Peter Amann moved to Jasper in 1974 and has been a mountain guide in the area for nearly 30 years.

During a Jasper in January presentation Monday evening, Amann showed photos and told stories of his many climbs, hikes and adventures.

Amann said many people don’t really know what a mountain guide does. 

“When I look it up in Google, I get a brochure,” he joked.

He told the crowd of more than 20 people at Habitat for the Arts that to become a guide you have to take five to seven years of training. In terms of commitment, he said it’s like getting a master’s degree. Mind you, it’s a lot cheaper than a graduate degree, coming in at about $20,000.

One of Amann’s most frequent climbs is Mount Athabasca. He’s been up it almost 100 times.

“Every time it’s different and unique,” he said, noting part of that is he’s with a different group of people each time.  

Amann started out on a Parks Canada trail crew. He spent 10 years of his life doing that before he asked himself the question, “Do I want to work on trails or look down on them?”

He chose to look down.

Some of the highlights of his career are 24 years participating in the Alpine Club’s General Mountaineering Camp; 18 years training Search and Rescue technicians; 22 years at Marmot Basin; and six years as a heli-ski guide in Valemount.

He said one of the greatest things about his job is that he gets to “make people’s dreams come true,” and, of course, there’s always the great view and knowing that he’ll never run out of new things to do.

Amann’s talk was the first of a two-part series called Fire and Ice, mirrored after the theme of this year’s Jasper in January festival. The second half, a FireSmart public info session, is being held Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. The free event is being held at Habitat for the Arts. Everyone is welcome.