Guide registration is only done through a personal conversation with one of the owners: Dan Bechtel or James Wilkes.
Email us at guides@durangorafting.com to start the conversation. We look forward to speaking with you because this job rocks!
The San Juan National Forest, 
mountain biking, Fort Lewis College and Durango night life are a few of the reasons to consider a raft guide job with Mountain Waters!
Mountain Waters Rafting is looking for energetic young people who are looking for a job as a river guide in Durango, Colorado. Pay ranges from $7 to $10 per hour plus tips. Working outside in the sunshine on the river is a great way to spend your summer and earn money!
We…..
Mountain Waters Rafting will be conducting guide training during the month of May and June. A good attitude and a desire to work with the general public is all that you need to get paid to be on the river. Guide registration is only done through a personal conversation with one of the owners: Dan Bechtel or James Wilkes.
Email us at guides@durangorafting.com to start the conversation. We look forward to speaking with you because this job rocks!
We will be doing our first of 2 hiring clinics
9:00 AM, Saturday May 5th at 21516 US Highway 160 west of Durango, Colorado (.6miles) behind the Jiffy Lube. Dale Womack will conduct the training and the following week will take the crew on the Upper Animas Camp Set up trip May 11-13. The second hiring clinic will be held 9:00 AM, Monday June 4th at the same location. We plan to hire a total of 15 to 20 trainees.
New guide training will cost $490. If you work full time for the 2 summers of 2012 and 2013 the $490 will be reimbursed.
Class size is limited to the first 12 participants. Additional classes may be added if interest warrants it.
First Aid certification and a current CPR card are the state of Colorado’s minimum requirements along with 50 documented hours of on water training.
Additional Certifications get you a higher pay rate and priority scheduling.
Wilderness First Aid course is 3 days (27 hours) and will be held March 30-April 1, 2012. Cost is $250 which includes CPR. The course is taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). See below for class information.
Swift Water Rescue Technician Unit 1 (SRT1) course is 3 days (27 hours) and offered three times: Apr 10-12, 2012, May 11-13, 2012 and again on June 8-10, 2012. Cost is $400 and taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). See below for class information. Certifications are provided by Rescue 3 International.
Swift Water and Wilderness First Aid are not required courses to be hired by Mountain Waters, but the skills will be needed to become a trip leader and we follow the protocol taught in these classes.
Beginning May 1st, 7:30 A.M. you are welcome to come by and jump on a rafting trip to get a first-hand experience on your future job description. Please check in at our booth location, 643 Camino Del Rio in the Albertson’s parking lot, 970-259-4191 to check on availability.
Additional classes on area flora, fauna, geology, history, wildlife, fish, Mesa Verde, and the train will be held in the evenings in June.
We hope you will consider becoming part of our river family!!!
Sincerely,
Dan Bechtel & James Wilkes
The international certification standard for river and flood rescue course is 3 days (27 hours) and offered three times: Apr 10-12, 2012, May 11-13, 2012, June 8-10, 2012. Cost is $400 and taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com).
This is a 27 hour course over 3 days. Four hours on the first day is spent in the classroom, (video, lecture). The remaining time is spent learning and practicing skills in and alongside the river. Participants are totally involved in shallow water crossings, river swims, swimming rescues, shore based rescues, boat handling and boat based rescues. A written test must be completed and each participant must demonstrate skill competency to receive certification.
The course is arduous and fatiguing and all subjects are taught regardless of weather. Participants should be in reasonable physical condition. Needed are a full wetsuit or dry suit, a Type 3 or 5 PFD and a light climbing or kayaking helmet. Lunch, snacks and fluids for each day. Optional suggestions are light gloves, fins and any agency rescue gear for practice use in rescue scenarios. Wetsuits may be rented. Also bring pen and paper, and a willingness to learn.
Recertification is accomplished by attending another SRT1 class within a 3 year period. Certifications are provided by Rescue 3 International.
The course is taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). For information, call 970-903-8355 or e-mail Aaron Ball.
This Wilderness First Aid course is designed to prepare participants to provide effective medical care in a wilderness setting. The course focuses on major trauma, minor trauma, and selected environmental related problems. An outline of the course schedule is listed below. The majority of this course is hands-on skills practice and simulations; lecture is limited to basic anatomy and physiology. A Wilderness First Aid completion card is given to each participant at the end of the course.
This course may also be used to recertify Wilderness First Responder certifications. To receive certification, graduates must complete a Wilderness Medicine Training Center online exam within two months of completing their WFA course. Wilderness First Responder certifications must be current and be through an approved wilderness medicine provider. You may contact Southwest Rescue for more information if you are interested in this option.
CPR certification will be offered with this course as an additional evening session. This course will focus on common wilderness CPR situations and specific treatment to remote settings.
The course is taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue. For information, call 970-903-8355 or e-mail Aaron Ball. The course is recognized by La Plata County Search and Rescue and all state and federal agencies. Certifications are provided by the Wilderness Medicine Training Center.
Day 1
• Opening & Course Paperwork
• Course Introduction
• Trauma Assessment & Treatment (Critical Systems)
• Body Defenses
• Patient Assessment System (PAS), Part 1
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Lab & Simulations
• Demo and assign cut T-shirt rolls
• Evening Session: Wilderness CPR with exam
Day 2
• Sunburn, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke, & Electrolyte Sickness
• Hypothermia
• Near Drowning
• Allergies & Wilderness Toxins w/ Injection Lab
• Wilderness Medical Emergencies
• Mini Medical Simulations
• Wounds & Lab
Day 3
• Spine Ruling Out Process
• Stable & Unstable Musculoskeletal Injuries
• 1:1 Extremities Splinting Lab
• Dislocations
• Patient Assessment System (PAS) Part 2
• Final Simulations
• Course Debrief & Closing
