Hi there. I’m John Kosakowsky. I own and operate River Runners. I have been a river guide since 2000, and a river operations manager since 2006. I have worked at more than 25 rafting companies in my career in many states and countries. I have guided and trip lead one day and multiday rafting trips on class I to class V rivers. I have seen the gamut of successes and failures that the whitewater rafting world has to offer. I have worked for good river bosses, and bad river bosses. My management style is based on years of experience. I manage River Runners’ whitewater rafting trips in a way that favors good outcomes for both guests and guides. I am proud of that. It is a constant work in progress: as staff changes, as customer interests change, and as natural phenomena like wildfires and high water events occur, I adjust to fit the situation.
I like to hire good guides. That doesn’t just mean that one is good at driving the rafts. I’m looking for a variety of skills. I primarily hire guides for class III experiences. Most guides will be proficient at that level very quickly if they aren’t already. We work long days and we spend a lot of time with our guests. It’s high-intensity customer service. It’s tiring. It’s confusing at times. It’s infuriating at times. It’s also amazing and it’s something you will remember for the rest of your life. So I am looking for people with good “boatside” manner, a great work ethic, and an interest in making class I-III rapids as much fun as possible.
Here are some reasons to join us:
We serve a lot of really good food. You will have the opportunity to get better at cooking. And you will eat a lot of good and healthy food.
We operate in a beautiful riverside site at Camp Lotus. The living is pretty good there. There are hot showers, flush toilets, and cell phone service. There are also lots of animals and grass and riparian vegetation. You can camp near the river. You can swim around the bend when it is hot. You can go downstream and surf Barking Dog. It’s great!
We offer river trips at the speed of the customer. And that is usually slow! Our trips average 2 miles per hour. We sometimes spend more time stopped on the side of the river than running the rapids. A good River Runners trip includes swimming, jumping off of a rock or three, rock skipping, berry picking, stopping to enjoy a merganser teach her babies to hunt, eating lunch for over an hour, and introducing our guests to super cool side activities like the Birthing Canal and the Eddy Swim.
We offer a lot of teaching and training opportunities. We like to sell educational trips: guide schools; kids guide schools; merit badge trips; IK trips. It’s a great way to get better at your skill set. And watch others get better too.
We occasionally offer trips on class IV+ rivers like the Kaweah, the North Fork of the American, and the Middle Fork of the American. You will get a chance to see them, and if you have the skills, to guide them.
We like to private boat on rivers all over California. We encourage the guides who work at River Runners to do the same. There will be opportunities to run other great rivers with the guides you work with at RR. Or just go on an afternoon float through the Coloma/Lotus Valley.
If you are interested in employment, please fill out this application form:
PLEASE NOTE: THIS APPLICATION IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY RIVER GUIDES. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A RIVER GUIDE, PLEASE LOOK AT THE GUIDE SCHOOLS WE OFFER. THANK YOU.