Chamonix Mountain Guides

Chamonix Mountain Guides & Ski Guides

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scheduled trips

We specialise in private trips for individuals and small groups. Click here for more details...

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private guiding

At Vertical Frontiers we specialise in private guiding on tailor-made trips. Click here for more details...

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rock climbing

Rock Climbing is our passion. We climb all year round in the south-west both for work and pleasure. Read more...

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alpine mountaineering

We run guided mountaineering courses and trips in the Alps from spring to Autumn. Read more...

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skiing

Guided skiing trips from off-piste lift accessed days through to multi day hut to hut touring. Read more...

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Friendly, professional trips throughout the UK and the alps…

Vertical Frontiers is run by experienced IFMGA Mountain Guide Ben Bradford. We are a team of Chamonix Mountain Guides & Ski Guides offering friendly, professional courses throughout the UK and Europe. Rock Climbing, Alpine Mountaineering and Skiing is our passion, both at work and pleasure.

Our Alpine base is Chamonix Mont Blanc, one of the most famous and popular mountaineering destinations in the world. Chamonix is also close to many other Alpine centres, and we travel to Grindalwald for the Eiger, Zermatt for the Matterhorn and other valleys in Switzerland for our Alpine Mountaineering course.

Our UK base on Dartmoor in Devon gives us access to some of the most picturesque and spectacular rock climbing in the UK. We run courses and trips here year round.

In the winter as Chamonix Ski Guides we offer Off Piste skiing and Ski Touring trips, within the Chamonix valley and nearby resorts such as Courmayeur, Verbier, Saint Gervais and Megeve.

We try to be as flexible as possible taking our clients to the best snow and venue for them and the conditions.

Chamonix is also home to the famous off piste run, the Vallee Blanche. We run many private trips as well as open courses for individuals wanting to join a group.

On Dartmoor, Devon and Chamonix, France our instructors and guides are qualified to a high standard and have extensive experience with a wide range of groups and abilities. With over fifteen years of experience in the outdoor industry both in the UK, Europe and on world-wide expeditions.

We run many private trips as well as open courses for individuals wanting to join a group. Check the news page to keep up to date with our blog.

Two great and varied days out, felt very comfortable and learned some new skills along the way, which was exactly what I wanted!

- Paul S - Chamonix Climbing 2018

I did two weekend trad courses with Matt on Dartmoor. First time I wasn't fortunate enough to equip myself and use the skills I learnt but still had a fantastic weekend an enjoyed every aspect. Super friendly, helpful and calm instruction!

- Tommi Tresidder - Dartmoor Rock Climbing

Thanks Ben for an excellent 4 days of skills training. We thoroughly enjoyed progressing through our alpine skills, from being led to leading! We learned loads and now feel we have a good base to build on. Thanks also for all your additional guidance - from good places to eat to what to do when we finished our course and routes to look to in the future. We had a great time and wouldn't hesitate to use Vertical Frontiers again!

- Siobahn - Alpine Skills 2018

Ben showed immense knowledge of the Alpine Regions and used this knowledge to construct a very informative and entertaining guided trip for us. I was particularly impressed by his ability to adapt and react to the changing weather conditions that we experienced.

Mick J - Chamonix climbing February 2020

I've used Vertical Frontiers a number of times now for skiing and alpine climbing. Ben and all the guides he works with work hard to deliver the best experiences; balancing achieving goals, some adventure whilst respecting the weather and conditions. Epic Mont Blanc summit from the Italian side in July, superb. Bens bants are half decent too.

- Niall C - Mont Blanc 2016

Ben is a fantastic guide and always delivers a great trip. He's very knowledgeable and is happy to share his insights with his clients. We enjoyed a memorable trip ski touring in the high mountains above Saas Fee in May, bagging a few 4000+m peaks.

Tim Mace Tim Mace - Saas Fee Ski trip 2019

Rating

5.0

Based on 87 Reviews

Marcea Ennamorato

1st March 2023

I had an amazing experience skiing the Vallée Blanche with Ben, who handled our group graciously, was highly professional and willing to share his knowledge throughout the day. Thank you again!

Niko Viglione

We had an absolutely amazing time kit with Ben. Knowledgeable, fun to ski with and a great teacher and educator - thanks again for a memorable day!

