TS 13277

TS 13277 is a vocational standard for the guide and instructor of trekking. It focuses on defining the occupation, classifying it, and setting out how the required attributes are measured and evaluated. In practical terms, it provides a structured way to describe the professional profile behind trekking guidance and trekking instruction.

How the professional roles differ

A trekking guide primarily leads participants along the route and helps organise the activity in the field, while an instructor is centred on teaching the knowledge, skills, and behaviours associated with trekking. The standard addresses both roles together, which is important because guiding and instructing are related but not identical functions. Guiding emphasises route leadership and operational control; instructing emphasises learning and skill transfer.

Measuring and evaluating required attributes

According to the scope, the standard frames the attributes that a trekking guide and instructor should have and the way those attributes are assessed. In general technical context, occupational standards of this kind help organise competence areas such as knowledge, practical skill, experience, communication, safe conduct, route awareness, and participant management. For outdoor activities, environmental conditions, route familiarity, and group control are especially important to the professional role.

This document serves as a reference point for defining the occupation and its competence framework. It should be read as a standard for the role itself, not as a claim that every possible trekking procedure or field method is prescribed in detail here.