Jobs
Welcome Future Guide!
[Looking for the guide registration form? Click here.]
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 (including tips) ranges from $7 to $10 per hour. Working outside in the sunshine on the river is a great way to spend your summer and earn money!
A Few Facts About Our Company
We…..
- Are locally owned and operated in Durango, Colorado.
- Aid in Search and Rescue for La Plata County, Colorado.
- Offer Lower Animas trips daily from Mid May through the end of August.
- Provide 1 and 2 day Class IV – V trips on the Upper Animas River (from Silverton) as well as on the Piedra River.
- Provide guided Lower Animas oar and paddle boats, as well as (sit on top) and inflatable kayak trips.
Our guides have had classes in…
- Southern Ute Indian Heritage and Culture
- Mesa Verde and Ancestral Pueblo People History
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad History
- Plant and Animal life, especially along the Animas River
- Local History, with a focus on Durango
- Hospitality and Public Relations
- Injury Management and Prevention
2010 Training
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. Call Candice Reeve now for more information at (480) 707-3320, or e-mail guides@durangorafting.com.
We will be doing our first of 2 hiring clinics 
9:00 AM, May 8th at 21516 US Highway 160, Durango, Colorado, behind Durango Jiffy Lube on the way to Cortez.. Dale Womack will conduct the training and the following week will take the crew on the Upper Animas Camp Set up trip May 14, 15 and 16. The second hiring clinic will be held 9:00 AM Friday June 5th at the same location. Candice Reeve, our head trainer, will be conducting this training. We plan to hire a total of 15 to 20 trainees.
New guide training will cost $390. If you work full time for the summer of 2010 and 2011 the $390 will be reimbursed. If you have a desire to guide and cannot afford the $390 up front we can work out a payment plan.
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 required. A Wilderness First Aid course will be held May 25, 26 and 27th, 2010. Cost is $285 which includes CPR. The course is taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). See below for class information.
Swift Water Rescue training will be offered June 1-3 by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). See below for class information.
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 15, 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,
Casey D. Lynch
Detailed Class Information
Swift Water Rescue Technician 1
The international certification standard for river and flood rescue will be offered in Durango, Colorado.
This is a 30 hour course over 3 days or 4 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. Three day SRT1 courses meet from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Four-day SRT1 courses meet 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the first and last day scheduled and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the other days.
Recertification is accomplished by attending another SRT1 class within a 3 year period.
The course is taught by Aaron Ball of Southwest Rescue (www.southwestrescue.com). For information, call 970-903-8355 or e-mail Aaron Ball.
Wilderness First Aid
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 download and complete a Wilderness Medicine Training Center 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: Tuesday, May 25
• 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: Wednesday, May 26
• 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: Thursday, May 27
• Spine Ruling Out Process
• Stable & Unstable Musculoskeletal Injuries
• 1:1 Extremities Splinting Lab
• Dislocations
• Patient Assessment System (PAS) Part 2
• Final Simulations
• Course Debrief & Closin
