# Best river to work this summer?



## riojedi (May 23, 2005)

Clear Creek! It's the best river every summer. I'm still looking for another guide/safety kayaker or two for the summer. Shoot me an email with your experience if your interested.

[email protected]


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

gorman said:


> I am looking to work on a river somewhere this summer, Would like to safety or video boat but would raft guide as well. I just wanna be out on the water in a new place this summer...
> 
> Any Suggestions/Job openings?
> 
> ...


Coming out to Colorado? You should come to the Poudre and do some boating.. Good stuff.

Scott


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## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

I think for safety or video boating either the Arkansas, Poudre, or a Summit County/Vail Outfitter that does Gore and such.

Never guided rafting but I know those three rivers are also some of the more commercially rafted probably offering the most work. I am not too familiar with down south though....


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## kevintee (May 7, 2007)

gorman said:


> I am looking to work on a river somewhere this summer, Would like to safety or video boat but would raft guide as well. I just wanna be out on the water in a new place this summer...
> 
> Any Suggestions/Job openings?
> 
> ...


Send an Email or call Lyle @ Renaissance Adventure guides, I believe they are looking for people for this summer.

Renaissance Adventure Guides


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Chris, Clear Creek is fun, but it's not the most beautiful stretch. It's lovingly known as "the ditch" by more than a few guides...

The Arkansas has lots of opportunities for work. In my experience, AVA is a great company to work for and they run Gore if you're at that level. Timberline and Nova are also both known for having pretty solid work for their guides.

If you're interested on the Poudre, there are not many video boaters or safety kayakers on that river. The spots there are are probably taken. However, it's a blast to guide! There are only 5 companies, and despite all the trash talk, all 5 seem pretty solid. Ask what sections they run though, as not everyone runs the class 4 stuff. 

Hope this helps.


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## Force (Apr 27, 2004)

clear creek is the best? you got to be kidding me...

your best bet for lifestyle, living situation, and the kind of work you're looking for is an outfitter on the ark especially if they run fall trips through gore.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Raft bastards on the ark. do the royal gorge if you have any experience if not big horn sheep canyon is hella fun and with this years water there will be carnage for sure. don't work for raven in canon that place is a shit hole. if you want a lot of trips hook up with the bigger commercial companies like raft masters or echo.


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## Matty (May 13, 2004)

Clear Creek? You have to have a hole in your head! or maybe you just got too much carbon monoxide from all the deisel fumes! The only possible way that Clear Creek is the best place to spend the summer is if you need to be close to the city so your stripper girlfriend can keep you in meth all summer.


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## freeheel4real (Aug 29, 2007)

Matty said:


> Clear Creek? You have to have a hole in your head! or maybe you just got too much carbon monoxide from all the deisel fumes! The only possible way that Clear Creek is the best place to spend the summer is if you need to be close to the city so your stripper girlfriend can keep you in meth all summer.


 
sounds like you have experience with that


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## Matty (May 13, 2004)

Why, what did you hear?


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## riojedi (May 23, 2005)

Arks fine if you like boating with your closest friends, all 500,000 of them. Lifestyle??? A bunch of dudes in a tent drinkin' Naty Light, to much fun for me. Or the Green Parrot, hotties in there all the time, way better then The Hill in Boulder.

Left the Ark for Clear Creek in 93 and never came close to missing it. It's not all next to I-70. Short shuttles, variety of runs, easy access to the rest of the state, lot's of strippers (they all guide for me part-time). Oh and the Meth, why go to Denver, Clear Creek County Locals make the Best Meth in the West.

Almost forgot the best part, you get paid for 3-4 1/2 day trips a day instead of 1-2.


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## Matty (May 13, 2004)

riojedi said:


> It's not all next to I-70. .


... true, but you're splitting hairs, all of it is either next to 70 or 6, unless you count the 3/4's of a mile that detour through the trailer park, um, I mean, Idaho Springs.


