Trainings for Hiking Guides and Mountain Biking Guides

Posted on November 08, 2012

The Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (CSTI) from Podgorica and “Limit” Extreme Sports Club from Bihać, as project partners, are organisers of trainings for mountain biking and hiking guides that are held at “Nevidio” Ethno Village in Pošćenje near Šavnik. These trainings started in October and will be completed in November. These activities are part of IPA CBC BiH-Montenegro project titled as „Establishing Via Dinarica – A Preface to Regional Cooperation Platform”. This project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the USAID and Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism in Montenegro.

The mountain bike guide training was held from 27^th to 29^th October. Training participants were members of the biking and other outdoors clubs. This training was attended by 9 participants from Montenegro and 3 from BiH.

The first module of hiking guide training was held from 2nd to 5th November. The second and also final module will be held from 9th to 11th November. Participants of this training are members of mountain and outdoor clubs. This training was attended by 15 participants from Montenegro and 6 from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The training participants have the opportunity to acquire the new knowledge from experienced instructors and guides needed for successful guiding. There are numerous topics that were discussed and also will be further elaborated in the next module precisely to include all the knowledge and skills a guide should have. The training program includes knowledge of meteorology, orienteering, equipment for outdoor activities, food, techniques and guiding psychology. Emphasized topics are legal and moral principles, safety of a person and group, company, knowledge of giving first aid, nature conservation and environmental protection. Also, during individual and team work, and practical exercises through organised tours, participants exchanged their experiences and acquired useful knowledge in planning, preparation and realisation of mountain biking and hiking guiding.

Organisation of these trainings is aimed at improving guide services and quality of the mountain tourism offer in the cross-border area between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Also, realisation of these trainings contributes to better cooperation between mountaineering, biking and other outdoor clubs and promotion of this area as an attractive destination to all those who enjoy hiking and mountain biking. General public, tourist agencies, tour-operators, mountaineering and other clubs, and also all interested organisations and associations, through web site project will be able to obtain information about participants who successfully completed these trainings and received certificates as guide in hiking and mountain biking.

The instructor on these trainings is Mr. Ermin Lipović, who is also a guide-instructor in the Mountaineering Association in BiH and the president of the Commission of the Guide. His assistant on training for hiking guide is Mr. Lorenz Konaj, who is a certified guide.