Professional Instructor Course - River

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS COURSE ARE CLOSED. THIS COURSE IS NOT RUNNING IN 2023/24.

Please contact training[at]nols.edu with any questions you might have.

The goal of the this course is to provide a fast track for those who already have ample experience leading in the outdoors to become NOLS instructors.

You must have extensive raft and kayak instruction and/or guiding experience. You must have multi-day wilderness river experience, and extensive experience on long trips is highly desired. Previous Swiftwater/Whitewater Rescue training and experience is required.

We’ll focus on orienting you to the NOLS curriculum, course progression, and culture, but a large part of this course will be spent refining the expertise that you and your coursemates bring to the table. On this course, you will experience a variety of river types as well as watercraft in order to prepare yourself for what you may encounter on a NOLS course.

If you have had extensive backcountry guiding experience in canoes, oar rigs, kayaks, and packrafts as well as swiftwater rescue training, and if you’re committed to sharing your knowledge with eager learners, then this course is a good fit for you. 

Please refer to the FAQs to learn more about instructor courses.