Nate Ostis
Nate is a Rescue 3 International Swiftwater Rescue Instructor and also an Instructor Trainer and Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor for the American Canoe Association.   Nate is a Firefighter WEMT-B riding ambulance shifts and serving on the rope rescue team of his local fire department. He is also an EMS Instructor as well as a NSDS Open Water Diver and Ice Rescue Technician. Nate’s career in education began as a lecturer for the Outdoor Recreation Department and as Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach for Plymouth State University. He then taught high school English and Physics for an international whitewater kayaking academy.  In addition to working for Wilderness Rescue, he is also a senior field staff for the National Outdoor Leadership School and the Wilderness Medicine Institute leading First Aid, Rock Climbing, Backpacking, and Whitewater courses.  A lead rescue instructor for the Department of Emergency programs at the University of Utah, Nate also writes rescue curriculum and risk management protocols for a number of programs and agencies.  Author of River Rescue: Essential Skills for Boaters , and lead author/editor of The River Educator Notebook , Nate was also a contributing author to Wilderness Mountaineering .  Nate has worked as a commercial raft guide for 17+ years across the US and abroad. With 21+ years of kayaking experience, he has paddled in 7 countries with a first descent on a 160-mile section of class V whitewater on the Yalong River in China. See his film Into the Unknown here.

Claudio Vega
Exploring the outdoors began for Claudio in his backyard in Patagonia, Chile. His passion for instructing and guiding has placed him on a tenacious quest for perfecting his teaching strategies and educational approach.  Claudio speaks fluent English and Spanish and as a result has taught and guided all over the US, Central America, and South America.  In addition to working for Wilderness Rescue, Claudio also leads backcountry whitewater, sea kayaking, and mountaineering courses for the National Outdoor Leadership School in the US, Patagonia, and Mexico.  He also teaches for the Alzar Youth Adventure and is certified in CPR, Wilderness First Responder, and Leave No Trace.  Claudio is a natural leader asserting himself in a non-intrusive way, always showing a special interest in every thing he teaches and with every person he comes into contact with. He has the natural ability to demonstrate specific skills to all students regardless of their ability level.  Students regularly comment on Claudio’s adept ability to present information with a refined blend of humor and seriousness.

Frank Preston
Frank has been teaching, guiding, and patrolling in the wilderness for over 11+ years all across the US and over seas.  From working camps to instructing at the University of Montana, Frank has refined his educational style and ignited an incredible passion for teaching.  Frank is also a senior field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School leading whitewater, rock climbing, mountaineering, and backpacking course types. For the past 5 seasons, Frank has served as the Assistant Director of the Montana Snowbowl Ski Patrol.  In the summer, he regularly volunteers for First Descents , teaching kayaking to young adults with cancer.  Some of Frank’s most recent accomplishments were a result of travel to South America as he successfully traversed Patagonia’s Northern Icefield…shortly after navigating down the majestic Futaleafu river.  Frank is well-known for his teaching style and consistent emphasis on developing solid judgment and conservative decision making.

Jay Ostis  Jay is a highly talented, hard working, veteran guide of 10+ years and whitewater kayaker for 20+ years. A true explorer of the Sierra Nevada Mountain drainages, Jay spent several seasons maintaining his kayaking habits by raft guiding on the Class V Cherry Creek. His paddling career has taken him across the country from Maine to New York to Kentucky to California, and as far away as Chile on the Feutaleufu River.  Certified as a Wilderness EMT and Swiftwater Rescue, Jay has trained dozens of guides in river running and swiftwater rescue. Up and coming river runners have attributed their success to Jay's instruction and coaching them effectively with his classic mantra, “Crash, Burn, and Learn.”  Loved by many for his hilarious energy and genuine approach to life and interactions, Jay has seared an imprint in the minds of many.  Jay relocated to the Pacific Northwest where rivers are abundant and run all winter long.  He now works as a java-web programmer for the Port of Seattle as well as the Senior Software Developer for Audiofuse. Jay brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in serving Wilderness Rescue as a senior advisor in educational mediums and curriculum delivery methods.

Swish Behind the scenes but a solid contributor, Swish brings tremendous joy and stability to the Wilderness Rescue family.  Though 22 hours of each day are spent sleeping on his back and snoring like a hibernating grizzly, Swish can kick it into high gear in a flash if the magic word, “Squirrel” is whispered from across the room.  He’s more than willing to help out with any leftover pancakes and prefers to digest in front of the latest episode of The Office.

Sam Bass  Sam brings a variety of skill sets to Wilderness Rescue as both a talented educator and seasoned traveler. Born and raised in the great state of Maine, Sam has spent most of his life outside. His river experience includes stints as a whitewater slalom racer, raft guide, kayak instructor, and canoe-expedition leader. He taught high school English and coached snowboarding at the Holderness School in New Hampshire and has more than a decade of wilderness-leadership experience. He has been accredited as a Wilderness First Responder and ACA -certified kayak instructor. His river-guiding and kayaking endeavors have taken him from Maine to California and numerous rivers in between. His international travel includes Slovenia, Austria, Russia, Italy, Ethiopia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, and Antarctica. In November 2009, Sam traveled to Antarctica as a journalist and ski-mountaineer with the first large-scale, ship-based, alpine-skiing expedition to that continent. In addition to working for Wilderness Rescue, Sam is also the senior editor for Skiing Magazine . As a freelance journalist, Sam has contributed to Popular Science , Outside , Canoe & Kayak , and Men’s Journal , among other publications. Sam wants to enjoy the outdoors into his old age, and has therefore developed a calculated approach to risk management and decision making. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Ryan, son Luke, and daughter Mekdes.