GUIDE SCHOOL for Whitewater Rafting

2014 in California may be a bit dry today, but, we will be running our Professional Guide School in March, April, May, and June. Guide School continues because the water will be boatable even this year.



Here is the important information for W.E.T. Professional Guide School:

Bloggy: http://raftwetblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/whitewater-rafting-guide-school.html

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WETriverTrips/videos

Facebook: http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips

Twitter: https://twitter.com/raftwet

Website: http://www.raftwet.com

Otherwise, just call us at 888.723.8938 for more details or questions.
If you call us, the office has a better discount than anything posted!


Photos by: W.E.T. River Trips in Flickr
Photos by: W.E.T. River Trips in Google+

California Rafting - 2012

WET River Trips has just finished their 2011 rafting season. What a long season we had, too! We started on the first Friday in March and kept going until last weekend. Geesh, what a year!


Learn how to guide the river in 2012 with W.E.T. River Trips! "Saving a Person in the River"

Here is the upcoming schedule for W.E.T. for this winter:

• Discounts and promotions for 2012 - this week
• Spring rafting - reservations are being taken now
• Guide school - March through June 2012 (only 12 people per session)
• Marketing our trips
  

Oh my! We do have a rather busy schedule...

Discounts are available and we will allow anyone to reserve on the 2011 pricing as long as they call/email us prior to end of this year. (You don't have to schedule your trip yet; but we advise contacting us about 2012 rafting trips prior to the end of the year if you want the 2011 rates!) That means our old customers and guests will get the best rates! Wooo!

Spring rafting will take place starting March 2, 2012 on Friday. Class 4+ North Fork American is usually flowing by then. Guide school program starts on the same day, March 2, 2012. The classes will go on through June or until newbies stop calling for the guide school information. Six (6) days of instruction or you can do the course in three (3) consecutive weekends.

Guide school is a fun, educational course for wannabe, newbie guides. We provide professional guide school information and execution for every student in our course. Most end up being professional guides for W.E.T. and our other associates.

Marketing continues as we sludge through all the media available to W.E.T. including social media. Yes, WET River Trips is on facebook, twitter, youtube, flickr and so many others that most of us are focusing on the day when all platforms are integrated!

Well... it's been a looooong time on the river for WET River Trips in California... and we look forward towards 2012!


Summer rafting fun with WET River Trips in California's South Fork American

Visit us here: http://www.raftwet.com
Like us here: http://facebook.com/wetrivertrips
Follow us here: http://twitter.com/wetrivertrips
Buy now!: http://raftwet-store.com

All photos and content are property of W.E.T. River Trips for this California Whitewater Rafting W.E.T. River Trips rafting blog.

RED CROSS Hometown Hero Awards for WET Guides!

RED CROSS Hometown Hero Awards for Alex, Jason & Nate
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

On a beautiful June in 2010, our guides were preparing a lunch on a South Fork American river trip for our guests. One of the guests started yelling, "There's a person in the river! He's not moving!"

Alex, Nate and Jason ran down to the river to see a lifeless child moving fast in the swift water. They jumped into a tethered raft, paddled as hard as they could and quickly reached the child.

Life saving measures were executed by these trained professionals with Red Cross training in First Aid, CPR and also Wilderness Responder.

The three guides, Alex, Nate and Jason, brought the child back to life. Alex then ran an adrenalin-pumping one mile up stream over trees, boulders and river to see if there was anyone else in jeopardy. He found the child's parent and their friends and let the Dad know his son was alive and safe.

The Red Cross heard about the rescue through the whitewater rafting community. They verified the story with the regulatory agencies on that river... and then they called our office. As the story unfolded, the Red Cross representative asked our company to submit the information in behalf of the guides.

A Red Cross award ceremony hosted by KCRA TV showed a film with an interview of the guides. A beautiful luncheon accompanied the ceremony honoring Alex, Nate and Jason for being Hometown Heroes!

All three guides have worked for WET for over 10 years or more. They are professionals that put their lives last when it comes to providing a safe environment for our regular commercial guests. They have done river rescues in the past where they have faced death and lived to tell about it.

This rescue saved the life of a young boy who now has an opportunity to share water safety and life saving measures with his friends and family. We hope Joseph has a wonderful future of life, love and prosperity!

Congratulations! to WET River Trips' guides for their incredible rescue that day. Hats off to Alex, Nate & Jason for putting their own lives at risk to save another.

