Mario Casella lives near Lugano, Switzerland, is a licensed UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide and a journalist, and has taught climbing and ski mountaineering. He was a correspondent for the Swiss-Italian TV (TSI) in Washington DC, for whom he still works in Lugano, but part-time, because he is too busy guiding, ski mountaineering and climbing mountains the world over. He is a free-lance documentary director and producer, and has done research, among other things, on the fall of the Berlin wall, Croatia, Bosnia. Worth of mention is his latest “Siachen: A War for Ice”, the first film, ever, to document the 20-year war between India and Pakistan over the control of the Siachen Glacier, in the heart of the Himalayas. The documentary has won several awards and nominations.

Hugo Frieden is an expert llama guide. A carpenter by trade, Hugo built his own organic farm in the Bernese Alps, at 1500 m/4920 ft of elevation, where he and his wife guide llama and goat treks for adults and families with children throughout the summer, and where they live in communion with nature and their animals. Hugo also collaborated with a world-renowned travel agency, spending several years at a jungle lodge in Honduras where he had the opportunity to build his guiding experience.

Bruno Hahn lives in Zurich, Switzerland. In addition to a career as a Swissair pilot, from which he recently retired, Bruno is an experienced mountain climber and has taught mountaineering courses for the Swiss military. He is a long-standing member of the Swiss Alpine Club and he dedicates his free time to his passions: hiking, climbing and ski mountaineering. But flying has remained in his blood and, weather permitting, he never misses a chance to enjoy scenic, mountain flying in a single-engine airplane. Bruno guides our “Hiking in the Swiss Italian Alps”, “The North Face Route” and “The Haute Route of the Bernese Oberland”.

Roland Kimmerle was born in Berne, the capital city of Switzerland.  He completed his Masters studies in geography and geology, and is a member of the Swiss Alpine Club. During the summer, Roland explores the corners of the Alps and looks  forward to sharing his passion for hiking and mountain-biking in his country. During the winter, he enjoys his second profession as a snowboarding, ski-touring, and snowshoeing instructor in the Bernese Oberland and in Winter Park, Colorado (USA). Roland speaks fluent German, English, French, and a little bit of Italian.

Chiara Pigni was born in Trieste and grew up in Milan, Italy, where she obtained her high school diploma in Languages, dropped out of university, where she was studying geology, and worked for a non-profit medical organization and a multinational advertising agency. Lucky enough to have been introduced to different cultures at a relatively young age, Chiara developed an intense curiosity and passion for traveling. She guides our “Secret Corners of Tuscany” and “Walking the Italian Lakes trip”, and she is a licensed tour guide for the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In addition to her extensive knowledge, clients truly enjoy her company and her solar personality. In her spare time Chiara, of course, loves to travel. 

Eugenio Testa is an industrial surveyor by trade, but the mountains are his blood. He works for the Environmental Protection Agency, taking snow measurements and writing avalanche bullettins, and he is an istructor and active member of mountain search and rescue by helicopter. He has opened new climbing routes on Mont Blanc and Monviso and has been on expeditions to K2, Pakistan, Ama Dablam in Nepal and Yosemite, USA. In addition Eugenio is a mountaineering guide and instructor. He guides our Tour of Monviso and, needless to say, in his hands you are really safe.