EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION FOR EXPERIENCED RAFTING GUIDES

Expect to Be a Top Employee and Work With the Best Co-Workers

Experienced Whitewater Raft Guide

We are currently accepting guide applications for our 2024 river season. Applications for 2023 will be accepted through mid-February 2024. Your chances of being accepted onto an interview trip are greater if you apply before mid-January.

Are you considering a different employer with the same or better opportunities to spend your summer outdoors and on the river? We at Wilderness Aware Rafting would love to hear about you and your guiding experience to consider having you join our team.  Wilderness Aware offers a wider variety of trips than most other outfitters in the area.  This includes 5 rivers in Colorado, the Salt River in Arizona, and the Green River in Utah. Our company is unique in that we offer self-contained multi-day trips that our competitors aren’t able to offer.   You could get to experience new scenery and whitewater, while still getting the chance to interact with guests who are excited to be on the river with our company. It is important that your current employment situation does not end due to poor guest service, poor work ethic, or failure to care for equipment and fellow guides and staff.  We are willing to complete your training if you have received inadequate initial training and are willing to learn new skills.

Wilderness Aware was established in 1976 and is owned by Brian Ellis.  Brian was a guide with the original owners and tool over operations in 2020. All our equipment is top-of-the line and is fixed immediately when broken or replaced when it starts to become run down.

We concentrate on Class III to Class V sections of the river. Our policy of intense training and conservative commercial guiding has resulted in 40+ years of excellent safety records and lawsuit-free rafting.

Wilderness Aware focuses on operating and running things the correct way.  We have set procedures that will ensure that you can have fun on your trips and not have to worry about how to make sure things run smoothly. We also like our guides to enjoy a supportive atmosphere, where everyone gets along and contributes to a team effort. We look for intelligent, personable people, with new ideas that can help our system improve, and have the ability to openly communicate with others.  If these are traits that you feel you possess, we would love for you to submit an application and explore employment opportunities.

See the job description page for the pay scale and our benefits package.

HOUSING? Wilderness Aware owns an 18 unit mobile home park. Guides are assigned to a unit with 2-4 roommates. This park is within biking distance from our office just outside Buena Vista. Many guides do not have cars. All renters pay $1000 (+$100 security deposit) to cover your rent for the season, water, sewer, trash, gas and electric bills for the summer.

INTERVIEW TRIPS: Wilderness Aware sponsors several training trips for inexperienced guides each year. We are trying to encourage experienced guide participation by subsidizing the trip cost by $100. We will offer advice on what works for us and show you policies that keeps our team running smoothly. Our energy is focused on entry level training for inexperienced trainees that will constitute the bulk of the applicants. You will be asked to help head up work crews and guide the harder rapids. Please go to Guide Job Training and Hiring Process to see how and where our interview program operates.

REFUNDS/CANCELLATIONS: Once you are invited and have paid for the trip, there will be a $20 fee for any cancellations if we are able to find a replacement for the spot you are vacating on the interview trip. If we are not able to find a replacement, there will be no refund issued.

In order to be hired, you must complete the application and attend an interview raft trip in the spring. Also, if you have a summary of your river experience, please e-mail us a copy. Be sure to indicate on your application if it is okay to call your present rafting employer. Please see the job description for more details on the position. Also check out the info for inexperienced guide training program to learn more about our trips. Thanks for considering joining us.

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