Certifications and professionalism

Professionalism and good service is what Bergmenn Mountain Guides are all about. We are Iceland's only certified mountain guides and therefore uphold standards that are well beyond any other operation in the country. Each one of our guides has undergone a strict training and exam process specializing them in risk assessment in the mountain environment. It is our view that this is crucial, given the fact that mountain related activities are far from being risk free. Below you will find more information on certifications and professionalism and in the guides section of this site you will find descriptions of our guides and their certifications. Is your mountain guide certified?

UIAGM-IFMGA-IVBV

The International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations is the only worldwide federation of mountain guides. The IFMGA sets the strict standards that each one of over 20 member countries must adhere to in their training and exam process. To become a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide each candidate must spend between 5-10 years in training in all 4 disciplines of Mountain Guiding. They are rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering and ski mountaineering. The IFMGA standard is the highest and most respected in the world.

ACMG-Association of Canadian Mountain Guides

The ACMG was the first mountain guides association out side of Europe to become a member of the IFMGA. The ACMG is well known for leading the worldwide standard in the ski guiding industry as well as avalanche training. Jökull Bergmann the founder of Bergmenn Mountain Guides is a member of the ACMG where he received his training and IFMGA certification.

WMA-Wilderness Medical Associates

It is a crucial part of every mountain guides training process to undergo extensive training in first aid and medical procedures. Every mountain guide has at least a 70 hour certification in wilderness first aid and many are wilderness EMT's. To stay current and up to date every guide must re certify every few years.