For those of you who dream of becoming a professional whitewater guide, here are some resources for you wannabes:

• Red Cross : First Aid and CPR; advanced training available
• Wilderness Responder : wilderness rescue techniques and life-saving measures
• Wilderness EMT : highest level of wilderness medical training
• White Water Guide School : professional whitewater rafting guide school in California
• Swift Water Rescue : rescue on fast-moving rivers and water; university approved
• Technical Rope Rescue : river bank and vertical scenario rescues

Whitewater Rafting Guide School

The Sierra's have had a first snowfall. Hey, kids! It's that time again. Start researching your options for white water guide schools.

From North Fork American HIgh Water

W.E.T. River Trips is an old rafting company out here in the west. Our guide school is legendary for training serious professional guides. For this year, we start our program the first week of March. Brrrrr. Actually, March is usually a great month with intermittent weather ranging from brilliant blue skies and sunshine to days of rain. (Come on now... professional guides don't whine about the weather!)

From Klamath 2009

From North Fork American HIgh Water

We start early so that when the bulk of the rafting season begins for our guests, you will be bomber at your paddling skills. Deposits and payments are being collected now. Our manager will have overlapping sessions from March through June. But, he wants to limit the numbers to 12 per session. This way you will have a more one on one experience as you mentor with our seasoned guide instructors.

From Klamath 2009

From Klamath 2009

Here is a list of old posts from the past that may help you with making a decision on who to train with and who to approach. Our prerequisites for training with us are on our main website at raftwet.com. Guide School information will be found there. But, take a read on these past funny posts and you will see why our guide school is legendary among the best professional guides in the world. (Yes, we have a lot of fun while you train to be best of the best on the A-List of whitewater guides.)

Guide School and Early Season Rafting:

Guides from UC Berkeley : Alex tells his story about being a guide for WET River Trips

Sunshine is Finally Here : about the early spring sunshine for guide schools

April 8th Weekend : whitewater guide school and glimpses of early season commercial rafting

High Water Gift from Mother Nature : UC Berkeley and early season whitewater rafting

Mikes Story A Man and His Paddle : a personal story about his rafting guide school experience

Toilet Bowl is Back! : spring flows can change a river and how guides rate a rapid

Rafting Guides : whitewater guides celebrate seasonal parties with the company & crew

High School Senior Year! : our lifestyle division leader makes her observation on rafting

WET River Trips Guide School : how-to organize your whitewater guide school plans

Jonny, Jonny BoBonni : long time professional guide gives us a view on WET's guide school

Unbearable Likeness for a New Guide : Heffe shares his guide school experience

Horseshoes, Class 5 Rafting : Senior WET guide tells his story about spring training

Getting Ready for Spring Rafting : winter guide staff info and snowpack updates

Whitewater Guides : annual North Fork American River race (WET wins every year!)

Speedo Sunday, Fun Guides! : outdoor guides having a great time as a team

WET Throw Down : spring rafting challenges on North Fork American Class 4+

WET Whitewater History : da boss reminisces about the past 30+ years with WET

Spring Rafting on North Fork American : 2009 blog about the North Fork American

Now you can see that we have a blast on our white water guide school and early season spring rafting trips. There are so many stories and we want to share that experience with you as the newest member of our guide crew. Bring it on with a great attitude, healthy mind and strong bodies and you will exceed your wildest expectations.

From Klamath 2009

From Klamath 2009

For more information on our upcoming 2012 Whitewater Guide School click on these links:

Rafting Guide School : info on prerequisites for whitewater guide school

White Water Guide School : schedule for upcoming season (new dates posted 11/15th)

Online Store Guide School Buy Now : use the online store after you call us for questions!

Or we can help you by phone at 1.888.723.8938

Call : WET River Trips in California at 888.RAFTWET (888.723.8938) for more info.

Website : raftwet.com

FaceBook Fan pages : Be our Fan! WET River Trips or American River

whitewater rafting in california

whitewater rafting in california
Originally uploaded by W.E.T. River Trips

Oh, don't get me started! I love this river. South Fork American is a jewel of a river in California, USA.

Gold rush history surrounds this river rafting trip with glimpses of the old West. Gold panning is still done by many miners and enthusiasts.

Golden poppies surround the hillsides in the spring. This should be your first whitewater trip. User friendly but absolutely thrilling, many group rafting organize their activities for this whitewater trip.

Group discounts make this rafting trip affordable. Whitewater outfitters provide everything, so it is simple for the guests.

