Whitewater guide employment is an important consideration professionally and personally. It is an opportunity for gaining personal skills in the outdoors that is useful for the rest of your life.
Rafting Guide Job Description
Job Summary:
Serve as a whitewater rafting guide on both paddle and oar framed rafts. Guides will run full-day and half-day river trips mainly on the Alberton Gorge of the Clark Fork River (30 min outside Missoula) and Blackfoot rivers surrounding Missoula, MT. Guides’ primary responsibility is to deal directly with our guests and seek to provide the best possible guest vacation experience. Guides are part of a summer bustling company that emphasizes quality service, teamwork, and a fun outdoor working environment.
We own River City Brews and our guides run these trips too!
Whitewater Raft Guide | Adventure Missoula | Essential Job Duties and Personal Character
- Successfully completed Guide School with Adventure Missoula (graduated with both skills and a sense of humor intact).
- Safely guide full-day and half-day whitewater and scenic trips on the roaring Clark Fork River.
- Confidently captain both paddle and oar-frame rafts across a range of rapid levels.
- Maintain high performance standards while keeping things fun, positive, and professional for guests and coworkers.
- Communicate clearly and respectfully with owners, coworkers, and guests.
- Share knowledge of the local natural environment and regional history in an engaging, guest-friendly way.
- Complete all pre- and post-trip duties, including safe and organized gear management.
- Independently pack coolers and food; serve meals to guests on full-day trips.
- Apply general first aid when needed.
- Entertain families and large groups—on the water and off.
- Work well with diverse groups and backgrounds.
- Honest, dependable, and trustworthy.
- Strong team-first mentality (“we” over “me”).
- Capable of working long hours for a 2.5-month season without days off.
- Physically able to walk over uneven terrain and navigate obstacles.
- Lift and transport heavy coolers, equipment, and fully loaded rafts.
- Support the emotional needs of guests in outdoor and high-energy environments.
- Comfortable working in changing weather conditions and extended sun exposure.
- Knowledgeable in backing up trailers (or quick to learn).
- Safely operate large vans with trailers properly attached.
- Detail-oriented when cleaning coolers, dishes, and equipment.
Performance Standards Evaluated Pre-Hire:
Employment is contingent on whether the owner is confident in a person’s ability to safely take customers on river trips. Guides must be able to graduate and successfully complete a Guide School class. Potential employees are evaluated during these experiences on their thoroughness in performing duties independently, retaining a pleasant attitude, ability to read water and hazards, ability to handle gear and rig boats complete and safe, demonstrating dependability, punctuality, personal initiative, flexibility, mature judgment, willingness to learn, and ability to be a team player. Guides need to be able to navigate whitewater with good communication with guests on paddle and oar frame rafts. Guide School is an available opportunity each spring for approved, interviewed, potential new guides prior to the company accepting them as paid employees. It is imperative that potential employees are able to flip a raft and pull themselves back into the boat and carry out other safety performances prior to taking paying customers. Potential employees must be able to lift 80lbs, walk over and on rocks, and be in optimum physical condition for safety reasons. Employees must also meet the following qualifications below.
Pre-Hire Guide School:
Adventure Missoula believes that anyone with the right mindset and skills practice could become an exceptional guide. There are times when potential guides realize the responsibility level isn’t a good fit for them. This is why Guide Schools exist and are offered by our company. This pre-hire Guide School gives the company and the potential employee river experiences to make sure guiding is a good fit for them. Some potential hires are quick learners, others may take more time. Successful completion is individual. It is important to us that potential employees practice and prove they can competently bring guests down whitewater and safely stow and care for equipment and gear. Our company offers potential employees whom have been interviewed and would like to join our team, a Guide School class prior to hire. After successful completion and approval by staff, a hire is officially made when an individual has met a safety and river knowledge level appropriate to the job. At that time, paid river trips begin.
General Qualifications:
Interview with owner and accepted as potential guide for company; send your resume and cover letter to: adventuremissoula@gmail.com
Must be at least 18 years old
Clean driving record and valid drivers license
Must be willing to travel and work on all of the river sections offered by Adventure Missoula and/or River City Brews for the summer and must have a way of communication when away from the office (cell phone).
Must have a professional attitude and be willing to learn and accept new ideas. Must be able to work long hours and not be subject to burnout and moodiness. Must work well under pressure, in inclement weather, and be a team player with grit and perseverance. See Essential Job Duties and Personal Character requirements list above.
Basic CPR/First Aid and/or Wilderness First Responder Certs
Completion and graduation of Adventure Missoula Guide School (First year guides only: 80 hours industry standard, pre-employment) $400; reimbursement plan information is on guide school info page
Hired guides will need:
Purchase various gear: type III lifejacket, river knife, river whistle, good water shoes, cold weather gear if desired (wetsuit or equivalent); purchases may be made through our pro deals upon official hire.
Fish Game and Parks River Guide License, $100 for the season.
Benefits of working for us:
- Free, on-site housing available with hot showers, fridge, kitchen!
- You will get to enjoy the outdoors EVERY DAY you work and go rafting
- We’re located at the put-in for the Alberton Gorge with private parking
- Pro deals, river navigation life skill, gear care and management knowledge from Guide School
- You will have the opportunity to meet great people from faraway places.
- The opportunity to work for a small integrated company with room to grow and develop into other roles
- Surround yourself with active healthy wilderness-minded co-workers
- Pay is dependent on experience plus customer tips (averages 3-6K per season plus tips)
Applicants email resume, cover letter, and 3 references to: adventuremissoula@gmail.com
View more information about our company at: www.adventuremissoula.com
