Acquired Tastes Rafting

Phone Numbers:

Toll Free: 1-800-888-8582

Buena Vista (May-August): 719-395-2992

Denver Metro (Sept.-April): 303-443-4120

Addresses:

Buena Vista (May-August):
12918 Highway 285/24
Buena Vista, CO 81211

Boulder/Denver (Sept.-April):
2053 Yarmouth Ave.
Boulder, CO 80301

Email:

info@atraft.com

Experience The Acquired Tastes Difference

Let our friendly, well-trained guides and staff make your Arkansas River rafting trip a special experience. Many of our customers not only come back to raft with us year after year, but they also recommend us to their friends, relatives and co-workers. Our satisfied customers are our best source of advertising and we take pride in making each rafting trip a quality experience. We are big enough to accommodate large groups but small enough to tailor our rafting trips to meet your needs.

Acquired Tastes has been rafting the best Colorado whitewater under the same ownership since 1986. We offer

SAFETY, FUN, EXCITEMENT, ADVENTURE!

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Get the Real Deal

High Quality:

Acquired Tastes has provided safe, fun, exciting whitewater adventures on the Arkansas River under the same ownership since 1986. All of our boats are state-of-the-art self-bailing rafts with foot cones glued to the floor for added safety and security. We are a licensed outfitter with one of the best safety records on the river and our guides are certified by the State of Colorado.

Low Prices:

Our prices for whitewater rafting are some of the lowest in Colorado. We are the “Best Rafting Value in Colorado” because we provide high quality rafting trips at everyday low prices. We give you more rapids for your money!

Group Discounts:

We give your group an additional 10% off our everyday low prices for a group of 12 to 23 people or an additional 15% off for a group of 24 or more people.

Free Trip for Group Organizer:

If you organize a rafting trip of 18 or more people, one person will raft for free. If you organize a rafting trip of 36 or more people, two people will raft for free.

Hourly Jobs For Guides

We only accept first-year guides into our company who are also willing to do hourly work. Hourly work does not reduce the amount that you guide since you still maintain your position in the guide rotation. Do not commit to hourly work unless you are serious about doing the work. If you commit to an hourly job, we will expect you to do the work and do it well.

Hourly work pays $8.00 per hour. The hourly jobs include office intern, camp manager, bus driver, equipment/put-in manager, and vehicle manager.

Office Intern

This is a great job for someone who wants to get hands-on experience working in a small business. We want someone who will get involved in the work and accept responsibility. You will be dealing with customers over the phone, answering their questions, and making reservations. You will be checking in customers at our Johnson Village office, collecting final payments from customers, and helping them rent wetsuits and booties. You will need strong organizational skills because you will help us keep track of reservations, credit card payments, photo orders, sales, and guide records. The things you will learn in this job might very well help you succeed in your own business someday.

Pay: $9.00 per hour for full-time position: 40-hour week

Pay: $8.00 per hour for part-time positions

Camp Manager

Camp managers are responsible for running the camping part of the deluxe overnight trips. Camp managers are responsible for checking the reservation book for deluxe overnight trips, checking camp food and supplies, and shopping for and ordering food and supplies as needed. Camp managers set up the customer tents, shuttle customer gear down to the campsite while the customers are on the river, take care of the overnight customers when they come off the river, including cooking dinner, tending the campfire, washing dishes, and cleaning up after dinner. Camp managers stay in camp with the customers at night, cook breakfast, clean up after breakfast, and break down and pack away the tents and camping gear. Camp managers are paid for actual work time, not for sleep time and not for hanging out time. This job requires someone who is hard working and self-disciplined. Outdoor cooking experience is helpful. Two or three guides are in the camp manager rotation. Only one camp manager works on the smaller overnight trips but two camp managers usually work on the bigger overnight trips.

Bus Driver

Since our bus drivers are also guides, we frequently shuttle our busses and vans to our Brown’s Canyon takeout the morning of the trip or the evening before the trip so they are at the takeout when the trip comes off the water. On larger trips, one of the guides with a commercial drivers license (CDL) drives the bus and customers back to the office. On smaller trips, any of the guides with a good driving record may drive the van and customers back to the office. Bus and van drivers are paid $8.00 per hour for driving Royal Gorge, Bighorn Sheep Canyon, and Numbers/Narrows trips. On these trips, the bus driver drives the guides and customers to the put-in, helps get the trip on the water, meets the trip for lunch, helps with lunch, packs away lunch, meets the trip coming off the water, helps load equipment, and drives the guides and customers back to their vehicles or to the office. First year bus drivers who guided Brown’s Canyon are not paid extra for driving their trip from our Brown’s Canyon takeout back to the office since we paid for the costs of getting their CDL’s. Guides who get a CDL are not paid for their study time and testing time since having a CDL increases a guide’s future employment opportunities and earning ability. Our insurance requires CDL drivers to be at least 21 years old and to have a good driving record. Only bus drivers are required to have CDL’s. Guides without CDL’s can drive our vans if they have a good driving record.

Equipment and Put-In Manager

The equipment/put-in manager is responsible for making sure the rafting equipment and the put in are kept in good condition. The equipment/put-in manager should go through the equipment on a regular basis to see what equipment needs to be cleaned, what needs to be repaired, and what needs to be replaced. Although the guides wash the wetsuits, booties, and rain gear at the end of each trip, the equipment/put-in manager is responsible for more thorough cleaning. The equipment/put-in manager periodically washes and deodorizes the life jackets, wetsuits, booties, rain gear, and helmets. The equipment/put-in manager is responsible for doing simple repairs on the equipment, remarking the company name and information on boats, life jackets, helmets, etc., as needed, repairing the clotheslines, and for taking the equipment to a local shop for more complex repairs. The equipment/put-in manager is responsible for getting the put-in ready for the season. This may involve extensive digging and moving rocks at the beginning of the season since winter rains damage the old roadbed that is our access down to the water. Once the put-in area is fixed, the equipment/put-in manager is responsible for maintaining the put-in and keeping the trash picked up in the put-in area.

Vehicle Manager

The vehicle manger is responsible for ensuring that the vehicles and trailers are kept clean and in good repair. The vehicle manager inspects the vehicles and trailers at least once a week to make sure the vehicles are running well, the lights, wipers, etc. are working, the fluid levels are good, and the tire pressures are correct. The vehicle manager is responsible for keeping the vehicles clean, for doing minor repairs, and for scheduling major repairs at a local auto repair shop.

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