you should hire an appropriately qualified and experienced professional.
“If you are unsure about whether to hire an instructor or guide, think about it this way: most folk are happy to spend hundreds of pounds on equipment yet sometimes lack the necessary skills and experience to get the most out of it. Traditionally, some hikers and adventurers have had a reluctance to use guides and instructors and had an approach to mountain safety that was over dependent on equipment.
Kit is easy to buy but skills and good experiences are hard won. Hiring a guide is not an alternative to a mountaineering apprenticeship but it is a very good way of accelerating and stimulating your skill levels and ability to do some great climbs.”
Which guide should you choose?
Just like picking a gym instructor or hair dresser, you should choose someone who you feel comfortable with and who gets the best results for you. This may take several attempts but don’t give up if you have a bad experience or the first one is just not right. It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much, all you lose is a little money. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. Common sense says you cannot pay a little and get a lot, although many companies will tell you different. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it’s well to add something for the risk you run.
Considering the nature of the adventure activities you will be undertaking with an instructor you want someone who is trained and assessed to a very high level and has a wealth of experience to base crucial safety judgments on. Adventure professionals work long hours doing a physically and mentally demanding and relatively dangerous job. However they will tell you on some days it is the best job in the world. Most are also willing and want to show you the best days of your lives.
See www.outdoorarabia.com or contact trips@outdoorarabia.com for details of our courses and hikes in the UAE wilderness.
