ACA Rafting Rendezvous

Level 4: Swiftwate Rescue IT

Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor

Jess was raised by river guides and has been working and playing on rivers across the world her whole life. She has been guiding for more than a decade, both internationally and domestically, and loves connecting people to beautiful and wild waters. Jess excels at creating spaces in which people feel equally challenged and supported, and enjoys helping people find their “home” on the river and with the people that make up the community. Jess is an ACA L4 Raft and Oar instructor as well as L4 Swiftwater instructor and is working towards her L5 certifications. Jess also owns a backcountry ski hut in Colorado and is a mountain guide. When you she isn’t on the river you can find her climbing rocks, traveling, or snuggling with her pup, Moki.

Level 4: Whitewater Kayaking ITE

Level 4: Raft Paddle / Oar ITE

Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue ITE

Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue IT

Adaptive Paddling IT

Level 4: Surf Kayaking Instructor

Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor

Level 2: Essentials of SUP Instructor

Marcel Bieg has been an Adventure and Experiential Education professional since 1994. He began his career as a Raft Guide and Kayak instructor while attending school at Colorado Mountain College. These experiences drove Marcel to Alaska to complete his undergraduate degree in Outdoor Education at Alaska Pacific University. Upon completing his degree in 1998, Marcel began to work as a seasonal guide and instructor in several outdoor skill sets, and from 1998 to 2003 Marcel and his wife Kressa traveled around the United States, teaching and guiding. In 2003, after a particularly challenging summer season in Colorado, Marcel and Kressa decided to focus on earning graduate degrees, which moved them in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, Marcel was hired by the US Air Force to manage the High Adventure Program at Kirtland Air Force Base. During Marcel’s time with the Air Force, he completed his graduate degree in Experiential Education from the University of Minnesota, Mankato. Marcel was then hired on as the Director of the Outdoor Leadership, Education, and Recreation Degree program at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico. In many ways, this was Marcel’s dream job; he worked at San Juan College for eight years. Marcel took a position with the American Canoe Association as the Western States Outreach Director and held this position until accepting the Recreation Program Director position within the River House Outdoor Center in February of 2020. Marcel holds several instructor certifications from the ACA, AIARE, ACCT, AMGA, and LNT.

Marcel will be teaching a variety of important topics at the Rendezvous:

• Understanding ExEd and Integrating the ACA Curriculum
  • Experiential Education (ExEd) is a form of teaching that strives to build connections from what is learned to what is lived. As ACA Instructors, we have a unique medium to teach people about paddlesports and, more importantly, how the lessons learned in paddlesports can supplement and strengthen all aspects of their everyday lives. ExEd finds the strengths in everyone through their experiences and provides a platform for those experiences to enhance the lesson. By approaching education in this way, all participants are valued and provided a platform to enrich the lives of others. In this presentation, we will expand our understanding of ExEd and provide tools to help you integrate ExEd concepts into your lessons.
• Rigging and Flipping Loaded Boats
  • Have you ever considered taking a multi-day raft trip and thought about what would happen if you flipped a loaded boat that may weigh more than a ton? This presentation will discuss concepts of rigging loaded boats to minimize entrapment hazards and discuss and demonstrate concepts of flipping a loaded raft while considering safety and efficiency.
• The Power of Vectors (For Rafters)
  • What are vectors, and how do they work? Are they a gimmick, or do they genuinely create usable mechanical advantages, and if so, are there specific places where they work the best? How do they fit into the world of Mechanical Advantage pulley systems? In this presentation, we will answer all these questions by demonstrating the dynamics of vectors and where they work best in Rafting. We will consider safety and work through using vectors for rescue and rigging.
• Bio Mechanics for Raft Guides
  • Rafting as a lifelong passion can be extremely hard on one’s body. Moving a boat full of customers or gear generates enormous force on joints and muscles. How do we keep ourselves safe and healthy, day after day of commercial guiding or pushing rubber down hundreds of miles of river? This presentation will consider how we maintain a safe and powerful body position and transfer more force from the river through our paddle (or Oar), body, and into our raft, ultimately increasing our ability to move the raft more efficiently.

Level 5: Raft Paddle/ Oars Instructor

Level 4: Raft Paddle/Oars  Instructor Trainer

Level 4: Whitewater Kayak Instructor

Level 4: Swiftwater Rescue

Owner – Operator  Appalachian Guidance LLC

I am very passionate about sharing my knowledge of rafting, kayaking, and swiftwater rescue with others. I have been fortunate enough to help teach raft guide schools for over 35 years. I will be teaching an on water topic pertaining to the draw stroke, and it will focus on correct body position, torso rotation, and staying within the paddlers box. I will further expand the topic by teaching how to effectively and properly use a combination of strokes including the draw to perform what is known as “draw stroking the boat.” I will be presenting a classroom topic focusing on laminar and turbulent flow. It will include lots of fun activities to help everyone understand how it helps to create river features.

A full-time outdoor skills educator working internationally, Tom is focused on the development of powerful and effective methods of experiential learning. In 2015, Tom received the ACA’s “Excellence in Instruction” award and has been nationally recognized among the “Best of the Best” of Swiftwater Rescue Instructors. From his start in emergency services in 1990, through his current position as the Team leader of the Washington CO. AR Wilderness Search and Rescue team, his focus on technical skills and rescue techniques has been a lifetime passion.  As a NREMT / WEMT, he functions as medical support and safety on expeditions and large paddling events. In his role as an Educator for the ACA, Tom Chairs the ACA’s Safety and Rescue Discipline Committee, which provides oversight and curriculum development for the ACA’s Safety and Rescue programs, and he is a foundational member / SWR 3-V Instructor for the International Technical Rescue Association (ITRA). He has served for many years on the ACA’s Rafting Discipline committee as co-chair and committee member.  As a wilderness medicine instructor for Sierra Rescue International, he instructs SRI courses throughout the country, and he provides risk management services to numerous organizations. He is also an Instructor for the National Cave Rescue Commission and helped develop the original Small Party Self Rescue curriculum.

Level 5: Raft Paddle/Oars  Instructor Trainer

Level 5: Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Instructor

Byron Beers is a highly experienced Raft and Swiftwater Rescue Instructor based in West Glacier, Montana. With a rich background in guiding and safety instruction, Byron has dedicated over 20 years to mastering the art of navigating and rescuing in swiftwater environments. As the owner of Great Northern Resort, he combines his passion for adventure with a commitment to providing top-notch experiences and safety for his guests.