The 2024 raft guide training program will run for two weeks (Monday – Friday) in May, specific dates TBD. The whitewater rafting training location will be at our Buena Vista location at 115 Gregg Drive.
Training with Performance Tours is a fun, rewarding, and very demanding experience. Our top 4 trainers have a combined 130 years of experience as river guides/instructors and have developed a program that is second to none. The two-week raft guide training program will cover: river safety, rigging, reading water, maneuvering paddle boats and oar boats, scouting and running rapids, river rescue, teamwork and communication skills with your coworkers and guests, and geography and history of the area.
We ask that you are available from mid-May through at least mid-August, with many guides staying on through early September. You will be required to have a minimum of Basic First Aid and CPR, but higher levels of medical skills and certifications are highly recommended. It is best to have this certification before the raft guide training, but we can help you find a class as needed. Colorado River Outfitters Licensing Statutes and Regulations require all commercial guides to have received a minimum of 50 hours of on-river whitewater rafting training by a qualified instructor. You should expect to have a total of 100+ hours of training by the time you do your certification run with guests. We have very little turnover at Performance Tours and we are primarily interested in hiring guides that are planning on guiding for more than one season.
We conduct interviews, and if you are offered a spot in our raft guide training and successfully complete the program you will be hired for the season. The class size will be limited and applying early is recommended.
During training we will provide all the rafting equipment that is needed. After training river guides are expected to invest in their own personal equipment. We offer a competitive wage and a great work environment. Guides can choose to live on site at Performance Tours or find their own accommodations.
If you are interested in a fun, challenging, rewarding, and demanding position with Performance Tours, please fill out an application online for whitewater rafting training. We will contact you for a phone or in-person interview after receiving your application.
Colorado’s most experienced rafting outfitter since 1986.
Who Is Performance Tours?
