River Guide Training School

Welcome to the exciting world of whitewater rafting! Whether you want to learn the skills necessary to provide safe, fun river trips for your family & friends; or whether you desire to work in the fun-filled rafting industry, these schools will teach the fundamentals you need. Both our on-site facility on the Rogue River and our water-side base camps on other rivers are supported by teaching aids and all the equipment needed.

These intensive guide schools are taught by the experienced guide staff of Rogue Klamath River Adventures. We use a mixture of outdoor classroom and hands-on experience to build whitewater, camp, and customer service skills. Accepted by many outfitters as approved whitewater guide courses, these schools are widely recognized as excellent preparation for both commercial guiding and rafting on one's own.

RKRA students receive complimentary copies of The Guide's Guide Augmented : Reflections on Guiding Professional River Trips, and The RKRA Guide School Handbook, both of which provide a boatload of invaluable information about guiding smooth, safe, professional, and entertaining river trips.

In addition, a full range of state-of-the-art whitewater emergency and rescue procedures are covered, including:

Scheduled to coincide with the Spring Break of most colleges, this Guide School is designed to train and prepare paddlers looking to work as river guides. With an emphasis on paddle-captain guiding and team-building, this 5 day course will expose your to everything you need to know to seek employment this summer as a beginner guide. Using our base camp to teach essential skills in breakfast and evening sessions, we then apply what we learn all day in the Class III and IV rapids of the Lower Klamath River. Expect to see the classic runs of Otter's Playpen, Rattlesnake, and Dragon's Tooth again and again, as we use repetition to learn from our mistakes and hone our skills.

Similar in nature to our Oarboat School on the Owyhee, this school focuses on the skills and techniques needed to successfully complete a multi-day downriver trip. Perfect for those looking to raft on their own or for those seeking employment as a gear-boat jockey for an outfitter, you will learn all the basics of loading, securing, and piloting a heavy raft downriver. In camp sessions, we will emphasize meal preparation, sanitation, camp comfort, customer service, first aid, and low impact ethics. Floating the National Wild and Scenic section of the Lower Klamath gives lots of opportunity to observe and learn the flora and fauna of Southern Oregon and Northern California. This course is an excellent introduction to downriver rafting.

If time permits, we recommend that prior to our schools; students spend a day playing around in a rental oar boat on a lake. (Even if you are doing the paddle-captaining only school you may enjoy doing this exercise.) When you're in the boat, sit facing the bow and grab hold of the oars. Place your thumbs where they won't get smashed between the oar handles. Breathe deeply. Move the oars around. Maybe dip one to the throat (the point where the blade meets the shaft). Try taking some long, strong, smooth strokes. Practice pushing on the oars (moving the boat forward) and pulling (moving the boat back). Later do some double oar turns (simultaneously pushing on one oar while pulling on the other) turning the boat first one way for awhile, then the other. Through all this try to keep the flat of the oar blades vertical while they're in the water. Continue to breathe, relax, and notice how you're feeling. Just spending this sort of relaxed time beforehand playing around with oars in your hands greatly facilitates learning to row whitewater.

Due to vicissitudes of flow and other variables, the rivers on which we teach are subject to change. We recommend that prior to these schools, participants take courses in first aid and CPR and also that they read everything they can find pertaining to river running. Wetsuits are essential for our early season schools.

(Wetsuits, splash jackets, and booties are available to rent for a nominal fee.)

All schools begin with an after-dinner orientation meeting starting at 6:00pm. Although light snacks are provided during the meeting, the school meals begin with breakfast the following morning. So please plan to eat dinner on your own before our meeting! Full itineraries and other information will be provided upon confirmation of registration.

All school meals from breakfast on full day 1 to lunch on the last day are included, unless otherwise noted.

RKRA generally has a few guide positions open each year, as well as knowing other outfitters who are seeking guides. Successful completion of our Guide School, a current First Aid/CPR certification, and a current Swiftwater or White Water Rescue Technician certification will qualify you to work as a beginner river guide.

1-800-231-0769 or Email Us:

Please Note: All Rogue Klamath River Adventures trips are conducted with the permission, approvals, required permits and licenses, and within the established guidelines of: the Oregon Marine Board; The United States Department of Interior; The Bureau of Land Management - Medford and Vale District Offices, and the Klamath Falls Resource Area; the U.S. Forest Service - Rogue and Klamath National Forests.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RECREATION SERVICE PROVIDER
ALL TRIPS OPERATED ON A NON-DISCRIMINATORY BASIS

Whitewater Guide Schools