Decades spent guiding have taught us one thing: whitewater changes lives.

We've seen worries wash away from business men, genuine play incorporated back into a mom's day, and new raft guides travel the world exploring river cultures for a more fulfilling life experience.

It all started with attending a Guide School. Below are our top 7 reasons why this year's Wet Planet Guide School can do the same for you.

1. Raft all the best rivers in the Columbia River Gorge for less.

The 2011 Wet Planet Peru Expedition exceeded everyone's expectations, even the intrepid international guide Brian Lee. As with any good whitewater expedition in a developing nation, the trip had its share of trials and tribulations, to remind us of the great lengths we go to for the ultimate adventure. River Explorers, Wet Planet's Peruvian partner, employs a very talented, professional, and thoroughly intriguing staff.

Below are highlights from Brian's official trip report, enough to get every other Wet Planet staff member excited for future international river travel.

From getting record numbers of kids out on the water, to raising thousands of dollars for First Descents, to sunny class V rafting, to a national river restoration event on our home river, 2011 has been a year to remember.  

A Staff Trip To Set The Tone

While Wet Planet operates twelve months a year, the beginning of the river season really sets the wheels in motion for a successful whitewater rafting and kayaking year. Every river runner knows the best way to celebrate another season is with a big river trip on the Owyhee River.

Emphasis on the big river.

They came from all corners of the country: Cat and Drew from Asheville, NC, Nicki and Brian from Crested Butte, Giani from Montana, and many from right here in the Columbia River Gorge. Friends reunited, celebrating with dutch ovens, surf sessions, canyon side-hikes, and some delicious cocktails (I'm partial to Jaco's spiced wine).

It's not how many years you've been paddling, but the amount of seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks you are in your kayak, which determines your continued progression on the water.

Every summer, Wet Planet Whitewater offers a 5-day kayaking course on the Lower Salmon River in Idaho. Here are a few of the reasons I cannot wait to be back in 2012:

The Progression: The Lower Salmon offers the perfect progression of features to start you off with a confident, fun and empowering experience. 
Day 1 starts out with time spent at the ‘put-in' eddy (pool), working on flatwater skills and techniques (such as the roll, hip snaps, t-rescues, paddling form, etc) and then continuing downstream through mellow current. This is the perfect day to get used to being in your boat (perhaps a new boat) and feeling the current beneath you.

A multi-day rafting trip composed completely of river guides might sound like an easy vacation. Everyone knows how to pack since they've done it countless times before. Weather is no issue, as everyone has plenty of techy gear. Skill levels need not be questioned, since each person is a whitewater professional.

However, somehow when whitewater raft guides realize that everyone on their trip is proficient and knowledgeable, many tend to cast preparation, organization and efficiency to the wind. Since everyone knows what to do, someone else will do it, right?

Wet Planet's staff trip on the Owyhee River destroyed this stereotype in almost every way possible, both intentional and unintentional.

Everything just seemed to go our way. The van pulled away from Wet Planet in Husum, both fully-loaded and on time. The sun came out for the majority of the trip. The meals satisfied and filled every participant, and all essential gear remained in the rafts--rather than being sacrificed to the river gods.

We ended up with four days of blissful multi-day river life on one of the most spectacularly breathtaking river corridors in the west, the Wild and Scenic Owyhee River.

The Northwest attracts the world's most experienced and committed kayakers. A strikingly beautiful collection of river gorges, a wide variety of whitewater and a twelve-month paddling season might be a few of the reasons why.  

Finding a good kayak instructor, however, can actually be difficult.

Knowing how to kayak is only the first step to becoming a quality kayak teacher. We at Wet Planet are lucky enough to receive applications from river professionals all over the country for our kayak instruction team. From this, we are able to select the cream of the crop.

Before our kayak instructors even get here, they already have Swiftwater rescue certifications, ACA instructor certifications, competition awards and decades of combined experience. They are the kayakers who have been immersed in the paddlesports industry for years, as leaders and professionals.

Beyond certifications, our staff have all taken whitewater paddling and turned it into a passion that makes every day an adventure both on and off the water. Ask us why we're smiling all the time and we'll probably relate it back to paddling in some way.

Wet Planet's high expectations and standards mean better instruction for you.

Meet our 2011 Wet Planet Kayak Instruction Team...

Packing in the outdoor adventures while in White Salmon, WA and Hood River, OR is really just standard.  This place just makes people wants to run around outside as much as they can, no matter visitor or local.  

However, locals have it easy.  Visitors must contend with unfamiliar territory and logistics. They must research directions and ask a ton of questions.

When really you just want to know where the local action-addicted, pleasure-seeker would go on his or her afternoon or day off. You want to hear directions from the guy that drives there all the time.  You want to know how much time it will really take.  You want to cut out the time wasted doing something mediocre.  

So here you go.  Welcome to the:

Wet Planet Adventure Experts' Professional Outdoor Opinions and Recommendations Collection.

We'll call it The Collection for short.

Kayakers and rafters sat alert as the weekend approached.  By the time the storm had passed and the temperature had risen, most boaters found themselves standing on the banks, dumbfounded at the surging floodwaters in front of them.  

The White Salmon River splashed over the Husum gauge this past weekend, passing the 7 ft. measurement, dwarfing Husum falls into a boiling, massive hole.  

The combination of heavy rain and high temperatures during the winter means a strong and abrupt shift in the water cycle...continue reading.

Team Wet Planet was represented at Clackamas RiverFest last weekend! Heather Herbeck, Lori "Turbo" Turbes, and some other Wet Planeteers made it out and had a great time. (thanks for organizing a great event!). New in the area from Minnesota, Lori loved learning about the wide variety of inflated river crafts we apparently float on in the PNW!  Good times, kayak races, raft races, good people, great new connections and more friends.  And the winner of our awesome raffle (beginner kayaking course or 4 spots on a White Salmon River trip) is .......  continue reading! 

As the 2010 season at Wet Planet starts to gear up, the staff got a front row seat to experience one of the multi-day trips we offer on the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon. With 4 very full rafts and 4 kayaks, 14 of us began our long journey and kicked off our official staff trip. With sunny skies and warm weather, our put-in location near Rome, OR was amazing and we set off in search of stunning scenery, raw wilderness, and great whitewater. As we wound through stunningly deep canyons and 360 degree views, we had a wide array of weather through our 4-day, 57 mile trip including snow, hail, rain, and gale force winds. The wind was so strong at times rafts were blowing up stream and kayaks were flipping!.  Continue reading ...