Whitewater Raft Guide School

On-River Training from the Best Raft Guides in Whitewater

Enroll in NOC's Raft Guide School where your classroom is the river! These fast-paced training programs provide you with the skills necessary to work as a professional river rafting guide for commercial outfitters, summer camps, whitewater clubs, outdoor schools and more. NOC pioneered river guide school as a place to get training from the top raft guides in the nation. In this whitewater guide class, you can learn to become a professional river guide at NOC's Nantahala River headquarters, in western North Carolina.

In your week of fun with NOC's raft guide trainers, you'll learn:

• Reading whitewater
• Maneuvering rafts
• Stroke techniques
• Knot tying
• Raft rigging
• River signals
• How to communicate with your crew
• The basic operations of a rafting trip

And crucial safety aspects of whitewater rafting like:

• Basic River Rescue
• Equipment Maintenance
• Risk Management
• Emergency River Procedures

NOC Guide School 2010 Dates

This five-day whitewater rafting class begins with dinner on Sunday evening and ends with lunch on Friday afternoon. It also includes lodging at our Basecamp facility. A Wilderness First Aid course preceedes or follows most raft guide school courses, to supplement your professional river training.

Join our Team

Do well in rafting class and you might even be asked to join the NOC guide team! Preferential consideration is given to graduates of Guide School for summer employment at NOC. Please Note: If you have applied for work at NOC, you are not automatically enrolled in Raft Guide School. Please call or click the booking widget above to make your reservation. There will be an option for students to continue their education with NOC the weekend before or after their course by signing up for a Wilderness First Aid or CPR course (at an additional cost).