Mike Newman

26th February 2023

Ben was highly professional and also great to spend the day with. We did the Vallee Blanche with him and had a great day out. He was very professional and careful to warn us of dangers and keep us informed and we felt very safe in his hands. Would highly recommend him and hopefully we can do a touring day out with him next time!

Christian Lunow

24th February 2023

We had the pleasure of experiencing the mountains around Chamonix with Vertical Frontiers, Ben Bradford. I want to recommend Ben and Vertical Frontiers to anyone who want to have a great experience in the mountains. We had great ski touring and amazing adventures. Our holiday was made complete with Bens excellent knowledge of the area, knowing exactly where to bring us. Hope to see you again soon! Erika&Christian

Sanja Habazin

18th February 2023

We had amazing 2 days with Ben as a guide in Chamonix. He is full of interesting information, incredibly patient and makes sure everyone is safe at all times.

Jeff Zeren

30th December 2022

Our family had an incredible off-piste skiing experience thanks to our guide, Ben! He was professional, knowledgeable, and safety-conscious. He took the time to get to know our group and tailor the experience to our abilities and interests. The skiing itself was breathtaking, with powdery runs and stunning views. Our guide was an expert at finding the best routes and navigating the terrain, and he was always ready with helpful tips and encouragement. We can't recommend Ben enough - if you're looking for a truly unforgettable off-piste experience, look no further

Paul Shambrook

29th November 2022

Ski touring with Ben from Vertical Frontiers was an epic adventure and barrel loads of fun. Ben is super knowledgeable and I learnt a lot from him. Always felt totally safe and its clear Ben is a very experienced professional at what he does. Will be skiing again with him soon.

Kiril Kossev

27th October 2022

Ben Bradford and his Vertical Frontiers were excellent guides and partners for our adventurious trip to the peaks of Grand Paradiso and Mont Blanc in the Alps, first week of June 2022. Ben was very responsive, flexible, and informative during the preparation stage. He advised on equipment and preparation for the climbing experience. Our guide for the trip, Ali, was excellent too. He was fast, motivated and pushed us; made the right safety calls when needed; stayed calm with our inexperience; and provided us with extra equipment when he deemed it necessary. I would strongly recommend Vertical Frontiers for both beginners in the high mountains and also experienced alpinists who are looking for guiding support.

Carol Vesier

13th September 2022

Great trip to Aiguilles Marbrees with Ben Bradford. Very professional, patient and very knowledgeable mountain guide. I would highly recommend Ben for anyone looking to have a great experience climbing mountains, even with beginners.

Jeremy Gold

18th July 2022

We spent the whole day out climbing. Ben is an excellent guy and fun to spend the day with. This was first time ever doing multi-pitch climbing and he made it easy to learn and taught me a lot about climbing. I highly recommend booking him for any of your outdoor adventures.

Franco Boeri

8th July 2022

Fantastic guiding and organisation for some beautiful days in the Swiss Alps. Vertical Frontiers kept me well informed and updated on the trip and the guide was very friendly and made me feel very safe in the mountain. Highly recommend Vertical Frontier and Ben for your next adventure, thank you Vertical Frontiers.

Jonathan Baguley

1st June 2022

Amazing weekend on an ‘alpine training course’ with Ben, going through all the basics like crampon and rope work, crevasse rescue and general mountain safety. I also tagged on an extra day for a 1:2 adventure up to Marbrees from the Torino refugio. Not only a lot of fun, but a very professional, safe and well organized trip- 100% recommend, will be back soon!

AJK Nicoll

12th May 2022

Booked a ski tour Mont Blanc trip with Vertical Frontiers in April 2022. We (group of 4) had such a great week preparing for the summit attempt and all successfully summited Mont Blanc and skiied off the top. Couldn't have made it to the top without the guides Ben and Ally who were amazing. Will definitely be hitting them up again in the near future.

Alexander Hume

11th May 2022

We have used Ben multiple times for ski touring trips and always had a great time in the mountains. Ben challenges you to think for yourself in positive light hearted way and strikes the fine line between type 1 and 2 fun perfectly!

philip harnett

9th April 2022

We hired Ben for a days ski guiding and touring skills refresher. He did a great job of understanding what we wanted to get out of the day and tailored his approach accordingly. Our day was very enjoyable as well as educational. I would 100% hire Ben again for a fun days guided skiing or for training and skills development.