California is blessed with not only incredible weather, magnificent mountains and beautiful oceans, but the rivers that flow in the Sierra Nevada are the magnet that attracts paddlers from all over the world!

See you on the river!

New York City : Kayaking Hudson River

Amazing day on the water today. An opportunity to once again truly become connected with nature. My understanding of the new water (ocean, estuary)  I've been paddling has become stronger, and I keep finding ways to make paddling in the New York Harbor, Hudson River, East River and Harlem River, fun and enjoyable every time. Each time I stretch my comfort zone that much more, and I am remembering what it felt like to be strong in a kayak once again. My weight has dropped and my training for New York City's kayak championship, called the Mayor's Cup, seems real. Today on the water was one of those remarkable days when you feel a boost in your teaching ability. Pardon the egocentric comment, but the feeling was good in a way that made me realize I was contributing in a positive way to those who choose to try kayaking and/or paddling as a sport.

The weather in New York is different. Being from Auburn, CA, where the Middle Fork and North Fork American rivers flow, I'm used to dry California heat. New York is humid and thunderstorms happen in summer. Today, myself and two new kayakers experienced what can happen in the waters surrounding Manhattan. These two ladies were students at Manhattan Kayak Company and had come to do a North/ South kayak tour. That means paddlers head either North or South depending on the currents. First you head upstream, then down, in either direction as the Hudson is not only a river, but a tidal estuary. My two ladies were in a double kayak as they were training for a huge sea kayak trip to Alaska. We started paddling and went North. It was 1:30, and we needed to paddle against the current no longer than to 3:00 PM so as not to have to come back against tidal current. If we headed South by 3:00 PM, we would get slack tide and not have to work too hard.



The energy of the group was to really go for a nice long paddle and get some good experience and I went out in focus of the moment. We crossed the river and paddled up the New Jersey side. That was their first river crossing and they were excited. This was the 3rd time for both of these ladies in a kayak and they had never paddled out of Manhattan Kayak's backyard. A haze hung over Manhattan as we paddled. Strokes were worked on including the forward, sweep and draw. In addition we practiced connection of strokes and paddling style. The decision was made to no longer use the rudder and the two really needed to start working together, and they did, strongly.

We turned around after probably an hour and a half. We had paddled by many of things characteristic of maritime scenery. Pilings, industrial buildings, barges, boats, parks, and Midtown Manhattan. As we paddled back, it began to sprinkle and felt wonderful. I took the ladies out to the middle of the river to experience being surrounded by enormous amounts of CFS flowing. We floated on top of it all and the weather worsened. A Cruise Ship was close to leaving as we passed it and lightening started to hit. We were very close to getting home at that point, within a mile I would say. There wasn't a place to stop and some critical points needed to be passed, including the Water Taxi Terminal, or Ferry Terminal.

The paddle back to the boathouse was against current; we had been out for enough time for the current to switch directions. We were heading back with a slight current against us and a headwind. The rain was kicking and the power of the Thunder Storm became massive. Various streaks of lightening and powerful sounds of thunder, then the wind really increased. It was at this point that we needed to cross the ferry terminal. We waited it out for a moment for one ferry to pass and we charged hard. It was powerful out there and we put our heads down and are bodies in an aggressive position to face the wind and continue moving forward. Nearing the end of the crossing, the worst of the storm appeared and we were hit by a 50 mile per hour gust. My two ladies were blown back 20 feet easily in that gust; just into the ferry terminal. The gust died a bit and we needed to move though while we had the opportunity. It was there that they continued their assault as a team.

Twenty minutes later were back on the dock with a storm that was calming down. I was happy as any teacher watching two student paddlers improve with leaps and bounds, and while pushed out of their comfort zone as beginners, they had the mental strength to get them through. At the end, they seemed full of joy and excitement. I felt this was a positive day on the water.

Theo from NYC 's Tidal Estuary via New York Harbor... paddlers never stop paddling!

Theo is a whitewater rafting guide for WET River Trips; also a bomber kayak instructor!

GUIDE POST from Berkeley (Bezerkeley)

Well, now that I have a little time in between working all day on the river, and writing papers all day for school, I figure I will take a break to briefly document some of last summer’s better adventure rafting trips. The year started off very well for the W.E.T. crew, completing the 2 day run of Generation and Giant Gap on the North Fork American River. Along with several other W.E.T. guides, notably J. Orban and Data Dax, we made the 5 mile hike into the Generation Gap with some Kayaker assistance (Heffe, fem Alex, and The Wolf), and put on at a perfect spring flow on a perfect spring day.



