Guide Bios
Our guides are exceptional whitewater professionals with thousands of hours in the field and years of experience guiding not just in NM but all over the United States and in some cases all around the world. The guides are the people who make any river trip stand out above the others and our guides have gone through rigorous training on sections of river we run. In addition all of our guides are swiftwater rescue trained and have emergency medical training.
Katrina Sayre
Also known as 'Bean', Katrina is a key figure at New Mexico River Adventures and one of the most professional guides on the Rio Grande. With 20 years of experience on rivers all over the country, her passion for river running is infectious. Her knowledge of the river canyons and history of the area combined with a great sense of humor and impeccable safety management helps to make every trip the best possible. When not on the river, you can usually find Bean working on her off-grid, self sufficient home on the rim of the Rio Grande with her husband, Matt, who is also a river guide on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon.
Jose Elias Griego
A native of northern New Mexico, Elias was raised on the banks of the Rio Grande in Embudo, NM, Elias started his career with NMRA and has become one of the most requested guides on the river. Elias is one of our guide trainers as well as the first ACA certified Stand Up Paddleboard instructor in the state of New Mexico. Along with his wife and son, Elias lives on the same property where he was raised....right on the river! During the off season, he is a teacher as well as the varsity wrestling and football coach at Espanola Valley High School. When he is not on the river, Elias enjoys snowboarding and spending time with his wife Sarah and their son due to join us in 2013!
Sean Jennings
Sean has been a river guide for the last seven years, including a season on the world class rivers of Costa Rica. Outside of Costa Rica, all seven of those years have been spent on his home waters of the mighty Rio Grande. The seeds of moving about on the water, were planted early on by his grandfather, a true master of the paddle arts. Sean is a solid navigator and his calm demeanor along with his keen eye for safety has made him a key part of the NMRA team. Cycling is his other passion and Outside of the river realm, Sean can be found perfecting the mechanical master pieces of hand built bicycles and classic Volkswagens.
Ryan Laufenberg
Ryan started guiding on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama in 2011. He is presently finishing up his bachelors degree in Nutrition. When not guiding and studying, Ryan enjoys snowboarding, fishing, camping, hiking and everything to do with the outdoors. During the off season, Ryan also works in the E.R of a busy Phoenix hospital to help pay for his schooling.
Garret Schooley
A native New Mexican, Garret moved to Taos in the winter of 2010 after graduating from the University of New Mexico. He began rafting the following summer, quickly falling in love with the river and the community surrounding it, and has since been in and out of his home state, looking for adventure in the deserts, mountains, and rivers. Garret chases whitewater to West Virginia in the Fall months to work on the Gauley River and during the winter you can find him teaching people to ski at Sipapu Ski Resort.
Wendy Meyer
Wendy's passion for rivers began in early childhood growing up canoeing and fishing the many rivers running through the Ozark Mountains. While spending every possible free moment honing her canoe skills on local rivers, Wendy earned her Master's Degree at the University of Missouri. After several years as a social worker in Missouri, Wendy moved to Colorado to work with homeless youth and began exploring the rivers and mountains of the Southwest and discovered a love for a new type of boat, the river raft. Whenever Wendy is not guiding others down the Northern New Mexico slopes and rivers, she can usually be found with a couple friends and her dog doing what she's always done with her free time, boating and fishing her way down a river. In 2013, Wendy will compete in a 340 mile canoe race in Missouri, one of the most challenging in the world!
Richie Parrent
Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Richie literally grew up in the water. As a surfer from an early age, making the transition to the rivers of New Mexico was natural. However, it took a few years for Richie to settle down in the Taos. area. After earning his degree from Northern Arizona University, he went to work in the corporate world for 10 years before realizing that he'd rather have the rivers and mountains of New Mexico as his office. He now spends his summers with NMRA and his winters as a ski instructor at Sipapu Ski Resort.
Travis Smith
Growing up with Scouting in his native Ohio, Travis found his place playing outside in the dirt early on. After moving West and falling in love with the mountains, rivers, and canyons he knew there was no going back to the flat-lands. He is thrilled to be able to work at what he loves and share this wonderful place with his guests. He spends his winters working and skiing at Taos Ski Valley and the time in between at his workbench, hopelessly tinkering on the next big project.
Devin Beck
Devin Beck was raised in Phoenix, Arizona where he grew up with a true love for the outdoors and the Desert. In 2012 he started guiding for New Mexico River Adventures and immediately fell in love with the rivers of Norther New Mexico. Since then he has moved to the Taos are permanently to pursue his rafting career and a career in the education system during the rest of the year.
Wendy Gontram
Wendy started her rafting career on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama and has been in love with rivers ever since. She has left New Mexico to search out other rivers in the U.S and beyond but could never find anything that compares to the rivers and community of Northern New Mexico. Whether it's a calm float through the Bosque or an exciting ride through the world-class whitewater of the Taos Box, she loves to share her passion for the river with everyone in her boat. When not on the river, Wendy enjoys walking her dogs on area trails and kayaking her local rivers.
Matthew Gontram
Matt started rafting and kayaking at the age of 18 and knew right away that this was the life for him. He ran his first commercial raft trip on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama in 1992 and has been in love with the rivers of New Mexico since. Before recently returning to the New Mexico he has dedicated his time to exploring the greatest river trips in the U.S. and around the world. His hobbies away from the river include playing with his dogs, seeing bluegrass legends and planning the next big adventure.
"Mr. Weinmeister,
I just wanted to send you a note to let you know how much we enjoyed our Rio Grande rafting trip 6/24/09 with Willie. I told Willie that the primary reason we selected your company from all those available on the Web was that your site showed people wearing helmets in every shot. When I have our two grandsons in tow, I want to be as careful as I possibly can while still showing them a good time, and I respect a company that promotes that concept.
I also want to thank you for sending Willie as our guide. He was fun, entertaining, and educational about the geology and hydrology of the river. But what really amazed me was how well he communicated with our grandsons (ages 6 and 11). He made them feel important ... and showed them a great time over some great rapids .... while still watching out for their safety.
The kids thought it was "AWESOME!" ... and I did too."
Thank you,
Janet Knowles