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## eljim (Sep 19, 2007)

*Maybe raft masters not [email protected]$KIN ECHO!*



caspermike said:


> Raft bastards on the ark. do the royal gorge if you have any experience if not big horn sheep canyon is hella fun and with this years water there will be carnage for sure. don't work for raven in canon that place is a shit hole. if you want a lot of trips hook up with the bigger commercial companies like raft masters or echo.


Talk to me off line. I've been a raft guide and safety kayaker on the ark for 12 years, on the Royal Gorge section, my company does Gore and Pine. If you want the break down send me a PM. Last year my first trip was April 16th and I had three trips at 750 cfs on Sept 5, Clear Creek is sliding over wet rocks 75% of the time.


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## rivermountaingnar42 (May 8, 2007)

*haha*

If you are looking for scenery and a good place to camp, then yea the ark is where its at. if you want to run the gnar. . then go to clear creek. all these people hating on the creek probably just cant run it. lower canyon at high water--> you should def have a saftey yakr. 150ft/mi drop for 5mi. shits a blast! as for being the "ditch", yea it does run all along 1-70 but besides Gore, id say that the lower advance clear creek is some of the gnar rafting in the state. The numbers and pine creek are way sick too! i guess its all on pref. :idea:


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## Peev (Oct 24, 2003)

eljim said:


> Talk to me off line. I've been a raft guide and safety kayaker on the ark for 12 years, on the Royal Gorge section, my company does Gore and Pine. If you want the break down send me a PM. Last year my first trip was April 16th and I had three trips at 750 cfs on Sept 5, Clear Creek is sliding over wet rocks 75% of the time.


What this fuckin' guy said.


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## dugan (May 5, 2006)

Dude, go to West Virginia - season lasts from march to october. Nobody video boats out here. Who wants to pick up gumbies safety boating when you could be pullin tubes and filming carnage. Call ACE or Songer.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

What? Like Silverthorne is so much better, what with the killer Blue river. I very rarely see that run with more then trickle status. You also can't talk about diesel fumes and proximity to I-70 either.

I for one would stay away from the Ark primarily because there is too much competition, especially if its your first year starting out in a company. I've had friends who barely got seat time on the baby trips their first year. The Ark raft guide lifestyle doesn't seem all that great from talking to people if you ask me.

Clear creek seems nice because you could actually afford to stay in an apartment rather then a tent wherever you can find a spot. I love camping and all, but its different then living out of a tent (he says speaking from experience) The mountain elitist guys on here stay away, so you'll get more work too. Plus, the Clear Creek season is longer then you think and its pretty easy to forget that I-70 is right next to you, since the river is usually quite a bit bellow the road.

I think I personally would got to Glenwood though, since the season is long, its a great area, and you should get plenty of work. Maybe not video or safety boater wise, but at least guiding. Might be endless trips down Sho-Sho for most of the year, but it pays the bills. 

Hit up Vail if you can afford it, as they send trips all over the place with Timberline or Lakota and others. They go where the water is and offer lots of different levels of whitewater, so if you get in with them, you could probably do whatever.

Anywhere you go its going to be a good time on the river, its just down to what you want your life outside of work to be like really. Happy hunting, seems like you have a couple of leads with connected people already.

JH


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## Junk Show Tours (Mar 11, 2008)

Yeah, I second spending a summer in West By God Virginia. For sure. I'm not sure I can recommend Ace though. They have a great base with hundreds of acres right on the river, but the only problem (at least it used to be this way) is that they always put in right there, and its a lot of flat water before you reach Cunard. Its not an issue at higher water, but it really sucks at lower water. I'd recommend Mountain River Tours or the Rivermen.


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## MCSkid (Feb 27, 2008)

eljim said:


> Talk to me off line. I've been a raft guide and safety kayaker on the ark for 12 years, on the Royal Gorge section, my company does Gore and Pine. If you want the break down send me a PM. Last year my first trip was April 16th and I had three trips at 750 cfs on Sept 5, Clear Creek is sliding over wet rocks 75% of the time.


