Stefan Neuhauser – Photographer and Mountain Guide
- Written by Portal Editor
Stefan Neuhauser – The photographer and mountain guide was born in 1964 in Kempten in the Allgäu region of Germany.
After completing vocational training as an insurance salesman, Stefan Neuhauser became acquainted with various tour operators on several trips, which led him to decide to eventually lead mountain tours himself.
Stefan Neuhauser's further professional qualifications include: State-certified mountain and ski guide (a four-year training program in climbing, hiking, ice climbing, ski touring, and off-piste skiing, offered and coordinated by the sports centre of the Technical University of Munich), and training as a communications expert and experiential educator at Awitt University in Hamburg.
Stefan Neuhauser continues: In the field of experiential education, I work closely with the Waldorf School in Hanover Maschsee. We have developed special class trips where students combine culture and active outdoor sports. They experience practical skills in the great outdoors, which are not possible through theoretical learning. The Waldorf School in Hanover is the only school in Germany where outdoor climbing can be chosen as an A-level subject. I was able to establish this unusual subject as a now-standard A-level course with a fellow mountain guide and the responsible sports teacher. In many other German states, this is only possible as an indoor sport, and certainly not as an A-level subject.
So, Stefan continued his learning and training, became familiar with tours for hikers and climbers, and initially discovered his passion for photography almost by accident.
Stefan Neuhauser: From the beginning, I was a small, specialized tour operator (small groups, lesser-known areas, a focus on beautiful descents for skiing and biking rather than well-known, run-of-the-mill tours; together with other mountain guide colleagues, we offered parent-child adventure trips very early on, ski tours from a boat in Norway, and climbing tours from a boat in France, which the large outdoor tour operators later copied). For me, large groups in the outdoor sector are an absolute no-go.
The assignment as a mountain guide for a team of photographers searching for interesting locations for a major German outdoor equipment manufacturer was such a significant turning point in Stefan's life that filming and photography increasingly took centre stage in his professional life. Initially, Stefan Neuhauser focused solely on mountain sports in general, a field that is far too diverse and comprehensive. Through participation in various events, his interest in mountain biking was sparked, and he subsequently equipped himself with his own gear (bike, joint protection, safety equipment) and increasingly concentrated on this sub-discipline of outdoor sports.
Stefan then moved to the Hautes-Alpes region of France, where he not only continued his work as a mountain guide and photographer but also married and started a family. To this day, he loves all outdoor activities so much that he cannot imagine moving to a city.
Today, Stefan spends approximately 60-70% of his time working as a mountain guide and the rest as a photographer. Many of his unusual perspectives and atmospheric images impressively combine his love and passion for the mountains and photography. Over time, this has allowed Stefan to win over a number of major outdoor companies, for whom he created advertising and sponsorship photos. Stefan invested his initial successes in improved technical equipment, both photographic and mountain biking-related. It's no wonder, then, that he now receives commissions from renowned specialist magazines that want more than just a few photos: he is a skilled mountain biker with his own equipment, many years of experience, and an excellent photographer. This combination is why many companies, both domestically and internationally, value and utilize Stefan Neuhauser's expertise for their magazines and advertising catalogues.
Please also read: