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ABOUT OUR COMPANY:
Mountain Man Tours, Inc. was established in 1985 as the first River Outfitter on the Headwaters of the Rio Grande River. We pride ourselves in having built one of the finest rafting and outdoor tour companies in the State of Colorado (if not the world!). This has been accomplished through a dedication to our clients, and by providing a safe, rewarding, and memorable experience to each and every person that has ever rafted or gone on any tour with us. Our Motto here at Mountain Man Tours, Inc. is: GET OUTSIDE! We are a family business spanning four generations, and we strive to provide positive outdoor experiences to anyone who wants to go.
Mountain Man Tours, Inc. is located in Creede, Colorado, a historic mining town located in the central part of the State. Creede is surrounded by two of the largest wilderness areas in Colorado, the Weminuche Wilderness to the southwest, and the La Garita Wilderness to the northeast. Mineral County is 96% Public Land. There is much to enjoy. The population of Creede swells from around 500 in the winter to thousands during the summer tourist season.
Primarily, Mountain Man Tours, Inc. offers half-day (12 mile) guided raft trips on the headwaters of the Rio Grande. We offer two half-day trips per day, seven days a week. We also offer full-day (24 mile) raft trips for guests looking for a longer experience (with lunch). This coming season we will also offer guided inflatable kayak tours and are hoping to be able to offer guided hiking tours as well. Our river is considered a Class I-III+ river. Our river can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Early summer is the best time for whitewater, but anytime is fun on our beautiful, and scenic river. We are also the only commercial Rafting Outfitter in this area. It is something we are lucky to have, take pride in, and through which allows us to offer a unique and relaxing experience to our guests that you can’t get on most rivers.
Our client base is mostly family oriented with family members of all ages from very young, to family members in their “Golden Years“.. Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas are the three top states where most of our guests come from. However, we consistently have guests of all ages that come from all walks of life from all over the world every summer. We also offer many specialty trips to church groups, recreation groups, family reunions, boy and girl scout troops, private corporations and organizations, government entities, and school groups that raft with us throughout the season. The ability to be able to enjoy the company of, and engage in conversations with, many types of people from all walks of life is a must at Mountain Man Tours, Inc.
Safety is priority one at Mountain Man Tours, Inc. We have accomplished an outstanding safety record in our 26 years of operation. A love of all people, radiant personality, a love of life and the outdoors, a unique energy, and friendliness of all our staff is a must. We want each guest to feel like the whole trip was just for them. We have many clients that have rafted and taken tours with us every year since 1985, and still continue to come enjoy some time with us every season to see old friends, and to meet the new guides each summer. Our company prides itself on hiring some of the finest, well-trained Guides in the world. Each employee of Mountain Man Tours, Inc. is carefully selected not just on their professional expertise but on their personal attributes that they have to offer. Employees at Mountain Man Tours, Inc. should expect to have these characteristics as we will expect it from them. We are looking for people with:
1. The desire to meet and interact with new people daily and not tire of this easily. All of our guides need to have a profound energy that will rub off on our guests. Your job is to have fun and be fun at all times!
2. The willingness to work long, hard hours. Our tours do not always fall into a typical 8 hour day, and there is much work to be done besides just having fun on the river and trails..
3. Enjoyment of the outdoors under all conditions, including wind, wet, cold, and low water conditions. A knowledge of how to prepare and dress in these situations is also a must, as an outdoor tour guide you will be at the mercy of the elements, we expect you to lead by example.
4. Our staff must possess a high degree of initiative. You must be a self-starter, prompt, safety oriented, trustworthy, and responsible.
5. The ability to be flexible and adapt easily. You must be willing to help anyone, anytime, anywhere, and to do anything.
6. Guides must be able to participate in athletic and rigorous outdoor activities on a daily basis, and be mentally and physically tough. Our staff must always have a great attitude even under the most adverse conditions.
7. The ability to communicate with clients, show a caring concern for them, and be able to ensure that they have a good, safe, and memorable experience on any trip.
8. Guides must be willing to work during all summer holidays as those days are among our peak times. You should be willing to work when we are busy and manage to take time off during slow days. We need to know that if we book a tour for you, that you will be there! We understand that sometimes time for family events, or school has to occur. Please let us know ahead of time if there is a definite time you will need off.
9. Guides should be willing to meet a dress code, be clean and presentable, and be alert, sober, and HAPPY when at work (there are lots of jobs you can be miserable at, an outdoor tour guide is not one of them!.) Please leave your personal issues in your home or car. Your morning condition and attitude directly affects the work you will get for the day! Less than sober/alert individuals, and anyone with dismal attitudes will be sent home immediately!
10. Guides are required to report to work well-rested. If you enjoy staying up all night partying, please do not even think of applying.