Runners just puts gore in the brochure to look cool! living on the dusty, windy hill next to you, allen o and mac, smoking cigs is about the same as suckin' fumes on 1-70. 12 years! are you back on the weed private jim, you can't be counting all those 3 week stints as a year.


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## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

Hood River or WV. If it is raining, the Nantahala - the river isn't exciting but there is park and play after work (and boof if the Cascades are running) and 8 minutes from good MTB at Tsali. 90 minutes to the Green on your days off any then all the other SE rivers and creeks...IF there is water this year. Otherwise you're stuck on Sec. IV, the Nanny, Ocoee and the Green.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Paddle Iraq said:


> Yeah, I second spending a summer in West By God Virginia. For sure. I'm not sure I can recommend Ace though. They have a great base with hundreds of acres right on the river, but the only problem (at least it used to be this way) is that they always put in right there, and its a lot of flat water before you reach Cunard. Its not an issue at higher water, but it really sucks at lower water. I'd recommend Mountain River Tours or the Rivermen.


This is good advice. Plus if you get in good during New River season, you'll have a spot for the Gauley season. Lots of video boaters and safety yakkers out there. Fayetteville is surprisingly chill for being in the heart of West By God. My first 3 tips in WV were #1-jar of blackberry moonshine, #2- $100, #3- 2 lap dances at Southern Exposure. People generally tip better out East, and I don't care what anyone says, Buckeyes are way better than Texans!

If you do work Colorado, you'll be making your money pushing rubber most likely. You should look into the Poudre. It's Colorado's only Wild and Scenic river. It's beautiful and lots of fun. You will have work through August, though the low water is pretty rough... plus you'll be in Fort Collins, so where you would be playing kickball at Kogan's sausage-fest on the Ark, you'll be getting tang like an astronaut in college girl central!


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## rhm (May 16, 2006)

i would go to west virginia too. i guided there from 93 through 2002. it is steady work every weekend, and a few trips during the week. water runs all year long, but the rafting season is basically april through october. makes the colorado boating season look pretty short. no highways beside any of the rivers, but there are train tracks beside the new. the new has such a big watershed that it is always running. the lowest i ever remember it being was 800cfs. however if you get there in the spring, you can do some of the biggest water you'll see anywhere outside the grand canyon. the upper cutoff for commercial rafting is around 33,000cfs, but you can boat it at any level. went once at almost 60,000cfs. the river was pretty much one big 10 mile long wavetrain with 15-20 foot waves, and monster holes that will literally suck you in and kill you.

tips were ok, but the living is so cheap there that you don't need to make tons of money to get by. the problem is if you want to move back to colorado at the end of the season it can be a bit of culture shock when you see how expensive it is here and you don't have a lot of money saved from the summer. 

the best thing about being in wv is that there are so many rivers and creeks less than an hour away. the upper and lower new, top gauley, upper and lower gauley, upper middle and lower meadow, the dries of the new, mill creek, manns creek, the cherry, cranberry and much more. after guiding there it makes the colorado shuttles look pretty long.

the other nice thing about west virginia is warm water. the gauley is nice and cool in the summer because it comes out of the dam, but it is usually just shorty paddling jacket cold. the new is like bathwater. it is a welcome change after paddling in colorado in your drytop all summer long. you can save the drytop for winter paddling.


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## Jason Cox (Sep 16, 2004)

*??*

The ark is a train of rafts eveywhere. Way too many people!! I would go with clear creek. Screw the view the rapids are awesome and water will be sweet on the ditch


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

What do people think about Asheville?


