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Team

Meet the NMRA Team

 

At NMRA, we have put together one of the best Guide families in the country.  Not just Guides but storytellers, geologists, amazing chefs, teachers, wildlife biologists and creative, fun people! These young professionals are simply outstanding.  All are extremely dedicated to our guest’s safety and fun!  You will not find another group of Guides in New Mexico that work harder at maintaining and evolving their skills through daily training and advanced certifications than your guides at NMRA.

Our New Mexico rafting 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 rafting 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. Whether it’s class 4+ excitement in the Taos Box or on the Razorblades or its focusing on fun and games with your kids on the Rio Chama, this group of professionals will work tirelessly to deliver an amazing experience for you and your family or group of friends.

Dorothy Fowler

Dorothy Fowler

Hometown: LaGrange, GA

Favorite rapid: Powerline

Red or green: Green always

Favorite Movie: O Brother Where Art Thou

Dream Destination: Austria

Other hobbies: Painting, hiking and skiing

Devin Beck

Devin Beck

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Favorite Rapid: Screaming Left – Corkscrew

Red or Green: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Hook

Dream Destination: Wild West Glade on a powder day at 9:30am.

Other Hobbies: One-wheeling, Snow Skateboarding, Snowboarding.

Luke Kriken

Luke Kriken

Hometown: Kelseyville, CA

Favorite Rapid: Big Drop 3

Red or Green: Green

Favorite Movie: 13 Assassins

Dream Destination: Zimbabwe

Other Hobbies: Reading, Spelunking, Perfecting Banh Mi’s

Ava Fowler

Ava Fowler

Hometown: Topeka, KS

Favorite Rapid: Big Rocks

Red or Green: Neither, I still can’t handle spicy food!

Favorite Movie: Napoleon Dynamite

Dream Destination: The Bahamas

Other Hobbies: Climbing, skiing and hiking

Rachel Costanza

Rachel Costanza

Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL

Favorite Rapid: Albert’s Falls @ 3300cfs

Red or Green?: Christmas, baby!

Favorite Movie: Pride and Prejudice

Dream Destination: Anywhere I haven’t been yet.

Other Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, rug making, petting my cat

Jake Sharp

Jake Sharp

Hometown: Katie, TX

Favorite Rapid: Cieneguilla

Red or Green: Green

Favorite Movie: Dumb and Dumber

Dream Destination: Costa Rica

Other Hobbies: Snowboarding, skateboarding, hiking and boatingggg!

Austin Smith

Austin Smith

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Favorite Rapid: Albert Falls

Green or Red: Red Chile all day

Movie: Happy Gilmore

Dream Destination: Egypt

Hobbies: Kayaking, snowboarding, hiking and playing with doggos

Liv Armstrong

Liv Armstrong

Hometown: Lake Wylie, SC

Favorite Rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Green for sure

Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction

Dream Destination: Argentina

Hobbies: Rock climbing, surfing, playing the ukulele

Auston Torres

Auston Torres

Hometown: Kiln, MS

Favorite Rapid: The Narrows

Red or Green: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Star Wars series

Dream Destination: Iceland

Other Hobbies: Rock climbing, Play Guitar, Snowboard, hiking, longboarding, and videography

Lucien Blakemore

Lucien Blakemore

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Favorite rapid: Shoshone

Green or Red: Red all day

Favorite Movie: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Dream Destination: Durban

Hobbies: skiing, kayaking and playing with my cat

Jostan Chibante

Jostan Chibante

Hometown: All over the place (;

Favorite rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Green baby!

Favorite Movie: Hocus Pocus

Dream Destination: Bali

Hobbies: Snowboarding, camping, off-roading, baking, painting and thrifting

Sheldon Hons

Sheldon Hons

Hometown: Kenedy, TX

Favorite rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Christmas mostly

Favorite Movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Dream Destination: El Potrero Chico

Hobbies: climbing, snowboarding, hiking and Sudoku

Nic Gordin

Nic Gordin

Hometown: Wimberley, TX

Favorite Rapid: Fist

Green or Red: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Hell or High Water

Dream Destination: Ireland

Hobbies: Violin, longboard dancing and snowboarding

Dan LeBoeuf

Dan LeBoeuf

Hometown: Edgewood, NM

Favorite Rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Red, with a little love for green

Favorite Movie: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape 

Dream Destination: Rivers.. all of them

Hobbies: Snowboarding, gardening and soccer

Sarah Juarez

Sarah Juarez

Hometown: Tucson, AZ

Favorite rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Red

Fav Movie: The Proposal

Dream Destination: Washington state

Hobbies: Drawing, rock climbing, and making bad puns

Courtney Stewart

Courtney Stewart

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Favorite rapid: The tunnel shoot

Green or Red: Green

Favorite Movie: OG The River Wild

Dream Destination: New Zealand

Hobbies: Rock climbing, soccer/ footy, hiking

Katie Ahern

Katie Ahern

Hometown: Boston, MA

Favorite rapid: Big rocks

Green or Red: Red!!!

