Our Partners
At Scarpa, we believe that great adventures are even better when shared. That’s why we’ve teamed up with some incredible brands and organizations to enhance your outdoor experience.
Our partnerships go beyond transactions – they’re about creating a community that thrives on exploration, sustainability, and passion.
VDBS – Association of German Mountain and Ski Guides
The mountains are their home, their passion, and their workplace. Founded in 1969 as a professional association, the VDBS establishes optimal framework conditions and represents the alpine elite of Germany. One of its founding fathers was the mountaineering legend Anderl Heckmair, the first to conquer the Eiger North Face.
Its rope team comprises around 700 state-certified mountain and ski guides, about 50 climbing instructors trained internally by the VDBS, as well as roughly 200 mountain hiking guides educated according to the internationally harmonized UIMLA standard, along with 25 military and police mountain guides and 24 freeride guides.
Today, its members are not only trained at the highest level of mountaineering expertise, they also see themselves as modern service providers, enabling their clients to experience truly unique adventures in the mountains. Individual guidance, a strong sense for people, and of course, comprehensive safety know-how are essential components of their work.
The VDBS is part of the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA) and oversees the training of around 12–20 candidates each year for the state-certified mountain and ski guide profession—under continuous supervision of the Technical University of Munich. On all technical and safety issues concerning the world of alpine sports, the VDBS is the primary authority.
On the website, you will find complete information about training for the professions of mountain and ski guide, mountain hiking guide, climbing instructor, or freeride guide.
PICOS-GUIDES - Deine Bergführer
Alpine tours are not a consumer good. Experiences in the mountains are multi-layered, profound and emotional.
Our job as mountain guides is to offer you the best possible framework for this. However, we don't just want to be a paid service provider, we want to share and pass on what draws us to the mountains. The necessary relationship of trust is not created by posting great pictures, favourable self-promotion and professional presentation. It arises when you feel that we are serious about our commitment to offer you extraordinary experiences and to help you progress in the mountains. And through our partnership and contact.
We are not only committed to customer focus and fairness, but have made them the basis of everything we do. You can expect this from us.
In our programme you will find unknown tours and well-known tours on the wrong track. Our coaching starts where traditional alpine training ends: with complex safety techniques and alpine decision-making skills. We organise almost all tours ourselves. This makes us flexible and gives us room for manoeuvre. Because only those who do things they stand behind can offer an authentic experience.
Our relationship with Scarpa goes back over 15 years. We are particularly pleased about this, as we share the desire for sustainability, idealism and enthusiasm for what we do. Combined with traditional craftsmanship and innovative technologies, this results in shoes that we fully stand behind.
BOW - Best of Wandern
Best of Wandern stands for a carefree, unique hiking holiday in the most beautiful hiking regions in Europe. Hire equipment free of charge and explore the most beautiful regions.
Here today, there tomorrow and infected with the hiking virus the day after tomorrow: that's how it could be, if the idea of Best of Wandern, or BoW for short, is anything to go by. The cooperation between nature park and national park regions, outdoor outfitters, Dertour and Outdooractive is committed to sustainable hiking experiences. To this end, it lends modern equipment to guests in its partner regions all year round - guaranteed free of charge and fit for the future. From now on also in the Karwendel Silver Region in Tyrol. Once a year, BoW takes selected hiking teams on tour for a long weekend - free of charge for the participants except for travelling to and from the destination. Qualified and beautiful hiking trails await you on your hiking holiday in a hiking region of the Best of Wandern network - whether on excursions with the family, alone, as a couple, with friends or with a dog in the great outdoors. The test centres in the Best of Wandern hiking regions are also unique: here you can hire and test hiking equipment from leading manufacturers such as SCARPA completely free of charge - for a carefree and uncomplicated hiking holiday!
ALPINE WELTEN - Alpine Welten Die Bergführer
Guided mountain tours to the mountains of the world & alpine training in all mountain sports. The mountain guides at the Alpine School are your partner for guided ski tours and ski touring trips to Norway, Iceland, Spitsbergen, Greenland, Chile, Canada, Kyrgyzstan and Morocco.
Alpine Welten Die Bergführer is a provider of guided mountain tours in the Alps and specialises in ski tours and (polar) expeditions to the most remote and highest regions of the world. More than 350 sustainable travel, course and special offers in all disciplines of mountain sports are part of the portfolio of the family-run company. With our expertise, we advise, accompany and support German polar research in the Arctic and Antarctic. The primary goal in all of this is to offer unique services at the highest level. This quality standard can only be realised with attention to detail - good and fairly paid mountain guides - high precision - transparency in consumer protection and inevitably small groups.
ALPIN ERSTE HILFE - With safety in the nature
The Alpine First Aid company specialises in running outdoor first aid courses. The team of passionate & professional outdoor sports enthusiasts offers specific first aid courses for a wide range of mountain and outdoor sports disciplines in the open course programme.
In summer, the focus is on first aid training for mountaineering, climbing, trail running and mountain biking. In winter, the focus is on first aid for ski touring and freeriding. Each course takes place in appropriate terrain in order to train under realistic conditions. In addition, special first aid and emergency management topics, such as expedition preparation and high-altitude mountaineering, are trained in individual course formats. Alpine First Aid also offers special courses for various professional groups, such as tree and industrial climbers, forestry workers and hunters. All courses are characterised by a high level of practical relevance and modern teaching methods, always with a focus on realistic learning. Many years of teaching experience and regular team training guarantee you a pleasant learning atmosphere and sustainable knowledge transfer.
If you are looking for a first aid course specifically for your sport that stands out from other first aid courses, then take a look at Alpine Erste Hilfe.
Verband Deutscher Heeresbergführer e.V.
The Association of German Army Mountain Guides was founded on October 10, 1964, under the name “Comradeship of the Army Mountain Guides.” The reason for establishing this association was to create a union of Army Mountain Guides, who since 1958 had already grown to number several dozen.
The goal, then as now, is to enable Army Mountain Guides to network with one another, exchange alpine experiences, and offer mutual support—especially in cases where a comrade has fallen into hardship through no fault of their own.
Since its founding, the association has maintained close, friendly relationships with other alpine organizations—such as the Austrian Army Mountain Guides Association, the Police Mountain Guides Association, the Bavarian Police Training Unit, the German Mountain and Ski Guides Association, the Avalanche Warning Center at the Bavarian Water Management Office, and numerous mountain rescue services.
On September 30, 2006, a comprehensive reform was adopted: the association received a new statute, was renamed the Association of German Army Mountain Guides, and was registered in the Munich Association Register.
Today, in addition to its traditional goals, the association also sees itself as a representative body for the interests of Army Mountain Guides. This includes highlighting professional concerns, promoting career development, and supporting events in the interest of Army Mountain Guides.
The Association of German Army Mountain Guides does not act in isolation, but is closely linked through its goals and activities with the Mountain and Winter Warfare School, the 23rd Mountain Infantry Brigade, and the role of the Army Mountain Guide as a highly qualified individual.