11. Guides will often be asked to shuttle vans when not guiding on the river or work at the office so flexibility is important.
12. All employees at Mountain Man Tours, Inc. must have a pre-determined place of lodging for the season before I will consider officially hiring you for the summer. In the past, some of our staff has chosen to “camp out” for the summer. Under new Forest Service Regulations this will no longer be possible. The Forest Service does not look kindly on guides staying at campsites for long periods of time, and sleeping in you car in the parking lot is also not a valid accommodation. Past experience has shown us, that guides need to have a place to live, and looking for a place to rent (if needed) earlier in the year will help facilitate that in Creede as housing is in short supply. We know this is not always easy, and we are happy to help in any way we can.
13. Mountain Man Tours, Inc. strives to be a leader in outdoor ethics in this area. We expect you to learn the principles of Leave No Trace, practice them, and educate our guests on ways to conserve and protect our beautiful river and surrounding forests.
14. Education and research on the history, flora and fauna, and other information about our area will help you everyday on our tours. We encourage you to do that on your own time. We will spend a lot of time educating you as well in your training, but you will be asked questions by our guests about our surrounding area on every trip you take, and it doesn’t hurt to know as much as you can!
15. At Mountain Man Tours, Inc., SAFETY is always a first priority, for yourselves and for our guests. We always say, if you have to think twice about doing something, DON’T DO IT!. We have accomplished a profound safety record in our 25 years of operation, and that is not about to change. Reckless behavior, carelessness, inattention to your own or our client‘s safety, and nonchalant attitudes will not last long here!
As a Rafting Company with the highest trained individuals on the river in this area, we are also the primary Mineral County River Search and Rescue Team. River Search and Rescue scenarios will occur, and we will train you on how to manage those situations. We will expect our guides to always be professional and courteous, while also looking out for the safety of private boaters on our river at all times.
Each summer we hire many Senior Guides from previous seasons, and a handful of New Guides as well. Our training each May is centered around everyone’s schedule and we try to hold training at a time when all New Guides can be there. Training typically takes around two weeks to complete. Please be prepared for that! TRAINING ONLY MAKES YOU ELIGIBLE TO BE HIRED BY US, SO LOOK SHARP!
ALL Guides must be a minimum of 18 years of age and have a current certification in Adult, Child, and Infant CPR and standard First Aid. Any other certifications you have will be looked upon favorably in consideration of employment. First Aid/CPR Classes must be completed with American Red Cross, or American Heart Association. Online course certification for First Aid or CPR will NOT be accepted! It is better if you can complete these certifications prior to your training, but we try to offer a CPR and First Aid class at our headquarters each summer. If you don’t have a current certification or have never had one, get into a class now as it can be difficult sometimes to coordinate these classes in a rural area such as this. It is crucial that our guides be able to work the full summer season, and No Certifications means No Boats.
Each Summer we hire for the following positions:
What you can expect to earn
First year guides can expect to make $35 per boat, $25 per shuttle, and $10 per hour as a New River Guide during our busy season. We pay more, and have more consistent work for New Guides than any other rafting company in the State. Happy Guides=Happy Guests, and safe, smiling guests are always the goal at Mountain Man Tours, Inc.. Shuttle Drivers, Office Staff, and Photographers get paid by the hour, and have a separate list of expected responsibilities for each day. Your experience and willingness to work will directly effect the amount you make. There are also frequent tips in addition to what you get paid, but tips should never be expected and we do not allow our Guides to “bilk” or hint around for a tip. This will not be tolerated. We get paid well to do something we all love, be happy with that and anything extra is, extra.
Employment generally begins during the first week of June depending on completion of your training, and extends into the second week of August or longer depending on your ability to work later in the season. Those who return for subsequent years start running trips earlier, become Trip Leaders, and get a hefty pay raise because of it. Being a River Guide is not a get-rich-quick position, but one of fun and challenge.
Early in the season, and slower days there sometimes are not enough boats for everyone. Senior Guides have first priority for boats. You will get busy as a New Guide as our season picks up! We know that all of you have bills to pay, so if you don’t get a lot of boats the first two weeks and you need to make some money, ASK, we will find something for you to do. The point is, that there is always work that needs to get done, and if you’re willing to work. I’m willing to pay you. This could include, cleaning, repair, shuttling, organization, landscaping, and general help. We pay well by the hour for this type of work.
