Eligible to take part in the entry test are the following individuals fulfilling ALL the conditions below:

1) Must be a national (passport/ID card holder) or legal resident (documented) of one of the following countries: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.

Czech and Polish citizen will need an endorsement from their national, IFMGA affiliated organisation (an email from the technical director will suffice).

Other EU citizen will need a documented proof of residence in one of the target countries and an endorsement from their national, IFMGA affiliated organisation (an email from the technical director will suffice)

Other nationalities please contact us by email to discuss your eligibility. 

2) Must be over 18 years of age

3) Has a good command of English language. Interviews, exams and courses will be held in English language. Proficiency at the level of being able to accurately understand and follow instructions and assimilate theoretical knowledge is essential.

4) For admission to the entry test you will need to have completed and provide details regarding:

(a) general mountaineering, snow and ice: a minimum of 15 routes of which five must be of difficulty D+ and with a vertical height gain of at least 800 metres

(b) rock: a minimum of 15 routes with a vertical height gain of at least 300 metres (or at least 15 pitches), of minimum difficulty 5c (VI – UIAA) – bolted routes are not acceptable.

(c) 10 multi-pitch routes (minimum 4 pitches each) bolted or trad of grade 6a (VI) or harder.

(d) 10 steep ice climbs of grade WI4 minimum

(e) ski touring: a minimum of 25 tours, each tour having at least 1000 metres ascent. At least 10 of these days must be on glacier terrain and have at least 1400 metres elevation gain in ascent.

Remember that on all the climbs you need to have led it (single pitch routes) or shared leads (on multi-pitch routes). Routes that appear twice in the route report will be counted only once.

Other Experience: the applicant must provide any other relevant experience, for example via ferrata of difficulty degree TD/ED or K5/K6, expeditions or climbs abroad/overseas, and training undertaken in Alpine type terrain

The practical tests will consist of:

– rock climbing on-sight grade 5a minimum in mountaineering boots
– rock climbing on-sight grade 6b minimum in rock shoes
– ice climbing with ice axe and 10 point crampons, using classical techniques
– steep ice grade WI4 climbing with two ice axes
– ski down and skin up on varied terrain, regardless of snow conditions and with a 10Kg rucsack
– a general ability test in mountain terrain

The entry test fee is 200 EURO per person.

The examination fee covers exclusively the examination costs. Any personal expenses associated with but not limited to: travel, accommodation, meals, equipment, visa fees, insurance fees etc have to be organised and borne by yourself. Details about accommodation options in location will be made available closer to the date.

General information regarding the entry test and training can be found here: https://www.eemga.org/guides-training-programme/

The overview and structure of the training is available here: https://www.eemga.org/guides-training-programme/training-structure-and-overview/

Please follow www.eemga.org and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/eemga.org/ for further details on this. You can ask questions about the test at training @ eemga . org

Those who are successful at the entry test will begin the training in June 2022.

The course fees will be paid in advance of each module and not all in one payment. The total cost for the +3 years  of training will be around 15 000 EUR including tuition, lift/ski passes and some huts (half board) but excluding personal expenses and travel to and from locations. The cost could fluctuate based on the number of candidates / trainees that start and remain in the training.

We (EEMGA and IFMGA) we will try to find means of co-financing a part of these expenses for the candidates through sponsorships, grants or scholarships and will inform candidates of such opportunities in due course. However each candidate should be aware that such financial support is not guaranteed for everyone and be ready to commit to support entirely from own funds the  financial burden associated with their training.