Entry Level Qualification 

10

Career Fields 

Sports & Fitness

For Specially Abled 

Career Entrance Exam 

No Entrance Exam

About Career 

1. As a Mountaineer, you will be involved in climbing, hiking, snow trekking and camping on the mountains. You may be a part of expeditions and mountain climbing activities organized by various Government Ministries, corporate establishments, adventure tour companies or private mountaineering and trekking organizations etc. You may also climb mountains invidually or in a group.

2. You will need excellent physical stamina as you will stand or walk for extended periods of time usually on an inclined surface. You will also have to be very cooperative towards your team members as Mountaineering is essentially a team game and will require you to tolerate difficult climates (very cold temperatures) and harsh living conditions (in mountain camps) as well.

3. You will have to be physically fit and mentally robust to be a Mountaineer. You may also be involved in search and rescue operations on a rock, snow and ice for which you will need specific training in mountain navigation, evacuation methods including the use of helicopters, first-aid, audio and visual communication signals etc.


Key Roles And Responsibilities:

As a Mountaineer, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities: -

1. You will yourself be participating in or helping in organizing mountain climbing activities.

2. You will be calculating various factors before planning a climb/trek such as weather conditions, acclimatization process, route accessibility, the strength of the team, logistics and equipment to be carried.

3. You will be needing a thorough knowledge of technical routes like how to tread over ice, snow, scree, boulders, etc.

4. You will be using mountaineering equipment such as ice axes, carabiners, fixing ropes and crampons

5. You be applying basic knowledge of the geography of the place (river crossings, clean water sources, landslide-prone areas, etc.) while on a trek.

6. You will be utilizing common knowledge about various altitude related illnesses such as AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema), and constituting a proper plan of action.

7. You may have to lead a team and be reliable when it comes to making decisions in case of any unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather or an avalanche (Force majeure).

Career Entry Pathway 

Class 10 with any subjects – Basic Mountaineering courses

After completing Class 10 with any subjects, you can go for Basic Mountaineering courses from any institute in India. These are 1-2 month courses usually.​​​​​​​

Required Qualification & Competencies 

There is no necessary educational qualification required to be a Mountaineer. A student at any age can go for training but most training institutes select candidates of at least 18 years of age. Although the youngest Everest climber in the world was only 13 years old when she reached the peak of Everest! Continuous rigorous training is essential to become a professional Mountaineer.

After Class 10, you can go for Basic Mountaineering courses followed by Advance, Adventure or Search and Rescue courses.

Competencies Required

1. You should have interests for Realistic Occupations. Realistic occupations involve more practical and hands-on activities than paperwork or office work. Realistic occupations often involve physical activities for getting things done using various tools and equipment. 

2. You should have interests for Enterprising Occupations. Enterprising occupations involve taking initiatives, initiating actions, and planning to achieve goals, often business goals. These involve gathering resources and leading people to get things done. These require decision making, risk taking and action orientation.

3. You should have knowledge of Sports - Specialised knowledge about the various techniques, use of sports gears and rules and regulations about playing a sport or game.

4. You should have knowledge of Personal Care Service - how to provide various assistance and services to others. This includes looking after the needs of individuals, understanding what they need and provide all assistance at home or elsewhere.

5. You should have Coordination Skills - working together with other people to get things done.

6. You should have good hand-eye coordination.

7. You should have Active Learning Skills -Focused and continuous learning from various sources of information, observation and otherwise for application in getting work done.

8. You should have Critical Thinking Skills - Skills in an analysis of complex situations, using of logic and reasoning to understand the situations and take appropriate actions or make interpretations and inferences.

9. You should have Judgment and Decision Making Skills - Skills in considering pros and cons of various decision alternatives; considering costs and benefits; taking appropriate and suitable decisions.

10. You should have Time Management Skills - prioritizing work, managing time effectively.

11. You should have Manual Dexterity – The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

12. You should have Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

13. You should have Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.

14. You should have Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence - The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and bodily motion; the ability to keep or regain your body balance when in an unstable position; the ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, hands, arms, fingers, or legs.

