Growing up near Lake Constance, Swiss mountain guide Rita Christen was immersed in mountain life from an early age – cycling to school in her ski boots and joining mountain rescue teams on their final runs of the day to ensure the pistes were clear. A talented runner in her youth, she was encouraged to pursue athletics, but conventional sport held little appeal. The mountains were calling.
Rita discovered climbing relatively late, at the age of 25, but soon committed herself to becoming a mountain guide. She became only the 12th woman in Switzerland to qualify, entering a profession in which just seven other women were working at the time.
Her remarkable career has since combined many different worlds. She has worked as a mountain guide, lawyer and court clerk, mountain rescuer and yoga teacher, while raising two sons. She has also lectured on mountain law and contributed to numerous initiatives supporting youth and sport.
In 2020, Rita broke new ground when she became the first female president of the Swiss Mountain Guides Association. In November 2026, she will make history again when she becomes the first female president of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA).
Rita reflects on the mountains that shaped her, her unconventional route into guiding and a career spent breaking new ground in the mountain community.
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Mountain Voices is a podcast from the UIAA, International Climbing & Mountaineering Federation
https://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/
Presented and produced by Tarquin Cooper
Co-produced by Peter Bourne
Edited by Tom Tushaw
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