Expert Guides. Working Hard And Having FUN!
At Wild West Whitewater Rafting we take our jobs seriously while providing a fun family atmosphere. Our team of certified professional rafting guides has been trained in all aspects of river safety and navigation. We have a long list of certifications and accreditations, including an official AAA approval rating. Your safety and enjoyment are our utmost concern! Introducing Our Guides
Ryan Winter, River Boss:Ryan has been mucking about rivers in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe since Jon Bon Jovi has been considered cool. Renowned rivers like the Zambezi, the Umkomasi, the Tugela, the Great Fish, the Umsunduzi, the Umzimkulu, and so on; have given him more upset stomachs than he can count with all 11 of his toes and his permanently oar-calloused fingers. This will be his 4th year on the Yellowstone River, and he prides himself on having the brightest selection of board shorts out of any present guide, fully. When he is not whipping the RABo's (Rookies) into shape to ensure the continued domination of Wild West in the Annual Yankee Jim Canyon Raft Race, he can be found attempting outlandish maneuvers with the most ridiculous combinations of weird and wacky river craft. Always pursuing the endless summer mantra, he spends the off season looking for barrels on his surfboard, trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to converse with vervet monkey's in his Kwazulu-Natal back garden, and complete his master's degree (finally!) in Hydrogeology. 
Kasara Batzler:Kasara also known as "K-Rock" by the other guides, is a small town Iowa girl; fresh off the farm. She's the baby of the Wild West Family, with just 19 years of age, but don't let her age or feminine charm fool you. She keeps up with the boys, in more ways than one. K-rock enjoys being outdoors, a good tan line, and a nice nap in a hammock. Her future plans include a Bio-engineering degree from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT 
Ben Bruffey:Ben was born in Illinois and after living in various states throughout his childhood, now considers North Carolina home. He is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a degree in environmental and marine sciences. Ben enjoys doing just about anything outside including backpacking, climbing, water sports, biking, skiing, sleeping in hammocks, scuba diving, and general horseplay. He's got a dry sense of humor, disapproves of littering, and likes speaking too softly to be heard. While working for WWR last summer Ben discovered the joys of fly fishing, bison meat, and closely following instructions. He plans to pursue graduate studies in marine science at The University of South Florida next fall, but doesn't see why that should keep him from pursuing his mastery of the Yellowstone during the summer! 
John Barlow:John Barlow Our youngest and most stable of the crew. This is John's first year guiding for Wild West. John grew up on the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley and logged more hours on the river by age 5 than most locals do in a lifetime. He has traveled extensively for one so young with two trips to Tanzania under his belt." Yukon John" is also a cross country runner so he may give the paddlers a bit of an extra workout. John will be attending Wheaton University this fall. 
Thomas Davis:Thomas was born in Maine, after moving around the east coast for much of his childhood, he finished highschool in Upstate, New York. After highschool he headed west to the great state of Montana. He now resides in Bozeman, MT and is a sophomore at Montana State University pursuing a major in Business Marketing. In his free time you can find him skiing at Bridgerbowl, mountainbiking, fishing, and climbing. This will be his first summer with WWR and looks forward to spending a lot of time on the river. 
Steven Fraga:Steven grew up in Laurel, Montana spending my time hunting, fishing and camping with his dad and brothers. After high school He joined the Marine Corps and did 4 years active duty as a Scout sniper. After receiving his honorable discharge he returned to live in billings and started school at MSU where He is currently pursuing a degree in outdoor adventure and leadership. Steven's true passions are snowboarding and rock climbing. He loves being on the river and outdoors in general and is looking forward to enjoying the summer and meeting new people. 
