River Guide School and Swift Water Rescue Training

Hosting the Premier School for River Guides and Technical Swiftwater Rescue and Wilderness Training on the American River

If you are an Instructor or agency looking for a river guide school or river rescue training venue, then the American River Resort is where you want to be. Your successful river and wilderness training program is all about the location and amenities! The Resort makes for a perfect location to host or attend a River Guide School or Swiftwater Rescue Training. With a quarter mile of riverfront property, river access is easy and, more importantly, the property is situated alongside the Troublemaker Rapid, the biggest rapid on the South Fork of the American River. Upstream and downstream features are perfect for river guide scenarios and swiftwater training scenarios. The river can be easily accessed on both sides and features lots of eddies, islands with slow and fast moving currents and large pools, as well as deep channels. A river-based classroom doesn’t get any better than this! In addition to all of this, we offer a variety of on-site accommodations, from deluxe cabins to tent camping. Meals and transportation can also be arranged onsite. This truly is a one stop shop for all your river based training needs!

The Resort is the home base and training ground for two of the river industry’s leading players. Sierra Rescue is the west coast premier Swiftwater Rescue Training provider and conducts its river and land based training courses at the Resort. The Resort is also the home base for American Whitewater Expeditions, the premier outfitter on the three forks of the American River. American Whitewater Expeditions conducts river guide schools and workshops for first-time guides, as well as private river guides looking to skill up to a higher level. American Whitewater Expeditions also teaches river guide courses to the US Military’s Special Forces teams, as well as Rescue Personnel from the US Air Force.

Swiftwater Rescue & Wilderness Medical Classes - Sierra Rescue International

Sierra Rescue is the leading provider of River Rescue and Wilderness Medical Courses in California, Nevada and Arizona. Sierra Rescue provides training for the Military Special Forces, as well as the public service and recreational sectors. They utilize innovative techniques and integrative scenarios to allow their team of instructors to train professional rescue agencies, commercial river guides, and private river runners from around the globe. Sierra Rescue is the evolution of world-class technical rescue training, and they are an approved contractor for the U.S. Federal Government.

Sierra Rescue was founded almost 30 years ago to offer high-quality professional courses for a multitude of individuals. They specialize in matching the best rescue class and first aid training for the specific needs of each group. They are flexible with matching your needs with the appropriate curriculum and love the challenge of matching you with a class that is perfect for the environment and activities that you do. Sierra Rescue will match you with the skills and the certification that you and your organization need! If your group is unable to travel to the American River, their independent contractors also travel to your site or pick a site near you that would be appropriate to conduct your river training or medical classes.

Sierra Rescue is committed to providing a quality rescue class based on integrating information into practical skills while developing the ability to think through complicated wilderness and rescue problems. They do a fantastic job integrating knowledge into practical field exercises that work on developing judgement as well as providing hands on training. They contract with the best instructors in the industry, who have the depth of knowledge and experience to provide you the highest quality training.

River Guide School & Guide Workshop - American Whitewater Expeditions

American Whitewater Expeditions is one of the largest outfitters on the American River. They pride themselves in being the highest quality outfitter with highly experienced, professional US and international river guides, paired with the newest and latest client safety equipment, including high-end helmets and the best river equipment available. Their core guide staff of 30 professionals come from many diverse backgrounds and experience. They are all river professionals that are part of a tight network of global guides that have big, fun personalities and a depth of experience both on and off the river that is unmatched in the industry. The guide staff are from all over the US, as well as New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico and they even have a handful of English guides that bring a stiff upper lip and tea drinking mannerism! All of the guides have worked overseas, including on remote challenging expeditions in places like Africa, Nepal, India and South America.

So, how does all this high quality stuff relate to a river guide school? The answer is simple – you will be learning from guides with a deep knowledge and understanding of rivers, moving water, raft handling and real-life practical application of techniques and skills. Their expertise is second to none. In addition to the high-quality trainers, American Whitewater also has the logistical ability to provide you maximum river time on the South Fork of the American so you can focus on the core fundamentals. Guide School success lies in learning the basic fundamentals and the fundamentals are best learned on Class 2 and Class 3 rapids. We strongly believe you learn more about river guiding fundamentals in flat moving current than you do in a rapid!

American Whitewater provides specialized river guide training to frontline members of the US Military as well as US Air Force Rescue Personnel, utilizing limited resources while encouraging innovative problem-solving techniques.