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## rhm (May 16, 2006)

there are a lot of creeks and rivers in western north carolina, but it depends on if you want to boat lots of creeks and rivers, or do you want more of a steady money making guiding job. there are rafting companies in western nc, but i think more are down in the southwest corner of the state near the nantahala area. i've never worked down there, but have kayaked several rivers in the nantahala area. that area is pretty close to the chatooga, and the ocoee, both of which have a bigger commercial aspect than anything near ashville. the tuckaseegee, and the little tennessee river are both real close to the nantahala as well. these are small class 2-3 rivers

i haven't boated any of the runs near asheville though. i think that the french broad runs right through or right beside ashville, the nolichucky is a little north of there near the tennessee nc border. i've heard good things about the nolichucky, but i don't know what kind of commercial season there is there. i think the the watauga is a little farther north than the nolichucky, but by the time you drive from ashville to the watauga, i think you maybe could get to the ocoee or chatooga about as fast. these rivers don't have real big watersheds, but the tva has so many dams in the area, that some of these may run due to dam releases, but i'm not sure which of these are free flowing and which are dam controlled.


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## Full_Tilt (May 3, 2004)

After reading most of your posts here are your options if you want a challenge guide on Clear Creek, If you wanna guide and camp out all summer where safety kayaking and raft guiding is a lot easier guide down on the Ark. Sorry if Im raggin on the Ark guides but Clear Creek is a lot harder to guide on than Pine Creek or the numbers. I watch the big companies train their guilds down on the ark and send them to Clear Creek and everyday on the river, I watch the rookies get rocked by the creak( Part of me wants you to keep doing it for beer Fines as I pull your boats off the rocks!!!)
If I wanted scenery I would have worked for a company on the Grand or Middle fork. Here is a simple notion I raft guide to pay my bills and it makes more sense to do more trips in a day than only be able to do one or maybe two. Remember its a fun Job but its still a job.


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## eljim (Sep 19, 2007)

MCSkid said:


> Runners just puts gore in the brochure to look cool! living on the dusty, windy hill next to you, allen o and mac, smoking cigs is about the same as suckin' fumes on 1-70. 12 years! are you back on the weed private jim, you can't be counting all those 3 week stints as a year.


T? (no he does use computers) true the hill is not for everyone (cranky a$$holes like me, waiting your turn for a girl etc.), I have been a celebrity boatet during that whole tucking you into bed under a blanket of freedom years. I don't need the pot to be stoney, and I don't know if we ran many trips last year in Gore except fun trips. There aren't many commercials crews I would want to run Gore with either, I've flipped a boat guides, twice. You'll find your self on the Class III team in most companies that run Gore. Clear Creek is stompin when the waters up and those kids can run like four trips a day. Not a lot of safety boatin on the ark either, single boat trips on high water in the Gorge, Numbers and of course Pine. It's tuff to double on Pine (maybe AVA is smooth enough to pull it off). Runners won't give you the work you need at the Gorge office, Browns is busy though. Nice camping scene in browns and there are girls who haven't bored 60 over, especially by SKID. I don't know shit about the Poudre. The Royal Gorge is still my fav. In the Gorge, RGR and Raft Masters would be good to you. RGR uses a pantload of kayakers to photo every trip.

Hows school in the Butte, buddy. I'll make a trip to OBJ Mayish and by your girlish hips a beer.


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## &d (Apr 28, 2006)

is there any floating beta on idaho river-rec related work?


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

There are a lot of good choices in Colorado for guiding. I have guided for companies on the Poudre, Eagle, Colorado (Upper), Clear Creek and the Arkansas. For me the loser of the group was the Upper Colorado. It is hot, has big head winds, almost no whitewater, no safety yakers and is fairly isolated. Thankfully I only have guided a handful of trips there. 

I guided for RioJedi last season and would recommend working for him in a heartbeat. Clear Creek has safety kayakers on a regular basis. High water on Clear Creek probably has more rapids per mile than any other commercially rafted class IV in the state. And the 2 big rapids between Lawson and Dumont are absolutely going off at high water - think 17 small back to back drops in a row. On the bad side Idaho Springs is a fairly crappy town, but Golden is close and a much better place to live, and there are probably college sublets there for cheap in the summer. Then Denver is on one side and the mountains on the other - it's a nice balance if you like having the city close.

