When booking any holiday with a guide involved, your guide is your window into the world you will be exploring. Our guides are what we are about. Brochures and websites are one thing, but knowledgeable, certified guides are key to having a safe and amazing journey.
All of our guides are either members of the IFMGA or International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations or members of the UIMLA ,Union of International Mountain Leader Associations meaning that they have undergone some of the most rigorous training possible and have met all the requirements to lead climbing, hiking or ski trips around the world. Please have a look at these sites for more information regarding certification and for a list of certified guides in the countries you would like to travel in.
At Alpine Interface, we are a small team of highly skilled and highly knowledgeable IMLs with many years of leading trips around the world.
Our lead IML is Louis Marino, founder and director of Alpine Interface Inc. After completing certification in France, Louis also gained certification in Britain and is a member of both the French and the British associations of mountain leaders. Louis' passion for the mountains has led him to attempt some of the world's highest mountains and he is always on the lookout for new and interesting trips in the mountainous regions of the world. He makes his home in both Canmore, Alberta, Canada and Chamonix, France where mountains abound and the trails are endless.
Louis Marino
Born in North Africa of a French mother and a North American father, Louis spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, followed by stints on the East and West Coasts of the USA, where he completed degrees in International Relations and French. After a brief career in the cycling industry, Louis moved to France and completed his MA whilst teaching English, and has been on the go ever since.
A year long adventure took him through parts of Asia and the Pacific, where he worked as a NAUI Divemaster, along with extended climbing trips in the Andes and the Himalaya, where he has summited Cho Oyo (8201m) and attempted Mount Everest, North Ridge in 2002. For the past 10 years, the Chamonix valley has been his home base.
After successfully finishing a three-year course, he is the first American to become a fully certified French trekking guide (AMM) and European Mountain Leader (BAEML).
He provides the leadership skills that will make your trip not only safe, but also insightful. His in-depth knowledge of France's diverse cultures, its mountain environments, its food and wines, and, most importantly, its people, makes Alpine Interface tours unforgettable.
Charlotta Gerremo
Charlotta is a French certified trekking guide (AMM) and a member of our highly motivated European staff. She works for Alpine Interface Inc. during the trekking season and is the only woman ski patroller at the Grands Montets ski area in Chamonix during the winters.
Charlotta is Swedish, speaking English, French and Italian fluently. She has been living in the Alps for 10 years, and her extensive knowledge of the area and mountain rescue is a big plus for Alpine Interface.
Lori Brumat
Lori is a French certified trekking guide (AMM). She has been working as a journalist for years, and is now in the process of becoming one of the few woman IFMGA high mountain guides.
Meanwhile, she is guiding Alpine Interface treks in the Alps.
Lori speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian fluently, and has been living in the Alps for 11 years.
Lindsay Cannon
Lindsay is a British certified trekking guide (BAIML). Lindsay has spent over ten years exploring the Alps and has great enthusiasm for and knowledge of the mountain environment.
When not in the Alps, Lindsay lives in the Highlands of Scotland and reports for BBC television and radio on a wide range of environmental and countryside issues. Her film work, which has seen her experience everything from ice-climbing, to pot-holing, and kayaking, enjoys a worldwide audience.
Lacchu Bahadur Basnet
Our main trekking guide in Nepal is Lachhu Bahadur Basnet. He is a government-certified trekking guide and expedition cook, and has worked on every 8000m peak except for Nanga Parbat.
He speaks excellent English, Hindi, Urdhu, Tibetan and Sherpa. He is both Hindu and Buddhist due to the fact that his mother is Sherpani and his father Brahmin. He is therefore capable of giving us an insight into both religions and their different beliefs.
Tashi Basnet
Tashi has been working as a certified trekking guide in Nepal and Tibet for many years. HE is Lachhu's nephew and the two form an excellent team. Taschi has completed the Sherpa climbing training in Austria and in Nepal but has opted to work as a cook during the expedition season and as a trekking guide during the hiking season.
