Our mountain guides and organisers

Director and owner of Chamonix Experience, Sébastien is a UIAGM mountain guide, ski guide, French qualified ski instructor and an active climber.

He started his professional career as a PGHM mountain rescuer in Chamonix, before making the decision to become a full-time mountain guide. At the age of 37, Sébastien has over 22 years’ experience in the mountains and has led several expeditions worldwide.

His passion for mountaineering has become the essence of Chamonix Experience. He channels all his time and energy into the company to ensure it provides excellent courses, with lots of cool climbing and skiing adventures on the mountain.

When he’s not guiding, Sébastien enjoys sailing, windsurfing and he also plays ice hockey.

Born in Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic, Blanka travelled the world before arriving in Chamonix in 2003.

It was her passion for climbing that drove her to this town but she enjoys many different sports and still loves to travel. Rock climber, skier, alpinist, occasional horse rider, diver and kite surfer with love for the mountains and nature.

Blanka started to work at the Chamonix Experience office in 2014, after finishing her studies in Natural Sciences.

Pete is an American UIAGM qualified mountain guide who grew up in rural central New York State. He started hiking, backpacking and skiing at the age of 14. He fell in love with rock climbing and mountaineering when he was in university and after graduation he moved to Boulder, Colorado, and continued to climb and ski as much as possible.

Pete moved to France in 2003 and became the second American to attain guide certification in the French system. Pete loves to share his passion of the mountains. He is accomplished in all aspects of mountaineering; skiing, ski touring, winter climbing, bouldering and rock climbing. He now lives on the other side of Mont Blanc in Courmayeur, Italy, with his wife and little daughter Maelle.

Élodie grew up near Geneva, not far from the mountains, but she only really got close to them as an adult. As a child, she spent a lot of time at sea, and at the age of 18, during a long trip to Latin America, she discovered mountaineering and rock climbing.

Since then, she has never stopped climbing, with a preference for large rock and mixed walls. Notable trips- USA, Canada, Jordan, Morocco, Madagascar, Mexico, Kenya, Patagonia, China (opening a new route on an unclimbed summit), India (women’s rope Baghiratti 3)… Dolomites

In 2012, she decided to leave her job teaching alpine history at the University of Geneva to start training as a High Mountain guide in Chamonix. She graduated in 2015, and has since devoted herself to sharing her passion with her clients every season. She now also works as an instructor for guides at the French national school (ENSA) in Chamonix.

The mother of an incredible little girl since November 2019, Élo is happy discovering this new chapter of life with her usual energy and enthusiasm.

Her radiant smile will communicate her joy for life and being in the mountains, and the joy of sharing these privileged moments with you.

Coming from a family of passionate mountaineers, Aymeric was raised with climbing and skiing in his blood. He has travelled the world, chasing adventure in Peru, Alaska, Nepal, Patagonia, Pakistan, to name only the “classics”.

Wanting to share this passion, he graduated from the National School of Ski & Mountaineering in 2007. From novices to experienced alpinists, Aymeric guides everyone with true joy and loves to introduce people to the exceptional natural terrain of our valley. Despite his extensive travels, the Mont Blanc massif remains his favourite terrain, both for training and to share his experience and knowledge.

Aymeric enjoys an eclectic array of disciplines but in winter he favours off-piste skiing and ice climbing, whereas in summer he can often be found rock climbing or canyoning. His years of experience have led him to appreciate the adage: “a good mountaineer is an old mountaineer”.

Maud is originally from the countryside near Lyon, but she moved closer to the mountains as soon as she could. Now based between Vallorcine above the Chamonix valley and the Ecrins, she found a good base camp to share her time between local and far away mountains.

She is a certified IFMGA mountain guide since 2021. What she likes the most about guiding is to share her passion for mountains and adventure, especially through education and training for others to become leaders themselves. She likes to build strong relationships with her partners and trainees, to share climbing techniques as well as emotions, feelings, joy, fears and beers!

When she goes climbing for herself, she likes expeditions to remote mountains, long journeys of several days with heavy backpacks and complex logistics. Being out there makes for such a different experience. Besides climbing in the Alps, she has recently been to Patagonia, Peru, Canada, the USA, and the Indian Himalaya.

Maud recently finished a PhD in social sciences of sport, about accidents in mountaineering and ski touring, risk taking and risk management.

Octavio was born in Argentina, moved to Toulouse in France to study and promptly fell in love with the Alps. In 1995 he settled in the Chamonix valley, devoting himself to mountain life.

Subsequently Octavio completed the French Mountain Guide qualification. Octavio has over 20 years experience of traveling the world, either as an amateur or a professional, in skiing, climbing or biking expeditions. He has always focused on discovering the remotest and wildest corners of the globe.

Octavio has been working as a full time mountain guide since 2003. Octavio escapes from home as soon as the snow arrives to find the best powder to ski.

For Martin, life means adventure and good humour.

He arrived from the Pyrenees in Spain to Chamonix a few years ago to be train with the French mountain guide school and he has already the most difficult north face routes in his pocket. He climbs the same way as he works, with passion, and he always tries to do things better and encourage people around him. He likes to share his experience and give advice about how to improve and move with efficiency in the mountains. He is always motivated to discover new areas and to climb new routes.

There is no doubt, Martin is a fun companion to go into the mountains with or even just to enjoy a coffee together.

Roberto was born and grew up in Sardinia. He discovered mountain sports through rock climbing in Sardinia, and later moved to the Aosta Valley to climb bigger mountains. His love for alpinism led him to become a mountain guide.

He moved to Chamonix in 2015, where he works as a guide: skiing and ice climbing in the winter and alpinism and rock climbing in the summer.

