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TEAM WET PLANET |
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Jeff Weiss |
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Jeff came to Wet Planet in the center of last season, and was a welcomed addition not just because of his experience but also because of his great attitude and love for rafting! |
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Jeff is no stranger to the river having his first rafting experience at the age of 10 on the Brown Canyon section of the Arkansas River and then getting his first kayak at the age of 12. He’s been in the water ever since. Jeff’s introduction to whitewater came courtesy of his parents, both who got hooked on it after rafting the class IV section of the Chatooga River. Throughout Jeff’s later childhood he and his parents were members of the Missouri Whitewater Association actively participating in everything from the annual picnics and slalom races. He says, “Many of my best childhood memories involve hanging out at the double drop and doing enders till I couldn’t roll anymore and then going and lying on the sandbar soaking up the sunshine, ahhh, true euphoria.” |
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| Jeff, a native of Missouri, wound up in Washington after joining the U.S. Navy and was stationed on Whidbey Island. From there he was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea where he spent the Gulf War. Upon return to the States, he headed back to Missouri. After a stint in construction, he started remembering his childhood on the river and seeing the river guides having fun and living free on the rivers. He decided that was what he wanted, and proceeded to sell off all his belongings, except his camping gear, kayak and mountain bike, flipped a coin to determine which direction he was headed (east or west) and headed back to Washington. | ||||||||||||||
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| Jeff completed guide training on the Skykomish River in Central Washington in 1997. After the first day of training, about ¾ of the class said that was enough for them and dropped out. Jeff continued through and went on to guide on several rivers including the Skagit, Green, Yakima, Tieton, Wenatchee and now the White Salmon just to name a few. The summer of 1998, Jeff found himself looking for a new adventure and employment and began guiding and eventually trip leading on 11 different Cascade rivers over the following 8 summers. | ||||||||||||||
Jeff began spending his winters up at Stevens Pass Ski Resort in central Washington five years ago where many fellow Planeteers were employed. He had heard of Wet Planet previously, but it wasn’t until last season that he found his way down south. Jeff got a call from fellow guide Jason Luker, after he had found his way to Wet Planet a month earlier, and got a call this was the place to be. Jeff jumped right into the swing of things becoming a full-time guide last August, and was then named a trip leader for Wet Planet as well. After spending a busy August and September here he says, “I feel fortunate to have ended up here with such a top notch organization on such an incredible river. I look forward to spending time with the crew and playing on the great rivers here for many years to come.” |
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| If you have any doubt that team WET PLANET is one of the industry's leaders, check out some of our key staff: | ||||||||||||||
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