AVA Guide School: How to go from a Rookie to a Guide Pro

Now that the brunt of winter is behind us the weather is getting warmer, the sun is out more and it's now the time to get your summer plans together! In Colorado one of the main summer time activities is whitewater rafting. Rafting in Colorado is plentiful due to the huge amount of snowfall the state receives in the winter, whether you're a Class V private boater or beginner looking to take their first commercial trip Colorado has a rafting trip for you! Sounds like fun, right? For those of you who are skeptical of joining a trip or for those interested in our guide school here is the experience you can expect from our AVA guide school.

Here at AVA we strive to host and maintain the best guides in the industry and our school is a representation of that with each guide receiving between 150-250 hours of training over the course of three weeks. The school starts off with a day on the water from the guests point of view and then immediately moves into a demanding training schedule on day two. Over the course of three weeks guides will receive extensive training in rigging and maneuvering the vessel, reading river currents and waves, river hazards, types and causes of rapids, river rescue and much much more. Once the three weeks are over and you have passed your check out run you have completed guide school and will move from a trainee to potential hire. The reason our guide school is considered one of the best is because our school requires 3-5 times more training then the state minimum (50 hours). In addition our school is compliant with AHRA standard for guides which is one of the most highly regulated standard in the world.

Feel at ease with our raft guides, who love what they do and know exactly what they're doing.  For more information on our guides, guide school or the trips we offer feel free to give us a call at (800) 370-0581. Have a great rest of your winter and we will see you on the water this summer!