Saint-Gervais
Mont-Blanc
Guides

The history of the high mountain and hiking guides

F-B-1-1er-Compagnie-des-Guides-de-Saint-Gervais
histoire guides
A COMPAGNIE

FOR MOUNTAINS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYBODY

Whether you are a beginner or an expert climber, whether you want to go for a walk with your family, to go mountaineering, climbing , skiing or hiking as closely to nature as possible, whether it is intended for your children aged 3 to 10, for your teenagers aged 11 to 16 or for you and your relatives, we offer you a whole customised offer adapted to your desires and your level.
THE TEAM

HISTORICALLY PASSIONATE

Since 1864, by tradition and passion, the guides of Saint-Gervais make you discover on foot, on skis or on snowshoes… mountains that make you dream where nature is unique, places steeped in history and legends. The guides wish to perpetuate the know-how of their elders by appreciating it at its true value.
Get to know our guides
A story

at the top

Compagnie des Guides de Saint-Gervais/Les Contamines, a historic company of guides in France created in 1864, has been guiding all your dreams of spending holiday in the medium and highaltitude mountains for more than 150 years : hiking, mountaineering, skiing, ice climbing, snowshoeing, climbing, trail running…

A WHOLE HISTORY
IN PICTURES…

Today Compagnie des guides de Saint-Gervais/Les Contamines has more than 80 guides and tour guides at the service of your excursions into the Alps and throughout the world. From the first guides who discovered the royal path of Mont-Blanc like Joseph-Auguste Octenier, to the trainers of the National School of Skiing and Mountaineering (ENSA) like André Simond, and to the first great Himalayan excursions led by Maurice Lenoir, the company has great names in the mountaineering world among its members. An experience of the mountain world renowned for more than 150 years. The company gathers the guides from a same massif and a same valley, Val-Montjoie, situated at the feet of Mont-Blanc. It is the genuine and wild slope of the giant of the Alps. Building from its identity within the valley, it has two offices in the villages of Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc and ContaminesMontjoie.
Doing their job with passion and tradition, our guides and tour guides want to hand down their knowledge of the mountain world and their anthenticity and want to share moments filled with emotion. Whether you are a beginner or an expert climber, their experience and their knowledge enable them to make you discover the Alps or farther territories under the best possible conditions. Choosing the company is choosing a customised and personalised offer for your trips, offered by experienced guides and tour guides who perfectly know that field.
A story of

KEY DATES

1864
La Compagnie des guides de Saint-Gervais est officiellement instituée, avec comme l’un de ses piliers fondateurs, un fond de solidarité que l’on désigne sous le nom de Caisse de secours alimentée par les cotisations des guides et prorata sur ses courses en montagne.
1938
Les cotisations des guides ne suffisaient plus, d’où l’idée d’attribuer une partie des bénéfices de la Fête des Guides à la Caisse de Secours.
1950
L’accident du Malabar Princess au sommet du Mont-Blanc et les difficultés lors du secours marquent la prise de conscience du risque encouru par les guides. Cet exploit donne une nouvelle dimension à la Fête des Guides et à la Caisse de Secours.
2015
Notre Caisse de secours est toujours autant sollicitée, elle vient en aide aux blessés, aux malades et à leurs familles; elle apporte un soutien moral et financier en cas de décès.