This Wet Planet Trip Leader has been busy racking up some great accomplishments on the river in the past couple of seasons:

• 2nd Place in the Animal Upper Gauley River Race in 2007
• Iron Woman Award in the 2007 Wavesport Open
• Two first place winns in the 2006 Riverboarding Awards: Riverboarding Poster Child of the Year and Best Riverboarding Guide!
• Two riverboarding first descents in South America (Cotahuasi River, Peru; Azul River, Chile)

Liz Arnold first rolled into the Wet Planet base in the Spring of 2006. Her car was packed full of river and camping gear leaving just enough space for her dog, with multiple riverboards were strapped on top. Within moments, her infectious smile and wealth of river experience made it feel as if Liz had been at Wet Planet for years. She currently calls the Wet Planet campground home during the whitewater season, and this full-time trip leader, river guide, and certified wilderness first responder is an invaluable part of team Wet Planet.

Liz's love for whitewater began early in life. Taking her first rafting trip at age 8, she has remained hooked on river running ever since. At 17 years old, she took her first job as a commercial raft guide on the Snake River outside of Jackson Hole, WY. After two years on the Snake, she re-located to the east coast big-water rafting mecca of West Virginia. While attending school in North Carolina and West Virginia, she spent the next five years continuing to develop her river skills on east coast classics such as the New River, Gauley , Ocoee , Upper Yough, and Chatooga rivers. With multiple commercial guiding seasons on demanding whitewater runs such as the class IV-V Upper Gauley, Liz's whitewater skills are impressive.

However, Liz was not content to enjoy river travel from a raft alone. Desiring a closer interaction with the river, she began river-boarding (picture swimming down the river on a body board with nothing more than fins for propulsion) five years ago. Kicking her way down rivers that many kayakers feel challenged paddling, Liz has become a recognizable face in the world of river-boarding. She is currently sponsored by Ripboard Inc. and is the company's Northwest rep. In 2006, she took 1st place in the women's riverboard division and 2nd place overall for riverboarders in the annual Animal Upper Gauley Race by racing the entire length of this legendary class IV-V stretch of river.

While Liz still returns to the east coast for Gauley season every Fall, we're excited that she has remained in the Northwest and is a valuable part of the Wet Planet team. Look for Liz this summer in the back of a Wet Planet raft, kicking her way downstream on her riverboard, or playing her guitar and seranading all of us on the back porch.