Kristen Gentry:Kristen wishes she never got this job, because she doesn't want to work anywhere else! After receiving her M.A. this year in Medical Applied Anthropology from Oregon State University, Kristen sees endless research possibilities at Wild West Rafting. Her future PhD topic will investigate how male raft guides, with their hominid-like demeanor and small cranial capacity, manage to attract emotionally available females. Her existing data suggests that this possibility is rather grim. A mountain girl from Tennessee, Kristen is proficient in French, Appalachian hillbilly, and Arabic, but don't talk English too good. As a self-proclaimed feminist (be afraid), she has a passion for women's health advocacy. When not conducting her research or cackling at her coworkers romantic misadventures, Kristen enjoys Cuban salsa, rock climbing, ultimate frisbee, dancing with no regard of her surroundings, pirating other company's boats, taking no prisoners, and chuckling at potty jokes. She has no capacity for shame, social mores, or darts. 
Tucker Gosda:After high school Tucker moved back to his native state of Montana to attend Montana State University. He is going to be a junior studying secondary education. Tucker is very passionate about the outdoors, and in his spare time he enjoys exercising, skiing, hunting and fishing and hanging out with friends. He can't wait to share his love for the outdoors with rafters this summer. 
Jay Griesedieck :Although originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jay has a passion for adventure and seeing new places in the world. After nearly 6 months of travel in the South and Central America, Jay will be returning to Wild West for his second season on the river. When not working for Wild West, Jay can be found taking pictures, hiking, camping, rock climbing, skiing, or just sitting around a camp fire with his guitar, until he has managed to save enough money safely guiding customers down the mighty Yellowstone to head out to his next adventure that lays ahead. 
Julie Heaton:Julie was born and raised in the mountains of old Virginia.. Her parents (both whitewater guides) tossed her into boats on the Shenandoah and New rivers when she was but an infant and she has yet to lose the river-bug. When she's not romping around Appalachia she can be found buried under a pile of books at the College of William and Mary where she is finishing up a BA in World Religion studies. In the fall, after another thrilling summer on the river, she will be moving to China to teach English at a university. To pass the time she enjoys playing mandolin, conjugating verbs and eating ramen noodles. 
Thor Jones:Thor calls Kodiak, Alaska home but has attended Montana State University in Bozeman for the last 4 years (a diehard Bobcat fan). He will receive his degree in elementary education in December after completing student teaching in New Zealand this fall. When he is not rafting or in school he loves to play ultimate Frisbee, snowboard and play with his 10 year old yellow lab, Bubba. This will be his third year on the river with WWR and more are sure to follow.  Evan Rusch:Evan grew up in Central Wisconsin fishing, hiking, camping and boating. He enjoys being outdoors and meeting new people. He currently lives in Billings, MT and goes to MSU in pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree in Outdoor Adventure leadership. He likes explosions, tacos, meat on a stick, mullets, and Led Zeppelin. His biggest fears are losing his shorts while rafting and waking up with only one kidney. He hopes to see you on the water this summer! 
Ford Smith:Ford is a Gardiner local who grew up on the banks of the Yellowstone River. There is nothing he loves more than raging rivers. He is an enthusiastic whitewater kayaker who has spent the past five years either kayaking or desperately wishing he was kayaking. Ford recently graduated from Williams College where he ran track and cross country. If you want to know the best running trails or rivers to kayak, make sure to ask. 
Nick Stanton:Returning for his second season, Nick is greatly looking forward to getting back to the captivating views of Montana. Since leaving last summer, he graduated from Long Beach State in California with a B.A. in Journalism and spent some time back packing around Western Europe, where he worked on his foosball skills in preparation for the upcoming summer. After traveling for the past several months, Nick is keen (a term said often by a wild-haired South African) to settle down in Gardiner for a bit, while he enjoys some good weather and good friends before entering into the ranks of the military next year. This Southern California native spends his time writing, enjoying the outdoors, traveling, and occasionally trying to improve his guitar skills- which have great need of work. Making new friends on the river and sharing a laugh over a pint of Huckleberry beer off the river with old ones is something Nick enjoys immensely and can't wait to get back to. It will be difficult to top last summer, but with any luck and maybe a new animal beanie to wear down the river, he will find a way. |
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—Jemicah, Austin, TX
