In reply to The Lemming:
All the mountain guides I have ever had the pleasure of knowing have been fantastic, be it in France, Austria or Iceland. I'm no hotshot climber and am willing to pay for a good guide in order to secure my (and my wifes) peace of mind.
They are patient, pace themselves according to my stamina, willing to teach and are very thorough when it comes to security. They never look or act bored even if some of the easier climbs must be boring to them. I'm very impressed with their professional attitude. OK, there must be some bad apples out there, like in any profession, but I guess I've been lucky. I also tend to use the same guides year after year and get to become friends with them.
I only hire IFMGA/UIAGM qualified guides, but that's maybe me just being overly cautious.
It's not cheap, but I'm not a member of any mountaineering club, so I work hard during the rest of the year to be able to afford them.
I'll be in Chamonix in three weeks and will be using the same guide as last year.
Per