What to Know

Working at Wet Planet

See our team at work and play:

Culture & Values

Wet Planet’s mission is to welcome people to the river community and make the magic of river travel accessible to all levels of adventure seekers, without compromising standards.

Community

From the local community to the expanded river community, contributing to and fostering a supportive and respectful environment is a core part of our value system. Here are some of the ways that we contribute to our community:

• We founded and organized the annual White Salmon River Fest, where community members are invited to meet, float, celebrate, and learn about the river and from each other.
• Co-owner Todd Collins is a council member on the Husum-BZ Community Council and provides river rescue support to the local Klickitat County Search & Rescue.
• We are on the board of directors for the Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce, supporting and advocating for local businesses.
• We support our local schools and help make it possible for local non-profits to take underserved youth out on the river.
• Within our team, we organize regular Saturday Night Dinners, or SNDs, for our staff to spend time together and connect off the river.
• We offer an annual multi-day staff trip in the spring to kick off our season, meet our new team members, and connect with old friends.

By working, living, and playing together over the past two decades, we have built lifelong friendships and a supportive network of Wet Planet staff and alumni who continue to stay connected and have stood by each other both personally and professionally, through good times and challenging times. We hope you’ll join the community!

Environment

As a business that facilitates river adventures through human-powered water travel, sustainability and environmentalism are top of mind. We depend on the health of our rivers, but by nature, we also recognize the importance of and care for our environment. We aim to reduce our footprint personally, as a business, and as a part of the global community.

By sharing the river’s natural beauty, we hope to enhance our guests’ scope of awareness of the need to protect our natural lands and rivers. We have long adopted ways to create awareness and make our business operations more environmentally sustainable by separating waste, buying sustainable products, and sourcing locally produced foods and products.

Expertise and Professionalism

At Wet Planet, it’s considered ‘cool to be good.’

We take pride in what we do and strive for excellence on and off the river. On the river, our experienced guides and skilled instructors are river pros when it comes to learning, teaching, supporting, and training, and enjoy continued practice to polish their river skills. Off the river, our photographers enjoy capturing the perfect shot to commemorate someone’s river experience; the reservations team strives to maintain the highest level of guest service; our chefs prepare food with care, ensuring our guests are well-fed for their adventure. No matter which position, we all aim to be experts at what we do. We encourage continued professional development at Wet Planet through participation in courses and trainings at Wet Planet, by learning new skills, and by stepping into leadership roles.

Integrity

In the words of Wet Planet founder Todd Collins, “We knew we wanted to ‘do things right’ from the start, even before narrowing down our mission and purpose.” This core value illustrates the culture at Wet Planet, and is reflected in these few of many examples of how we operate with integrity:

• Embrace diversity and respect each other always.
• Commit to our Wet Planet Risk Management policies regardless of financial incentives.
• No overbooking and overloading boats.
• Work with other outfitters instead of trash-talking.
• Own your mistakes and take pride in fixing them.
• Strive for clear and respectful communication.

Passion

We deeply love being outside and on the river, and are so fortunate to be able to share this passion professionally for a living. We love sharing our knowledge and experience and invite our guests to learn about a new world of river experiences. We care deeply for the environment and the health of our rivers and recognize our opportunity to share that care and knowledge with our guests.

Development & Growth

Hand in hand with valuing expertise and professionalism, we believe in supporting and facilitating continued growth and development in your area of interest and expertise. We believe this comes with an open and welcoming mindset of curiosity, flexibility, and perseverance when it comes to supporting others or recognizing learning opportunities for yourself.

We want to help you develop and achieve a sense of sustaining fulfillment in this field. We offer training, chances to learn new skills, and opportunities to step into leadership roles. We encourage you to seek those opportunities out. If you have been a guide for a long time, it’s never too late to learn new things. We invite you to help coach others and grow yourself into the job that will sustain you in making a fulfilling career of your chosen river lifestyle.

