River Academy - Rafting guides’ camp – Class V
Learn how to guide on big volume rivers. Our camps take place in Nepal, India, Patagonia, and on the mighty Grand Canyon.
No need to be a super-hero, these camps are an opportunity to broaden your horizons and acquire new skills
How does it work
Totem Adventure organizes Rafting and Kayaking expeditions in the 5 continents since 1988. We do our best in order to pass on all our Know-how, which we have built during all these years.
This camp allows you to participate and learn hands-on how to run an expedition from A to Z. All the trainees are together on their own raft, which they will take turns guiding under the supervision of one of us. Everyone takes an active part in the expedition.
There will be some time allocated for feedback, debriefing and theory for each participant on a daily basis.Cultures
Often we have to deal with people whose language we don’t understand and who have cultures completely different from our own. (For example in the Himalayas).
To know several languages and to be good communicators can become very useful.
Requirements
What does a guide need to know in order to accompany a group on an expedition?
It is necessary to learn how to guide read&run on big volume rivers, whether on a paddle raft, on oars, or on gear rafts. It is crucial to know how to navigate in a team, to work with a safety kayak, with cataraft, gearraft etc. and manage critical situations in difficult water.
To work with people for 2/3 weeks is a completely different ball game than working half day trips on a river on which we run the same section every day. It is fundamental to learn how to manage such a long term group in a positive way.
We are in the wilderness, in remote areas.
To know an eventual plan B in case things go wrong can become vital.
Your skills
We also need to have several skills in camp, like to start a fire also when it is raining, dig a toilet, build shelters. A good expedition raft-guide is also a good cook. He can create menus which suit the group with the recourses he has at hand.
He knows how to buy, pack water-proof, keep fresh and cook the food for several days, also for groups with different needs. (vegetarians, food allergies).
Expedition guides need to have a sound know how in wilderness first aid and ability to keep hygiene under control in the camps in order to keep everyone in the group healthy.
Maybe all this seems complicated, but in reality it isn’t. It is a job like any other, which you can learn by doing.
What you need is passion and dedication, but what the River gives us in return has no price!
Come and join us on the next expedition!