B Frese

15th March 2022

We had a picture perfect day and had the best time with our guide Ally skiing the Vallee Blanche. Ally put our fears to rest about the descent from the Aiguille Du Midi with his focus on safety. We learned so much from his experience and knowledge of the area. I highly recommend Vertical Frontiers and Ally for anyone wanting to have an incredible experience on the Vallee Blanche. It met all of our expectations.

Cat Mitchison

1st March 2022

Great experience with Neil who absolutely adapted his level and advice to the level of our group. Really fun and interesting day with lots of skiing and lovely descriptions and explanations of the surrounding area! Would highly recommend :)

Claire Holt

28th February 2022

Ben was able to secure a guide for me at short notice which led to a great day of off piste skiing in the Grand and Petit envers, in the Valley Blanche.

martin gulsrud

16th February 2022

Vertical Frontiers with Ben and his companion made our day on several peaks surrounding Chamonix. The level of challenges was spot on for our group, and the calmness and professionalism the guides made the skiing so enjoyable. We will definitely ask for Ben on our next adventure.

R Mac

Great off-piste day with Gareth in St Gervais. We visited some superb locations well off the beaten track and felt safe at all times. Thanks again and highly recommended.

Chiara Ticchi

9th February 2022

It was an amazing day! Ben guided us through a not so conventional path, which was not crowded at all. On top of this, we had the chance to ski touring and we climbed up to an area where the snow was really cool (especially considering that it hadn’t snowed for 2 weeks). Thanks Ben for being such a super guide!!!!

Duncan Zealey

3rd February 2022

I can highly recommend Ben and his team. Exemplary attention to detail and safety. He and Lou guided us on the VB decent, 8 ageing skiers of varying experience levels and limited attention spans !!

Paul Clarke

1st February 2022

Great guides and very knowledgeable

Siew Hua Thio

24th January 2022

Great ski guiding service. Really focused on safety and taking care of us, and ensuring that we had an enjoyable tour!

Jan-Christoph Ripken

We went on a ski touring trip with Ben and had an amazing time. It was our first tour and he made sure everything was safe and that we had the best trip possible. He took us to some nice powder slopes with stunning views all around. Highly recommend it and would definitely come back again!

Simon B15

11th January 2022

Great day of ice climbing in Aosta Valley with Vertical Frontiers. Jon was super professional, provided a great skills refresh before leading up a fun climb with the right amount of challenge. Efficient comms and organisation through Ben. Highly recommend whatever your skill levels or aspirations.

Sam Waddy

27th December 2021

Excellent guiding and advice. 100% confidence in expertise for an exciting and safe expedition skiing or climbing and Ben is great company! Great communication. I have used twice and will be back for more!

Anish Patel

18th October 2021

Ben and his team Vertical Frontiers are the best. Highly responsive, flexible and accommodating. the best guides i have used in the alps. over summer i did a Mont Blanc summit, a big traverse in Chamonix and some end of season snow climbing in Cormayeur. All three were great experiences, and primarily because of the thought and preparation given by Vertical Frontiers. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the Alps

Sarah Daou

8th October 2021

Wow, where do I begin? Having worked in the guiding industry, I was familiar with how trips could potentially be run. I was blown away by the outstanding communication from Ben, all the way to the guides. Ben was extremely patient while I was trying to figure out what to climb during my time in Chamonix. He gave great suggestions and honest feedback when I gave him mine and my friend's backgrounds. He was very responsive and extremely helpful. Before I even took my first outing with them, I felt very comfortable. Jonny was my guide for Aiguille d'Entreves, and I could not have asked for a better person to do that climb with! He was kind, professional, fun, and easy to talk to. I felt safe the entire time, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable days of my life! Thank you for this amazing day. My friend and I had an outing on Aiguille des Marbrées, and Ally was our guide. He was so awesome! We had tougher conditions with some new snow on the ridge, and even though my friend was a beginner, she felt safe and had a wonderful, exciting, and memorable experience! It was great to climb with Ally because he was personable, honest, and fun to be around. Some guides simply just "do their job" Jonny and Ally were not only doing their jobs, they went above and beyond to make sure we had a great and full-on experience. I am so thankful for Vertical Frontiers, and I cannot recommend this guiding company enough. I cannot wait to have another outing with them.

