Raft Guide School
Try something new this spring break – spend your days on a river learning to be a raft guide. NOC, one of the first whitewater outfitters in the US, runs a weeklong guide school every spring at its adventure center in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. The school is designed for prospective river guides or anyone interested in acquiring whitewater guiding skills. It is also a terrific way to spend a week out of the classroom, and teaches students hardcore guiding skills as well as risk management, leadership, and decision-making skills.
During your week on the river at NOC you will learn
paddle techniques, river rescue, equipment maintenance, risk management and emergency river procedures. After a dryland training session, your days will be spent on the river learning safety skills, paddles strokes, how to read whitewater and river formations, catch eddies, and paddle confidently leading your crew. The picturesque Nantahala river provides the perfect setting for learning to guide a raft.
Guide School is offered from February 26 to April 15 and again in October in weeklong sessions on the Nantahala River at NOC. The cost of $375 includes lodging, meals, equipment and transportation for all the school's activities. Students stay in bunkhouse lodging at NOC's adventure resort that includes three restaurants, a world class paddling school, famous Outfitter's Store and more. An optional CPR and first aid training course. Is available to students at the end of the course. Those who complete NOC's Guide School will be given preferential consideration for employment at NOC for the summer's rafting season.
A Different Approach to Spring Break
Every year it's the same picture: crowded Florida beaches and expensive hotel rooms. Rejuvenate yourself this spring break in the Smoky Mountains. This natural playground offers myriad opportunities for hiking, cycling, paddling and any other outdoor activity you can imagine.
NOC, located in the spectacular mountains of Western North Carolina, plays host to thousands of paddlers each year who come to kayak, canoe or raft the best rivers in the southeast. The adventure resort, headquartered on the banks of the Nantahala river, features multiple lodging options from hillside cabins to bunkhouses and tents. An array of dining options at NOC awaits the spring-break traveler, too, including a riverside café, casual mountain fare, or fine dining.
The famous Appalachian trail crosses through NOC and many other hiking trails abound. College cycling teams visit NOC each year for unparalleled road and mountain biking, including on the renowned singletrack of nearby Tsali Recreation Area. If you're looking to try something new this spring break, learn to kayak at NOC's Paddling School. NOC's team of expert instructors includes champion paddlers and former Olympians. NOC’s unique Rapid Progressions teaching format guarantees students learn necessary paddling skills.
Profiles
Gregg Hauser: Raft Guide and Sales Coordinator
After graduating from college, Gregg Hauser came to Nantahala Outdoor Center to have a fun job as a "summer sabbatical."
"Four years later," he said, "I'm still here."
Hauser finished his business marketing degree at University of Minnesota Winona State and began coordinating overnight rafting trips at the legendary Chattooga River. He quickly began learning to guide rafts on the river's challenging Class IV and V rapids.
Each summer season Hauser returned to guide and now he works year round in sales and marketing. Since coming to NOC, Hauser has also become an expert kayaker, taking lessons from the expert instructors who work at NOC.
"I've stayed here because of the lifestyle," he said. "It's a great place to work—it never really feels like work."
Mary Kelley: Raft Guide
Mary Kelley grew up near NOC in Sylva, North Carolina, and joined NOC in the summer of 1998. Eight years later, she is still with NOC.
Kelley worked at NOC while she studied travel and tourism at nearby Western Carolina University. She took advantage of the diverse opportunities at NOC – working as a raft guide and retail store manager, ropes course instructor and recruiter in the human resources department. Just this season Kelley decided to leave her full-time HR work to work this winter at a Colorado ski resort and will return to guide on the Chattooga River in the spring. She keeps returning to those who have become family.
"I think I have grown as an individual through NOC's family-type environment," she said. "There is a lot of support and drive at NOC to excel and do your very best."
Nantahala Outdoor Center is a unique, employee-owned outdoor adventure company. NOC helped define the emerging whitewater industry from the early 1970s, and has grown into a full adventure resort offering a wide variety of outdoor recreation in the beautiful southeastern Appalachian mountains.
Activities:
- Whitewater Rafting on 6 southeastern rivers
- Kayak and Canoe Paddling School
- International Paddling Destinations
- Mountain and Road Biking
- Group Adventure Programs
- Kayak Touring, Hiking, Flyfishing, and more
Locations:
- Western NC: Adventure Center Headquarters
- TN, SC/GA: Rafting Outposts
Contact Information:
Nantahala Outdoor Center
13077 Highway 19 West
Bryson City, N.C. 28713
(888) 905-7238
www.noc.com
>>> Go toWhitewater Rafting Directory |
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