How to choose a guide? In bulk guiding... you can purchase a guide for less more money than with personal guiding. Which guide cost less after ten years of climb? Because you can take a guide to bring you to the top of the hill, but you can also take a guide to take you to the top of any mountain in the world. One will teach you safety technique and the other, make money.
I was at Frankeinstein, and going to climb a route. To test my partner and not to have to call the rescue for him, I want to test his ability I need a steep section of ice where I can place an ice screw. So, I told a guide where I am going to go. There was three party above us, and falling ice here and there. A good guide will have wait me to climb at the same time, will have climb to the left of my line, placing gear as a directional for the rope; a bad guide will show that he don't have any respect of other climber and climb directly in the line where I told him that I was going to climb. He didn't ask if he can pass us and just do like all the cliff is his. At the anchor, he told me that we are not supposed to zig zag in a cliff. I am fifty and he was probably in diaper when I began to climb... I found him arrogant to told me how we can respect other climber as in the eighty, there was more climber in the cliff than today. After, he zig zag between the two other party above risking the life of the new leader, with few protection, the be...to be what. His client was climbing whit there knees because they didn't have enough technique to make the move and look sorry to by pass other. Respect of other is for me very important when you choose a guide.
If you read the section of the thread on how to cut weight in back country, you will read a discussion on cotton to stay warm and bring less equipment. As many of you know about babies, they also know how a diaper is made: "Diapers are constructed in three layers, an inner layer that sits against baby's skin is designed to be soft, stay relatively dry, and wick away moisture into the core. The absorbent core is designed to pull moisture in and trap it to keep wetness away from baby to avoid rashes. The outer layer is waterproof to prevent leaks" (
http://www.babygearlab.com/a/11093/What-Is-Inside-Those-Disposable-Diapers). So it is clear that if you can keep your baby warm by wearing three layer of diferent material, you can also keep you warm by using the same mechanical system. You will see guide in that section saying a categoric NO, it is not good. And other who will see the utility of a system, and keep it in mind to save his life in the futur if some thing happen without warning. so, for me, a good guide is some one who listen to you, explain, question or repeat what you are saying and open your mind to more knowledge. A bad guide will say NO! Body X technique of climbing, NO! exercise to have a better use of crampon...NO! Standard technique for every body. every body climb the same.
There is also bad client. I was in the yos and met my friend who was guiding. His client want to know his limit. He bring him on an easy route like thin air. His client didn't know where to place his feet. For me, his level his 5.6 because feet placement is basic technique. But the client was strong and they did a 5.9 at a school wall. My friend told him that his feet was not place correctly, but the client want to know is limit in trad climbing...and he asked to do an harder route where the guide told him where to place his feet, where to place his hands and when his body most move. The client just use his power, not his head to climb. he was strong, not good at all. That client was a bad client...because he didn't lesson the basic of climbng and didn't have a solid back ground...he just want to say that he his good. so, there is client who don't want to learn.
As we are ging to a festival and many people will have great activity outdoors, keep safe and...if you want to climb ounce a year, take a guide who will pull you to the top of the hill. If you want to climb by yourself, learn the basic of ice/rock climbing with a good guide.