Toby Banks

20th September 2021

Ben and his team are exactly what you look for in a mountain guide. Professional, thorough and yet relaxed. He pushed me beyond what I thought I’d be capable of, I will be booking again. Cheers Ben.

Alex Brandt

22nd August 2021

Ben / Vertical Frontiers guided our groupof three adults for five days - after two days of acclimatization and technical training (incl. crampons) in the Aosta Valley with Ben, we successfully summited Mont Blanc via the Chamonix / Nic d' Aigle / Tete Rousse / Gouter Hut Route. For Mt. Blanc, Catalin Dobre joined our group as a second guide. Ben coordinated the preparation of and joined us for our trip - the whole experience was truly top-notch. Throughout the planning phase, Ben was very responsive, diligent and forward-thinking to proactively put together a program that perfectly reflected our expectations, while carefully considering our skill level, training requirements and sufficient flexibility for local weather conditions. We also made use of the option to rent various climbing / hiking equipment for a very competitive price through Ben. During the trip, we enjoyed being rigorously prepared and adequately challenged while feeling 100% safe at all times. Both the hikes and our joint leisure time at the huts were entertaining and it would be hard to imagine any better guiding experience. Esp. Ben is a very experienced mountain-lover with strong coaching skills, intimate know-how of the whole Western Alpine region and many interesting and fun war stories to share. In sum, we are glad to unconditionally recommend Ben / Vertical Frontiers to mountaineers across all skill levels - he has definitively become our clear go-to-option for any guided trips in the French and Swiss Alps!

Jennifer Jango-Cohen

6th August 2021

We had such a great day with Ally! We did a family Via Ferrata, then I was guided up a multi-pitch. Ally was very safe, caring and supportive to the diverse people in our group. We had a blast and Ally was a huge part of that experience. We can’t wait for the next trip!

JOACHIM WYNDHAM

12th September 2020

Absolutely amazing trip with Vertical Frontiers. Our guide Ally was brilliant, top bloke. An electrical storm hit our planned summit day, Ally made the call to hold back and we were rewarded the following day by an awesome climb. A stunning few days in the mountains, we had a blast.

Oliver Browne

3rd August 2020

Spent 5 days in Chamonix with Ben from Vertical Frontiers. He intuitively knew where to pitch me and what I wanted to get from my time in the Alps. Ultimately I ended up climbing Mont Blanc in good fashion. Ben is a good guide and is very fit. if you are looking to challenge yourself then he is a great person to climb with. Nice guy also..

Ausra Lapyte

16th July 2020

Mont Blanc via the route Trois Monts. Since the first contact with Vertical Frontiers, it was very easy to communicate with them. They gave detailed explanations to every question I had, answered the same day and had absolutely no hidden costs. The initial itinerary of Italian Route had to be modified due to bad weather and we climbed the route Trois Monts instead. Vertical Frontiers did everything so I could reach the summit: they gave me a fantastic guide Ally Swinton, who prepared a perfect itinerary for acclimatisation considering the fact that we had to reach the summit a day earlier. In 4 days I learned and did things I have never done before, but always dreamed of. And all of this while having lots of fun, feeling super safe and being encouraged in a very natural way (which I think is one of the best Ally's qualities). I highly recommend Vertical Frontiers and especially the guide Ally Swinton.

Rob Hasbury

10th July 2020

From making first contact only 7 days ago, I have been supported in achieving one of my life time goals of completing a climb of Mont-Blanc in the most amazing way, via the Italian Route. Starting from the Val Veny Courmayeur to Chamonix using no lifts or trains. Sort of making an already hard couple of days harder. Ben Bradford is a very special professional who makes dreams happen.

Kirsten Cluley

23rd March 2020

Great few days intro to Ski Touring. Our guide Ben was super, very knowledgable and helpful!