15. You should have Physical Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.

16. You should have Information Ordering Ability - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules.

17. You should have Oral Comprehension Ability - listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

18. You should have Oral Expression Ability - communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

19. You should have Skills for Communication in Vernacular Languages - Skills in communicating effectively in writing as well as verbally with others in a local or indigenous language such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese, etc.

20. You always or mostly prefer to stick within a routine or carry out routine and repetitive activities.

Career - Job Opportunities & Profiles 

You will working individually or as part of a group. After a good number of years of experience, will may work opportunities as a guide or a coach or as a Mountaineer with different organisations.

Career Growth

1. In this field of Mountaineering, there is no desk-job or industry specific job involved hence no particular designations. However, you may become part of regular Ministry sponsored or privately sponsored expeditions, search and rescue operations, or individual treks.

2. However, there are various adventure sports, tourism sports or trek organizing companies in India today where you can grow through roles like Adventure Instructor, Climb Leaders, Trek Coordinators, Assistant Trek Leaders, Trek Leaders, Slope Managers, Senior Slope Safety Coordinator etc.

3. You may also be involved in publishing books to share experiences, individual pictures and interest areas and grow to be a writer or columnist in the future.

Salary Offered  

1. While most work options in this stream are on a contract-basis, here’s how much you can earn on payroll or per trip:

2. As a trekking guide on a contract basis, you can earn Rs. 1,500 - Rs. 2,500 per day. If you’re working with a company on permanent payroll, you can earn a starting salary of Rs. 10,000 - Rs. 15,000 per month. After some experience, you can earn up to Rs. 40,000 per month.

3. As a mountain guide hired on a contract basis by adventure companies, you can earn Rs. 3,000 - Rs. 5,000 per day.

4. If you join a government-sponsored climb as a professional mountaineer, you can earn between Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 60,000.

5. As a professional mountaineer and given your achievements and experiences, you can also earn additionally by writing books, giving speeches at corporate events or joining outdoor equipment manufacturing companies as a retained athlete

Monthly Earnings In Indian Rupee

1. Entry level: 0 - 2 years of work experience

2. Junior Level: From 1 to 12 years of work experience

3. Mid-Level: From 5 to 20+ years of work experience

4. Senior Level: From 10 to 25+ years of work experience (there could be exceptions in some high-end technical, financial, engineering, creative, management, sports, and other careers; also in the near future, people will reach these levels much faster in many careers and in some careers, these levels will have no meaning as those careers will be completely tech skill driven such as even now, there is almost no level in a Cyber Security Expert’s job)

Famous Personalities 

Not Available.

Work Activities 

1. Playing a sport or game - Playing individual or team sports or games outdoor or indoor.

2. Performing physical activities - Performing physical activities that require use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

3. Inspecting equipment, systems, structures, and materials - Inspecting equipment, systems, structures, and materials to ascertain quality, performance, defects, causes of errors, etc.

4. Handling and moving objects and materials - Using hands or otherwise use physical strength to handle and move objects and materials; manoeuvre, install, lift, place, manipulate, etc.

5. Identifying objects, actions, and events - Identifying various characteristics of objects; observing and understanding actions and events; understanding changes in actions and events.

6. Making decisions and solving problems - Analysis of data and information; evaluation of alternative decisions and results of decisions; taking the right decisions and solving problems.

7. Organising, planning and prioritising tasks - Planning and organising tasks in order to achieve work goals; prioritising tasks to achieve goals and making the best use of the time available.

8. Assisting and caring for people - Assisting people in availing of services; taking care of people in different situations; offering help and services to others.

9. Communicating with co-workers and others - Communicating with people in writing, verbally or otherwise inside your workplace and various other people who have professional relationships with your place of work including vendors, government officials, etc. or with people at large.

10. Working in a team - Working in a team of people; developing team; maintaining professional relationships among team members.