The Rill Adventures Guide Academy will provide you with a fulfilling and memorable experience that will leave you feeling confident, accomplished, and excited to start your career as a river guide. The academy is designed to strengthen your rafting skills and to help you develop the strength and confidence to safely guide on class III rivers.
During the academy, you’ll learn how to read the water and how to anticipate the next move of your raft. You’ll learn how to safely rescue a person from the water. You’ll also learn how to handle unexpected situations with calmness and composure, which will boost your confidence and leadership skills.
During the guide academy you’ll raft on the Cle Elum, Teanaway, Yakima, Wenatchee and the Spokane Rivers. As you travel down each river, you’ll learn about the history, geology, and wildlife of the area.
Guide certifications in Washington State require 50 hours of classroom and river training done over the course of 6 days. Each academy takes place over two Thursday- Saturday weekends in the spring. We host 2 academy courses each year.
2023 Academy Dates:
2024 Academy Dates:
For more information call (509)964-2530
If you have to miss one of the days talk to your instructor right away but don’t panic. Our instructors are scheduled for two extra weekends for people who need to keep practicing their skills or need to make up missed days.
Yes, river guiding can be physically demanding. We take breaks as needed to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being and work up to bigger rivers and more complex rapids.
No, we provide all necessary equipment for the course, including rafts, paddles, helmets, life jackets, and more. You just need to bring food for each day, appropriate clothing and footwear for river activities.
While our certification is recognized by many rafting companies and organizations across the country, it’s important to note that each company may have specific requirements and guidelines for their guides. While having our certification can certainly be a valuable asset when seeking employment as a guide on other rivers, it’s not a guarantee. Most companies will require new guides to complete 2-3 supervised trips to ensure they are knowledgeable and skilled and to familiarize them with the company’s specific standards and rules.
We have one make up day scheduled the following weekend if anyone needs to make up class time.
The number of students enrolled in each course can vary, but we strive to keep our class sizes small to ensure personalized attention and support for each student.
We take safety very seriously, and we will do everything in our power to prevent injuries from occurring. However, if an injury does occur, we have trained first aid responders on staff who will provide immediate care. We also have emergency medical services available in the area.
We cannot guarantee employment after completing the course, but we do offer job placement assistance and opportunities for graduates to work with our company.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any additional questions or concerns you may have. We are happy to provide you with any information you need to make an informed decision about enrolling in our course.
Yes, we can do payment plans or offer discounts. All students who work for Rill Adventures after the guide academy are eligible to receive a 100 dollar refund of their guide academy fees. Guides must do 8 guide trips or work 160 hours in 1 calendar year to be eligible for the refund. Just give us a call and we’ll try to work with you however we can!