Charlotte Slaymark

Had 2 great days in chamonix with Ben teaching us basics of ski touring in the Chamonix valley. Always felt safe and fun but got the oppotunity to challenge ourselves too. Ben was super knowledgable of the area and got us hooked on touring!

Andrew Kirkman

18th March 2020

My first time ski touring, great experience all round, looking forward to returning for more challenging days. Ben delivered a great balance of coaching, guidance and knowledge of the surrounding area whislt leaving you time to enjoy the experience in a relaxed manner.

Julian Macedo

10th March 2020

Ben - Thank you so much for the blindingly good weekend's skiing. Your ability to get us safely to the best possible snow is amazing!

Philip Allison

19th February 2020

Amazing day at Brevent and Aiguille du Midi

Anna Sunberg

We did Vallee Blanche with Vertical Frontiers and it was an amazing experience! Our guide Ally was fun, helpful, he provided us with comprehensive instructions, all the necessary equipment and an awesome choice of route which allowed us to ride some untouched powder. The whole descent was a dream come true for me!

John Alex

15th February 2020

Ben clearly knows the terrain and has experience in a wide variety of situations. He's laid-back and flexible but also excited to have an adventure with you. Highly recommended.

Ryan Gill

10th February 2020

We booked two days of guided skiing w Ben. It was truly the trip of a lifetime thanks to Ben. He showed us all of the best spots to ski; all full of knee deep or waist deep powder. We rarely encountered any lift lines whatsoever. Even when the snow was skied off, Ben still delivered and helped us find amazing lines all over the mountain. Ben has a knowledge of Chamonix, that was second to none. We chased powder the entire time. We were able to ski multiple resorts within the valley in the same day; something I have never done before. Even when it came time to book dinner or après, Ben sent us in the right direction. I am already thinking about the next time I can come to Cham and ski with Ben. He challenged me to ski like I've never skied. Many thanks to Ben and Vertical Frontiers for making my time in Chamonix amazing.

Adam Michael

9th February 2020

Vertical Frontiers and more specifically, Ben Bradford, was amazing! His professionalism was only outweighed by his knowledge of the mountains. We were a little hesitant at first to get a guide, since everyone in our group has been skiing for a long time, but I can confidently say our skiing experience was at least 10 times better than we could have provided ourselves. I don't often write reviews, but good people like Ben deserve the recognition. Whether you are deciding if a guide is necessary for your holiday or if you are trying to narrow down your choices, the decision just got a whole lot easier. Put your trust in Ben and Vertical Frontiers because I know he turned our awesome holiday into an epic one!

Paul Powell

8th February 2020

We were a group of three experienced off piste skiers who spent two days with Ben of Vertical Frontiers and had a great time. Ben was super communicative as we planned out our trip and got us going right away. We were in search of the best snow so thanks to Ben's knowledge of the on-piste off piste conditions and his car (with ski box on top) we were able to start the day one at Brevent and then end the day skiing from the midway point of the Aguille du Midi. Day two we went to La Tour and traversed to some couloirs and back bowls as the sun softened things up. We'd highly recommend Ben if you're looking for an experienced and chill guide who also clearly enjoys leading groups. Ben is also great at capturing footage and stills of the trip which was a great bonus!

Hattie Bell

30th January 2020

Possibly the best day I have ever had on a pair of skis in almost 30 years. Ben was fantastic at introducing us to touring with a beautiful steady ascent in to back country, we didn't see another soul until we had eaten our squashed sandwiches at the top and made it all the way back down the other side through some fresh powder and excpetional views. Can not recommend highly enough. 100% worth all the pain of getting up there and getting over any fear of it being beyond us, thanks so much, I am now a convert and never going back to a chair lift (well ... maybe a bit of help!)

Josh Ross

29th January 2020

My wife and I did an off piste day at grand montets with Dave and had a great time. Perfect pacing and plenty of fun skiing all with nice a combination of professionalism and a laid back vibe. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a way to explore chamonix valley!

Milly Smith

20th January 2020

We had a fantastic trip with Ben who is professional and safe but also great fun to be around. Can’t recommend him enough as a guide.

Rachel Kettles

10th November 2019

Excellent guiding experience with Vertical Frontiers organised by Ben Bradford, with guide Dave Searle. Would climb with Vertical Frontiers again and definitely recommend.