The Poudre is pretty and is also a good choice, call TJ at Rapid Transit. They don't usually run the harder stuff, but they have a super smooth operation and some of the guides get to run three trips a day. Ft. Collins is a sweet town and you can get a sublet in town for cheap. However there is little or no safety kayaking (or video boating) going on, at least at the two companies I worked for. 

The ark has two main areas - the upper ark near Buena Vista and Salida, and down by Canon City. Both offer steady work, the BV/Salida area is guide central in Colorado. As others have mentioned a few companies here also run Gore - which is one the the classic Colorado runs, not to be missed if you are up for it. Canon city is okay, parkdale (the beginner guide run) is a fairly good place to learn, but the Royal Gorge is much cooler. I think some companies run three gorge trips a day, which would be good cash if you have some expereince. 

I haven't guided on the Animas, but the Upper is supposed to be sweet and should have a long season if you are a solid class IV/V- guide. Durango is a cool town and there is a town run that you can get 4 paid runs a day on from what I've heard.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Call Dave Costlow at Rocky Mountain Adventures in Fort Collins. He needs guides this year, he needs a kayak instructor, and word has it he wants to send a few of his guides from Fort Collins to Clear Creek (he owns MAD too...) during high water. You could live in Fort Collins, guide and yak the Poudre and still get some of that Clear Creek time....

I'm sure there will be some response to this about working for Dave, but you will get paid, and his company is pretty organized. It's not the best company around, but it's not the worst either....


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## riojedi (May 23, 2005)

*Grinding rocks is fun!*

Raftus doing some Clear Creek grinding, 8/14/07, Lower Beaver (aka _Eat the Beaver_).


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## powandflow (Mar 8, 2008)

*Animas*



raftus said:


> I haven't guided on the Animas, but the Upper is supposed to be sweet and should have a long season if you are a solid class IV/V- guide. Durango is a cool town and there is a town run that you can get 4 paid runs a day on from what I've heard.


I think the Animas a great option. The majority of the work will probably be town runs, but there is a lot of sweet stuff in the area (Upper A., Piedra, Deloris, San Juan, Westwater isn't too far away). If you're with the right company, they'll be running some of that stuff too. Once the schools are out, there is a ton of work. And it should be pretty easy to pick up a college kid's place for the summer. If I went back to guiding, I would go back to Durango, hands down! 

Also, Durango is the chillest town around


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

Randaddy said:


> Call Dave Costlow at Rocky Mountain Adventures in Fort Collins. He needs guides this year, he needs a kayak instructor, and word has it he wants to send a few of his guides from Fort Collins to Clear Creek (he owns MAD too...) during high water. You could live in Fort Collins, guide and yak the Poudre and still get some of that Clear Creek time....
> 
> I'm sure there will be some response to this about working for Dave, but you will get paid, and his company is pretty organized. It's not the best company around, but it's not the worst either....


RMA is a generally a good company, they have good guides, they are customer focused and mostly run a well organized operation. They expect their guides to come in earlier and stay later then any other company I have worked for, and while there, as part of the guides per trip pay, they expect you to do things like: pick up trash/cigarette butts, occasionally pull weeds, sweep or vacuum both the guide/staging areas and the retail areas, take out the trash, clean bathrooms, sell photos, fold t-shirts and basically anything else that needs to be done. This is in addition to the usual guide duties of taking care of life jackets, wet suits, booties, helmets, boats and actually guiding river trips. Many, probably most, raft companies only expect the usual guide duties and either don't require or pay an hourly wage for the first list of tasks. 

In contrast Rapid Transit Rafting, also on the Poudre only required the guides to deal with life jackets, helmets, and boats most of the time and paid the same per trip; making their effective hourly wage a lot higher.


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## paulk (Apr 24, 2006)

In contrast with rapid transit and rma, A-1 only expects you to drink heavily and raft.


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