Are guides rates cheap-ish if you were to go with a large group?

Well it depends what you mean by cheap-ish.

I notice that a guide with Arc Adventures would cost 315 euro for a group of between 3 and 8 people for a full day. If there are 8 of you then this is significantly less than the 66 euro a day for a group lesson.

Bearing in mind that you would certainly not be working every day of the week - or all season - then if I were a guide I would regard it as a give away.

Which reminds me that I must employ a guide for a few days this Christmas.

John

Well, I approached Arc Adventures and tried to hire a guide on 23/12/09. Their head guide spoke to me on the telephone and said that the conditions were bad at altitude and that the forecast for the next 10 days was not promising, but he would contact me if conditions improved. They did not. It is reassuring that professionalism and care for the client take precedence over taking unnecessary risks and earning a not great amount of money.

Actually the conditions were pretty bad all week. They were OK for piste skiing, but with poor visibility and an avalanche risks at 3 to 4 it was not the time to chance your arm on the mountain.

John