The Generation Gap has been run multiple times before in rafts, but was still a very challenging class V run, involving a few good portages, some quality boxed-in canyons, and Wolf-scouted rapids called “lefty lefty, scrapey scrapey.” (Note from WET staff: LOL!) On the second day we reached the confluence with the North Fork of the NoFo, and got a healthy boost in water to run the Generation Gap with somewhere a little under 2000 cfs. (For the record the Kayakers portaged Locomotive, and we styled it in the raft with Orban guiding). The run finished with no mishaps, a few sketchy backwards moments, and a bunch of tired, cold, hungry, and happy guides.



The highlight of summer boating was without question Wolf and my descent of Upper Cherry Creek. With little argument about attempting to make the six to ten mile hike, and nine mile high Sierra run, The Wolf and I set out in the Toyota searching for steep drops, big hits, and granite super highways. After receiving great beta from veteran rafters such as Guy (“you’re going to die”), we were fired up to check out what the upper Tuolumne tributary had to offer.

Along with us, and central to the success of the trip, was Fem Alex and adventure dog Marley, who provided quality ground support and photography. To my best knowledge, Upper Cherry has been run maybe three other times in rafts in the last five or so years. While we were not the first raft to make it down the run, I am almost positive that we did make the first decent in a bucket boat. The Wolf Special, a 10 foot, superlight, all black, two thwart, PVC bucket boat, was the perfect inflatable to boat this run in.



We set out early in the morning with a heavy load and a long day ahead. Before leaving on the trip I struck a deal with Wolf, where I would carry all gear for the trip (food, sleeping bags, first aid, throwbags, repair, top-off pump, ect.), if he would carry the boat. Good to his word, Wolf hauled the raft with a camstrap like a purse, while I managed the hike in with a hefty drybag load. Without any major incidents we hit the river around 3:00pm, and then made the hike up into Cherry Bomb gorge to begin our run.

Due to anticipated lower flows, we opted out of hiking into the section above Cherry Bomb because we didn’t want add miles of additional portages to our trip. As expected, we had a fairly low flow, which made for a great amount of water for exploring the run. Our first set of rapids involved a 200+ yard slide, into a boxed-in teacup section. Luckily both Wolf and I have had extensive slide and waterfall practice up on South Silver Creek, so we were fairly prepared for how the GI Jane bucket boat would handle down the drops. Even with our foreknowledge, I think we were both surprised at how deep you can go in a raft when you’re full of water going over teacups. After an extremely long first day, we camped just below the drop known as “Dead Bear,” and enjoyed a spectacular high Sierra evening.



The next morning we awoke like little kids on their birthdays to about a mile and half of read and run class 4+ slides and small drops. The highlight of day two was probably a 35 ft. off-vertical falls, into a picturesque, Shangri-La pool. This one was so fun, Wolf and Fem Alex hauled the boat back up the granite cliff for another run.

The entire trip went without mishaps. While there are several significant portages on the run, (dependent on flow), we were probably able to boat about sixty percent on the water, which was much better than what I had in mind when we set out. We managed to make it to Cherry Lake around 5pm just in time for a healthy three mile paddle across the flat-water. To top the run off Wolf ran the seven mile shuttle up the ridge to our cars, cruising in to pick us up at 9:30pm, just in time to make the 1:00am Denny’s crowd in Jacksonville, and our 8:00am South Fork American rafting trips the next morning. All in all it was an outrageous summer full of good times on the water.

Hope everyone had a good rest this fall and winter, so we can gear up and go big this coming spring. Also mad props to Wolf’s Tunnel Chute flip for some of the best rafting photos I’ve ever seen.



Note: Thank you Alex for the memories! WET crew is ready for rafting! Cya all on the water!

North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run - NOFO

"We're all just rocks on the beach waiting to become gravel and sand ... life is in the tumbling!" ~~ Words of Wisdom by Big PoppaJah ~~

It's snowed down to 3,000 feet and the W.E.T. River Trip guides are off the couch and just did the Class 4+ North Fork American Chamberlain Falls run at 1,600 cfs! Woot!



Country Mike, Heffe, Kyle, Booty, Alex H., Bird, and some other kooks hit the NoFo a few days ago after the big storm. Mack went kayaking on Shirt-tail Creek (Shirt-tail is a little class V run that flows into the North Fork American River right above the NoFo at Yankee Jim's Bridge (about mile 4.5).