Training commences in Mid to Late May. The State of Colorado requires New Guides to have 50 hours of documented training with a certified Guide Instructor prior to guiding a commercial raft. We currently have 4 guide instructors on staff. A five day training session will occur where you will receive instruction on equipment care, preparing our guests for their trip, fitting of safety gear, boat rigging, proper personal gear, leadership training, outdoor ethics, oar and paddle techniques, reading water, hydrology and water dynamics, knots, emergency/rescue procedures, and trip/group dynamics to name a few. Association of all stretches of river you will be guiding on is very important. If you received this training on ANY other river, it would cost you $300-$700 or more. We don’t charge for training, if you want to work for us! This will be discussed with the applicant as it varies from year to year. Hiring is competitive and will typically take place after completion of our training course. We will not be hiring people based solely on rafting skill, but rather on work ethic, desire to learn, ability to be a team player within a group, friendliness, attitude, and intelligence. If hired, training will continue on the Rio Grande River, and possibly our surrounding rivers until you are qualified to guide. Please realize that you will not be receiving any pay for boat time during your training period so be prepared to support yourself during that time!
Training for Senior Guides requires a total of 20 hours on the water as a refresher before they can take boats. For New Guides, a total of 30 hours of on-water instruction with a Guide Instructor on the boat, and 20 hours of on-water instruction with a Guide Instructor on the same trip is required to meet the minimum requirements set forth by Colorado State Parks. There is also a lot of training that takes place off water as well. After that, it is up to us when you get your first commercial boat, and when we think you are ready for that. Training of you by us to be a River Guide does not mean that you are hired, and we are not required to give you your training logs if you are not hired by us, as a condition of your free training. Think of training as a second job interview, and you will be fine. Training is your time to shine and show us that you can do it! It is very rare that we don’t hire someone after training, but it can and has happened. We are the only company in Colorado that will train you for free, the catch is you have to work a full summer to have possession of your logs. After a summer with us, if you begin to look for jobs on another river we are happy to help you…although we’d love to have you back with us! Training generally begins in Mid-May, but the times are somewhat flexible with school ending dates. Guides are expected to stay until Mid-August or for those who are in school until school starts. Each employee will be required to sign a release/liability waiver, and an employee/employer agreement form stating that you understand and accept these conditions for employment with Mountain Man Tours, Inc. .
After your minimum training hours are met you are eligible to start logging miles to try to become a Trip Leader, or Guide Instructor. To become a Trip Leader you must have logged and documented 500 miles of commercial rafting trips with a Registered Outfitter. As a Trip Leader you can be on the water without a guide instructor or another Trip Leader with you. To become a Guide instructor you must log 1500 miles of on river time, and have logged 5 trips as a Trip Leader. To be a considered a Guide Instructor a minimum of 750 of those miles has to have been logged as a commercial guide. Mountain Man Tours, Inc. is happy to help you log and document those hours and miles if that is your goal. These miles generally will translate wherever you go with your river career at various times in your life, and Valid River Miles with Guide Instructor Signatures from other outfitters will certainly be looked at favorably, and honored by us.
We strive to be leaders in the outdoors, and in our community. We do not tolerate the use of narcotics or illegal drugs. Alcohol consumption is not allowed on company property or during the work day. We do not allow our guides to chew or smoke tobacco while in the public eye during the work day. We have a designated smoking section behind the rafting office for those of you who enjoy tobacco products. Please drink your coffee, teas, and other beverages, and enjoy your meals prior to the customers arriving at our shop. We will expect all employees to be at the shop no later than 8 a.m. to prepare for the day. NO EXCEPTIONS! It affects the whole rest of the day to start late, and we expect you to be prompt
We expect specific standards regarding personal appearance, and attitudes toward work, and we do maintain a dress code. PLEASE SHOW UP CLEAN, PRESENTABLE, AND READY TO WORK!
As a Premier River Outfitter, with a profound 25 year history, we expect a lot from our staff and have these rules and expectations in order to maintain a good operation. These rules and expectations have helped us create a wonderful environment for people to come enjoy our beautiful area in a fun, safe and respectful manner for 25 years. IT WORKS! If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding experience. This is the job for you! If you want to have an intensely fun summer, make friends the world over that will last a lifetime, and create experiences you will never forget. This is the job for you!
If you are interested in applying for a position, please send a brief resume with references (phone numbers or emails), and a short narrative on why you would like to be a river guide, a photo if available, and dates on when you will be able to start and end employment to.
Mountain Man Tours, Inc.
Ryan Daugherty
P.O. Box 845
Creede, CO 81130
Or Email:
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We do conduct personal interviews and you will be contacted in this regard. Mountain Man Tours, Inc. is an equal opportunity service and employment provider. Please contact me with any questions you may have. Thank you for your interest in employment with Mountain Man Tours, Inc. We’ll look forward to hearing from you!
It’s always a great day up here!
President/Outfitter
Ryan Daugherty
Mountain Man Tours, Inc.
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