Favorite Movie: Roma

Dream Destination: Nepal

Hobbies: Painting, Skiing, Climbing, Playing with my pup Chico and exploring new parts of Utah, New Mexico or wherever I’m living!

Ben Strickland

Ben Strickland

Hometown: China Grove, NC

Favorite rapid: Albert Falls

Green or Red: Christmas

Favorite Movie: O’ Brother Where Art Thou

Dream Destination: Space

Hobbies: Skateboarding, snowboarding, flow arts, hiking/camping, reading, aikido and playing chess

Kennedy Bullock

Kennedy Bullock

Hometown: Chattanooga, TN

Favorite Rapid: Screaming Right

Red or Green: Green for sure, all the time

Favorite Movie: Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

Dream Destination: Hawaii

Other Hobbies: Skiing, fly fishing, hiking, baking, hosting trivia and karaoke at KTAOS!

Maddi Phillips

Maddi Phillips

Hometown: Charleston, SC

Favorite Rapid: High Water: The Narrows/ Low Water: Herring Bone

Green or Red: Christmas

Favorite Movie: The entire genre of Disney-Pixar

Dream Destination: The desert

Hobbies: Dancing, skiing, hiking, camping, glam, thrift, bits, shenanigans, dog

Yusef Abd-Allah

Yusef Abd-Allah

Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Favorite Rapid: The Narrows

Red or Green: Green

Favorite Movie: Surfs Up

Dream Destination: Tanzania

Other Hobbies: Climbing, snowboarding, yoga, horseback riding and skateboarding

Casey Helmeczi

Casey Helmeczi

Hometown: York, PA

Favorite Rapid: Albert Falls

Green or Red: I prefer green over red

Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction

Dream Destination: Anywhere in Northern Arizona

Hobbies: Writing, kayaking, and collecting ugly t-shirts

Jenne McIntosh

Jenne McIntosh

Hometown: Llano, NM

Favorite rapid: Eye of The Needle

Green or Red: RED

Fav movie: The Fifth Element

Dream destination: Space

Other hobbies: Singing and playing music, being a mom to my awesome kids, animals and herbalism

Sophie Fisher

Sophie Fisher

Hometown: Los Alamos, NM

Favorite Rapid: Big Rocks

Red or Green: Red

Favorite Movie: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Dream Destination: Hawaii

Other Hobbies: Running, boating and eating food!

Haley Plaisted

Haley Plaisted

Hometown: Warwick, NY

Favorite rapid: The Narrows

Green or Red: Undecided on chile

Favorite Movie: The Barbie Movie

Dream Destination: Thailand

Hobbies: My dog Glory, crocheting, baking, brewing kombucha, hiking, mountain biking

Amelia Asprey

Amelia Asprey

Hometown: Lake Stevens, Washington

Favorite Rapid: The Narrows

Red or Green: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron

Dream Destination: New Zealand

Other Hobbies: Skiing, rock climbing, slack lining, art, music, and building things

Hayden Baker

Hayden Baker

Hometown: Rio Rancho, NM

Favorite Rapid: Rock Garden

Red or Green: green

Favorite Movie: Point Break – the original!

Dream Destination: Tibet

Other Hobbies: playing guitar, hiking and climbing

Brandon Post

Brandon Post

Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL

Favorite Rapid: Lunch Counter

Red or Green: Green

Favorite Movie: Ace Ventura : Pet Detective

Dream Destination: Saturn

Other Hobbies: Skiing, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Gardening, Skydiving, Off-Roading

Wendy Gontram

Wendy Gontram

Hometown: Alameda, CA

Favorite Rapid: Ghost Rider

Red or Green: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Sound Of Music

Dream Destination: Thailand

Other Hobbies: Twirling like I’m in the Sound of Music, Petting my dogs, buying lottery tickets and spending the winnings in my mind!

Matthew Gontram

Matthew Gontram

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Favorite Rapid: Skyscraper

Red or Green: Christmas

Favorite Movie: Whichever One I can Stay Awake For

Dream Destination: Anywhere with my Girls

Other Hobbies: Trying to out-wit my 9 year old, pretending I’m still a kayaker, judging beer festivals