Job Summary:
Serve as whitewater-rafting guides on both paddle and oar rafts, or a canoe guide aboard 34’ voyageur canoes. Will run one- to six-day trips and may be rotated onto any of the rivers ROW runs for which they are qualified and/or licensed. Guides hired as single-day trip guides for the Northern Rivers or Lochsa will work on these rivers as assigned. Work schedules may be erratic and difficult to predict as they are based on bookings. Single-day guide positions offer an opportunity to “get a foot in the door” with ROW, and may be used as a stepping stone for guides who wish to train and be considered for a position as a guide on multi-day trips. All guides are members of a growing company and their primary responsibility is to deal with guests, co-workers and suppliers in a manner which sets the high water mark for hospitality, safety and excellence.

Duties:

1. Safely conveys ROW guests down various Class I-V rivers in either oar rafts, paddle rafts or voyageur canoes. Perform lead and Safety boat duties as assigned
2. Act as a representative of ROW, maintaining a good sense of humor and performing in a positive, professional manner, with a cooperative attitude in all interactions with guests and co-workers
3. Is able to respond to routine guest requests in a polite, helpful manner that makes them feel valued, respected, liked and cared for
4. Is able to engage guests in friendly conversation and some form of entertainment such as cards, horseshoes, storytelling, etc.
5. Leads hikes and/or other activities to enrich the guests’ experience
6. Learns and is willing to present short interpretive presentations to guests. Note: These are specific to each river and typically are 5-20 minute talks on topics such as geology, pictographs, Native Americans and pioneers
7. Learns and is able to cook all the meals on the ROW menu including a variety of hors d’oeuvres, salads, entrees and Dutch oven desserts. Does all associated food organization, dish washing and clean up
8. Sets up tents, tarps, tables, chairs and other camp items
9. Is able to rig and de-rig an oar raft, paddle raft, cargo raft or canoe in a timely manner
10. Packs equipment, unpacks, cleans and puts away all trip gear after trip. This includes cleaning of guide area, main kitchen and guide kitchen
11. Demonstrates a positive attitude and assists the trip leader and other guides in other tasks as needed
12. Reads and adheres to policies and procedures outlined in the ROW guide manual
13. Completes and turns in incident and accident reports when necessary immediately following the incident or accident
14. Participates in any on-river guide meetings, as well as post-trip guide debriefs and addresses outstanding issues
15. Helps market other ROW trips by accurately answering guest questions and to generally direct them to other ROW experiences they might enjoy. Forward the names of "hot trip prospects" for 1-day or longer trips in a timely manner to the office for follow up
16. Repairs damaged equipment
17. Informs management of food and equipment re-supply needs
18. Over the course of the season, completes between 15 and 40 warehouse hours depending on their position as defined in the ROW pay scale
19. On one- and two-day trips, expects to be given and completes assigned tasks while waiting for guests to arrive for trips
20. Develop expertise in an interpretive topic of your choice, by completing a paper or project in an area of interest related to the rivers and canyons where ROW operates
21. Looks for ways to better serve the guest and ROW and bring new ideas to management if it involves policy change
22. Communicates well with co-workers, owners, managers and behaves in a professional manner at all times
23. Performs other duties as assigned

Team Leader Duties and Responsibilities:

A ROW Team Leader will perform all the duties above in addition to:

1. Acts as trainer for new guides. Participates in all training activities
2. Conducts river orientation meetings for guests
3. Selects menu for trip. Shops and packs food, or delegates someone else to
4. Is prepared to pack trip at assigned meeting time
5. Coordinates the duties of guides on the trip, initiates and leads pre-, post- and on-river guide meetings. Does not micromanage
6. Completes and submits accurate, complete trip reports in a timely manner
7. In the event of an accident, takes full charge of scene or delegates that duty if necessary
8. Makes the final call on minor decisions in the event that a consensus cannot be quickly reached
9. Brings issues that cannot be quickly resolved to the attention of the area manager, or operations manager

Performance Standards:
Guides are evaluated on their thoroughness in performing duties, attitude, punctuality, dependability, ability to operate as a team player, initiative, mature judgment, relationships with co-workers, management and guests, flexibility and willingness to learn.

Reporting Relationship: Guides and Trip Leaders report to the Area Manager. In his or her absence, guide reports to the Operations Manager.

Qualifications:
Guides must be at least 18 years old and have current 1st Aid and CPR cards. Guides must have a professional attitude and be willing to learn and accept new ideas. Initiative is highly valued. Must be able to work long hours during rush periods and not be subject to burnout and moodiness. Must work well under pressure and be a team player. Guides must purchase a PFD, river knife, three carabineers, whistle, dry bag, personal first aid kit and, for the Lochsa or Northern Rivers, a wetsuit or equivalent. Must be willing to live out of a tent while on the river, and travel at odd hours. Guides must attend our guide trip and pre-train on every river that they work.

Schedule:
Guides are full time with a varying schedule, according to the dates on the employment contract. Efforts will be made to give guides their requested workload. Special occasion days off and special needs must be negotiated prior to signing contract in order to be guaranteed. Guides may be asked to work more if needed. Vacations are discouraged in July and August, however vacations are encouraged in June.

NOTE:
Assuming that a guide meets the Idaho licensing requirements, it is expected that it will take 1-3 training trips per river before a new hire is able to satisfactorily perform the above tasks and move into a paid position. Since most of our trips are 4-6 days in length, a significant investment of time is required. Particularly for guides with limited oar boat or multi-day experience, this means 3-6 weeks of training and without pay. The number of trips required will depend on the following:

1. Proficiency/experience with oar boats (for guides without prior rowing experience, at least 2 trips will be required)
2. Professionalism in working with guests
3. How quickly the trainee is able to assume a full share of the workload especially with respect to cooking, rigging and camp setup and tear down