So, I reported recently: It's on! The buzz in out there: the 2009 whitewater season is up and running and will just get better and better. The first weekend of this month, we're taking a sprint up to the far North to hit at-least two rivers in three days and do some scouting for Spring Training and Guide school.



Back to the "rock" comment: we just don't realize our potential unless we shake (tumble) it up a bit. We'll never get a polish or become what we are destined to be unless we shift, move, and change. Whitewater does that. Even Stephen Covey of the "Seven Habits" genre, now attributes his interpretation of "Permanent Whitewater" and an explanation of a healthy lifestyle and mind-set.

"Permanent Whitewater: We live in a constant, churning, changing environment. In turbulent white water, every single person must have something inside them that guides their decisions. They must independently understand the purpose and guiding principles of the team or organization. If you try to mange them, they won't even hear you. The noise, the roar, the immediacy and urgency of all the dynamic challenges they face will simply be too great."... Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit (recently released: "Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs.")

Jump on a river, a mountain, a wave, a trail, or just move. You might get "tumbled" and hopefully you will ... knocking off the rough edges, giving you a balance, and a nice shine! Bring that group of friends! Shine on! Rock on! Keep tumbling ...until the sand won't move anymore!

In the immortal words of Wolf (hanging in Belize right now): 'WHITEWATER!"

GO WITH THE FLOW CALIFORNIA!

California is amazing. Go with the flow....and "flow" happens.

The rest of the US is locked in ice, flood, and freezing wind. This past week California weather has enjoyed high temperatures in the mid-to high sixties and even the Sierra Nevada have seen highs in the 50's. The skiing and snowboarding is great. Rafting trips and kayaking adventures are happening everyday. 2009 rafting season is starting up! We have more rain and snow is coming our way.

In the meantime, we're loving the weather and sipping the lemonade that the planet has produced for our geographic corner of the world. Even the ski resorts have gone with the flow with sundecks and "beach-style" recreation like volleyball added to the lodge activities, skiing and snowboarding.

The whitewater season will be big fun in the " Warm California Sun" (the Ramones version)! Hey Ho, Let's go!

Lyrics:: Ramones - California Sun
Well I'm going out west where I belong
Where the days are short and the nights are long

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I Shimmy and They Shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, I'm going out west out on the coast
Where the California girls are really the most

When I walk and They walk I Twist and They Twist
I shimmy and They shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

Well, the girls are frisky in old 'Frisco
A pretty little chick wherever you go

And I walk and They walk i twist and They twist
I shimmy and they shimmy I fly and They fly
We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

We're out there having fun in the warm California sun

CH CH CH CHANGES

31 years ago, I became a river guide and I worked for an whitewater outfitter. After finishing my under-graduate degree and getting my first teaching job, I was 22 and had worked no less than full-time for the previous six years. So it was natural to work hard; loading gear, buying food, packing food, driving long distances, unloading, pumping up rafts, rigging rafts, loading gear into rafts, cooking meals for large groups of clients, and rowing 17' rafts with overnight gear and 4-6 clients down class 3 and 4+ whitewater ... it seemed like a vacation. It was. It is.

I immersed myself into a dual lifestyle as a professional educator and professional raft guide (soon to be outfitter). Within two short years, the big gear/oar rafts were rarely used and W.E.T. River Trips , along with a small handful of outfitters, started to use small (under 14') paddle rafts and one-day trips became more and more common and in demand.) Not long after, we started to use self-bailing rafts and to commercially run class 3 to 5+ river trips that were never available to the outfitted public. We also started to run bigger trips and rafted as many as five rivers simultaneously. The bar was raised and our clients met the challenge. The whitewater industry has continued to adapt and meet the interests of the clients. All along the route, the guides were there.

Today, W.E.T. River Trips has expanded and refined a menu of rivers that fills the range of class 3 to 5 whitewater with new, modern equipment, new vehicles, amazing meals, and the very best guides in California (and that means that they are World-Class!).

I'm now in my 32nd year in education and last season, I loaded gear, bought food, packed food, drove long distances, unloaded gear, pumped up rafts, rigged rafts, loaded gear into rafts, cooked meals for large groups of clients, and went down a few rivers. It still feels like a vacation and a privilege to be involved in what WET does. All season long, the guides came through.

