Gary (Gaz) has been the leading assessor and trainer of professional guides in both New Zealand and Iceland and has literally 'written the book*' on key elements of mountain instruction. His sought-after instruction skills reflect a quarter of a century in the guiding industry, starting as a glacier guide on Fox Glacier on the West Coast through to a few years as chief guide at Aoraki/Mt Cook before starting Alpinism & Ski as New Zealand's leading boutique mountain guiding company based in Wanaka. His work with clients as diverse Australasia's elite special forces, the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association and Icelandic Mountain and Glacier Guides speaks for itself. If he can help them, think what he can do for you!

Gary Dickson is a NZMGA/IFMGA internationally qualified mountain guide since 1995 and was President of the NZMGA from May 2010 until Oct 2016. He is Alpinism and Ski's only guide now, also holds a Diploma in Parks and Recreation Management and is a team leader of the Wanaka Land Search and Rescue Alpine Cliff Rescue team. His expertise is highly respected on an international level too, like in Iceland where he gives glacier guiding instruction since 2008, or in Switzerland guiding with the International School of Mountaineering from 1997-2015. He has even been on TVNZ because of his involvement with the High Country SAR documentary series done in 2010.

Originally from Switzerland, Iris has extensive experience in the tourism industry and with a commercial and administrative background runs the Alpinism & Ski base operations and accommodation side of the business. Her mountaineering experience enables her to offer sound and practical advice.

Alpinism & Ski operations started in September 2000 with a ski touring trip in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Extending the alpinism activities to the Northern Hemisphere with guided ascents and mountaineering instruction courses in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps during June, July and August each year was a natural thing to do with the obvious Swiss connection.

During the first 15 years, the team has built a small, high quality global enterprise providing a professional mountain guiding and instructional service to keen climbers, aspiring mountaineers and future mountain guides, ski tourers and hikers.

Need help to organise your very own mountaineering trip for summer season 2018-19?

Given the nature of the business it is very obvious that sustainability and environment friendly ways of operating are a must and keenly pursued. The team is proud of what they achieved so far with projects of improvement still and always on-going at the Alpinism and Ski base in Wanaka as well as in the mountains, more on our blog here.

We are looking forward to share our paradise with you.