• All positions, on and off the river, have the opportunity for upward mobility into management and supervisory roles.
• Experienced Class III-IV guides have the opportunity to grow their skills by training on Class IV-V rivers, such as the Wind River and Hood River.
• As a company that offers both day trips and multi-day trips, paddle guides can learn to row, and vice versa.
• Raft guides with a desire to teach can become Guide School Instructors, sharing their knowledge and expertise with new guides and private rafters.
• Kayak instructors can grow into teaching more advanced clinics.
• Staff looking for a creative outlet can become contributors to The Eddyline – the Wet Planet Blog.
• Base staff looking to hone their river skills, both rafting and kayaking, have the opportunity to learn and train in Wet Planet Courses and benefit from the expertise of our river staff in their personal time.
• Our team has opportunities to take in-house River Rescue courses at steep discounts.
• And much more! We invite our staff to seek out growth opportunities and let us know how we can support you.

Local Housing

The majority of Wet Planet Staff rent rooms in the towns of White Salmon and Hood River. Some staff choose to camp on public lands nearby. We recognize that finding local seasonal housing can be challenging. Here are some housing resources to help you in your search:

External Housing Resources

• Facebook groups: White Salmon Happenings, Hood River Happenings, Columbia Gorge Classifieds, PDX Kayaker.
• Hood River County and Columbia Gorge Housing Authority– Housing Assistance Programs, resources for low-income housing.
• Head to the S. Forest Service website for information about dispersed camping on National Forest land, rules, and regulations around camping limits and rules.
• Visit Oregon.gov for general housing assistance, an affordable housing list, and renter resources.
• Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) – offers rent and utility assistance programs, transitional housing, veteran family programs, and more.
• Wet Planet will share a document of known rental opportunities with those who have been offered and accepted a position.

Internal Housing Resources

We have limited affordable housing and camping available to qualifying team members.

Staff Camp – Qualifications & Expectations

Wet Planet staff camping is a small, quiet collection of camp spots on public company property. As such, it’s not a party scene – it’s a landing pad and safe space for a handful of folks. Please note that space is extremely limited. Contact your manager if you’re interested in employee housing after you have accepted a full-time position.

• Camping is contingent on employment. You must commit to working full-time. If your employment status changes, you’ll no longer be eligible to camp at Wet Planet.
• If offered a camp spot, you will have permission from Wet Planet to camp in a designated spot and for a specific period of time.
• You must be mindful that you are living with other folks and on public company property, and willing and able to give up some personal liberties associated with this.
• You must adhere to all company-provided camp policies and rules.

Application Process

Follow the steps below, and you’ll be on your way to joining the team.

Decide which position you’re interested in

• Consider your prior experience and areas of interest. You may have worked as a guide but would like to use that experience to work in the office or as a driver, guide multi-day trips, or become a manager. You may have worked as a photographer while learning to kayak, and now you would like to teach kayaking. Explore our Current Openings for positions that meet your interests and experience.
• Consider your availability. Our season of operations is April 1^st – September 30^th. Wet Planet hires for seasonal, part-time, full-time, and occasionally year-round positions. Most positions require a specific commitment period during our peak mid-summer season at minimum and availability to work weekends and public holidays during our season of operations.
• Prepare your application materials.
  • For positions on the river, please prepare a cover letter, resume, river log, and have your relevant certifications ready to upload (CPR, First Aid, River Rescue).
  • For positions off the river, please prepare a cover letter and resume, as well as any certifications relevant to the position you’re applying for (i.e., WA Food Handlers for Base, CDL for Drivers).

Apply online!

• Explore our Current Openings to apply for your chosen position. If you’re not sure which position would be the best fit, each position application allows you to indicate other positions you may be interested in. Choose the position that interests you most, then indicate other positions you would also be interested in.

What happens next?

Once you have submitted your application, we will contact you within two weeks with next steps.

Questions? Email Human Resources at employment@wetplanetwhitewater.com.

We look forward to reading your application!