But he’s never forgotten is beloved Sardinia! He spends his off seasons close to the sea, discovering crags and opening new sport and trad climbing routes.
He is also a passionate mountain biker!

Sebastien was brought up in the Pyrenees, where he discovered climbing and mountaineering. After passing his ski and snowboard instructor exams in 2000, Sebastien became qualified as a UIAGM mountain guide in 2007.

Sebastien spends all of his time climbing and being in the mountains with his friends. He loves discovering new places worldwide; he has climbed and guided in Spain, Morocco, Kenya, Kirghizstan, Nepal, USA and Argentina.

Notoriously always in good humour, Sebastien loves to share fun stories with his friends and clients, he never fails to make you laugh while you are in his company. Although an extremely concientious and professional guide, Sebastien is without any doubt the cheeky chappy of the team!

Jerome was born in the states before migrating to Bordeaux at the age of 10 years. With an early taste for adventure, he quickly understood how vast and varied the world was, motivating him to travel around the globe in search of remote mountains to climb.

Jerome became a fully qualified UIAGM guide in 2015 and has many years of experience in the high mountains, spending time in Alaska, India and Patagonia.

With a thirst for verticality in both directions, mountaineering and skiing for Jerome is just as much about pushing your personal limits as it is about sharing the experience and friendships you gain along the way.

More unusually, Jerome has recently confessed to us that he is also an accomplished accordion player and red wine connoisseur. Well, he is an adopted Frenchie after all!

Eric was born and raised in Briançon in the French Haute Alps, so started his adventures in the mountains at a very young age. By age 3 he was skiing and by age 16 he had discovered alpine climbing and ice climbing in the high mountains.

Eric later joined the PGHM mountain rescue service, where he worked for 5 years before qualifying as a UIAGM guide in 2015.

His passion for the mountains has naturally lead him to travel the world, leading expeditions in the USA, Canada and the Himalayas, as well as putting in many impressive first ascents in the French Alps, a little closer to home.

When he’s not guiding, skiing or climbing with friends, Eric can be found surfing or skydiving. A bit of an all round action man really!

Since he was a young boy Raphael always dreamed of working and living in the mountains. He has been climbing since the age of 17 and developed his love for the outdoor life in Briançon, surrounded by the mountains of the Massif du Vercors in southeastern France. He then travelled north to discover the high mountains of the Mont Blanc range.

Whilst working with the Chamonix PGHM mountain rescue service, he made the decision to turn his passion into his fulltime job and qualified as a mountain guide. He has been working as a guide for over 15 years in the Chamonix valley and loves ice climbing and skiing, enjoying the descent just as much as the climb.

Raphael is also a qualified mountain bike instructor and passionate photographer. When he is not either working as a guide or enjoying time with his family, you will find him riding his bike on the the steep Chamonix trails.

Philippe has worked as a mountain guide for 15 years. He loves ski touring far away from the crowds, which pushes him to find those hidden slopes that are rarely skied – he only skis where it is good!

As a climber he loves the big classics (most of all those that are aesthetic or have history), and as soon as the ice forms he has his ice axes in his hands.

For travelling he opts for the more unusual climbing and skiing destinations like Oman, Lebanon, Greenland, Japan. He has a vast experience of ‘ski safari’ in Europe, USA, Canada and South America, and for expeditions he favours Neap or South America. But it is Chamonix that he has called “home” since the mid-nineties.

Philippe is also a keen surfer, parapentist and speedrider… and not to be forgotten, he loves good wine and good food.

Maël was born Grenoble, France. Growing up with snowy peaks in full view from both his home and the classroom windows, his relationship with the mountains developed from a very young age.

Maël spent most of his younger years climbing, mountaineering and skiing in this natural playground, until qualifying as a UIAGM mountain guide in 2015, allowing him to share his passion on a daily basis with his clients. The dream job!

His enthusiasm for mountain sports and wingsuiting has taken him around the world to New Zealand, Canada, USA, China, Pakistan, Népal, Bolivia, Perou, Ecuador & Morocco.

Born in Colombia, he grew up in the city of Medellín. He’s been passionate about nature, climbing mountains and especially rock climbing since a very young age.

In 2000, he arrived in the Spanish Pyrenees, where he trained to become a mountain guide.
He finished his qualification in 2008 and in 2012 he moved to Chamonix to live out his dream of working in the mecca of mountaineering.

He is a great lover of rock climbing, alpinisme, mountain skiing and salsa dancing. His expeditions have taken him all over the world: the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Patagonia in Argentina and Chile, Nepal, climbing trips in the US, Morocco, Jordan… and the list goes on.
He is always keen to discover new places in Europe and the alpine arc.

He is passionate about his work as a Guide and trainer. He participates in the training of guides in Spain and in the tutoring of ENSA students.

Born in 1984 in Romania, Cristina’s initial profession was a civil engineer before becoming a full time mountain guide.

She is a fully certified IFMGA Mountain Guide and member of the EEMGA and the SNGM.

She began climbing in 2004 after joining the Romanian Alpine Club. She quickly progressed – in early 2005, she took part in numerous bouldering, sport climbing and ice climbing competitions. By 2016, she won 36 prizes of which 20 were for first places.

She has successfully completed a number of expeditions: Khan Tengri (7010m) by the North -East ridge, Ghandarbha Chuli (6248) and the first ascent of T16, by the south summit (“Supercouloir” ED) in India to only name a few.

She still regularly takes part in bouldering and rock climbing competitions and she enjoys all aspects of mountaineering, including those on skis.

Despite having stories from the four corners of the globe, today she is based in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.