In between 1978 and 2009, I've been lucky ...marriage, fatherhood, punk-rock, rewarding career, skateboarding, kayaking, back-country skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, motorcycle racing, soccer-dad, ballet-dad, swim-dad, health, laughs, love, friends, good health, teaching, school administration, and school restructuring...through it all there has always been whitewater rafting with beauty, thrills, sun, laughs, fear, and the ever-changing cast of guides

I no longer kayak or back-country ski (I was just not that good). My ancient mountain bike is a wreck. My skateboard is now "collectable". I'm now a hipster-dad. I've got fresh snowboard gear and I haven't missed a season since 1984. I don't race motorcycles anymore, but I still ride (the best way to do river shuttles!). The blood pressure is still awesome and Burning Man was big FUN this year!

What strikes me with a sense of consistent satisfaction through all of the years is my interaction with river guides as co-workers, workers, friends, and family. This last month I had the chance to enjoy the holidays with four river guides that were on my very first river trip, and that I later worked with. Jack, Randy, and Rich still talk big smack!

Some guides have been with us for over 20 years, others 15 years, and some others have been with us 10 years and less. Each of them has been special, unique and each of them usually presented a challenging relationship that inevitably was rewarding. I've seen maturity, intelligence, good luck, bad luck, and circumstances affect their respective lives. And our guides continue to evolve and I'm amazed at what incredible adventures continue to unfold for them.

Just this year, Justin stopped brokering mortgages and went back to guiding full-time and is surfing in Costa Rica having fun. Country Mike is now a father, (last year, Jason, Andrew, and Jonny also joined the ranks of parenthood). Wolf became a substitute teacher. Kyle has finished his credential. Bird graduated from culinary school and moved to Oregon. Booty shreds the Sierras. Mac worked on the Emmy-winning reality show, "The Deadliest Catch" as a videographer. Chris Z. had his photos published in Outside Magazine. Harpo is selling his restaurant to become a firefighter, purely out of boredom for the culinary set. Solly is poised to be a high school principal. K-Dawg is ready to transfer to UC Santa Barbara. Alex H is graduating from UC Berkeley. D-Rex is working in Colorado. Maggie has an office job while she finishes up at UN Reno. Meg is working with special needs kids in Maine. Jon C. graduates this year after winter "study" in Salt Lake City. Heffe is moving to Oregon to follow... LOVE. Some will go and new guides will come into the family.

Guides come. Guides go. Guides come back ...but, guides are always tied by the bonds of rivers, whitewater, the work, the play ...the life. Life is good and 2009 rafting will be epic!

W.E.T. THROW DOWN : Rafting

I know it's been a lazy winter when I'm ready to quote Bobby Flay from the Food Network: "Are you ready for a Throw-Down?"



Except we're not talking about ribs or apple pie... we're down with white water rafting!

No more talk and no more posing.  Sooner than you know and the Party starts. Plan now for those group trips and and early runs on the Class 4+ North Fork American. With our "Perfect Storm" under our belts and on the upper slopes, we know we'll have run-off from the snowpack and melt will make our spring rivers a gush and foam with whitewater. (Note: check Leon's site for incredible shots of North Fork waterfalls & conservation info)

This is also a time for us to look to our guides and staff to gear-up for the "throw-down" that the Sierras, Cascades, and Siskiyou Mountain ranges have in store for us. Veteran and new guides can't just jump into a raft from the couch (Ok...I do; but, getting off the couch is major work, and I get warmed up that way). 

Rafting guides, drivers, food buyers, managers, and sales staff need to get psyched for the Big Show and 2009 river rafting looks to be awesome. Our Guide School for rafting will take place early in the Spring and will allow even 1st year guides to become seasoned veterans by May and June. Schedule dates are posted and some will start as early as March 13, 2009.

The Guide School allows the veteran staff to share their acquired knowledge and skill sets with new and old guides alike (yes...and have a freakin' awesome time while doing it!). And we also take care of your outdoor gear, too... though, as a guide, you really should have your own, puppies).

By all accounts, our guide school last year was Epic (wasn't it K-Dawg?). 2009 rafting can only be bigger and better (except, Wolf is not allowed to chew open any more glow sticks!). We'll even have plenty of propane (we had a little propane-prank last year...). 

W.E.T. River Trips' date schedules are flexible and reactive to flows and snows (last year we did five rivers in six days). So if you want to gain the skills of a commercial river guide or you are a guide that needs to get to know us, the Guide School is for you!

Bring It! Throw it Down! Less than three months to lift off!

Now, let's see what the Iron Chef is cooking with tonight!