While working in the tourism industry in Colorado can be demanding, working as an outdoor adventure guide often feels like being on a permanent vacation! Living in Colorado in the summertime means immersing yourself in the outdoors regularly. As a zipline guide, you experience flexibility in where you work and play, while honing your outdoor skills and making unforgettable connections with the people around you.
One of my favorite aspects of guiding is that it keeps me close to the mountains that I moved to Colorado to enjoy. Working at our Idaho Springs location offers all the conveniences of being near the city of Denver (only forty-five minutes away!), while our Buena Vista location allows you to enjoy all the remoteness that the Rocky Mountains offer. The abundance of Public Lands across the state gives ample space to camp and recreate just a short drive from my day-to-day, plus zipline guiding has the ideal schedule for the winter-sport or travel enthusiast! Aerial tours begin as early in the year as March and run through November, giving you plenty of time in the off-season to enjoy other hobbies near and far.
Zipline guiding is also the perfect way to learn and perfect new outdoor skills and hobbies. Everything from basic first aid and CPR to more advanced climbing and rescuing skills will be picked up along the course of training and added to season-to-season. When you’re ready to further your guiding education you can even opt into company-organized Wilderness First Responder classes, which can prove very useful while pursuing backcountry adventures. Many of the skills learned through training are shared with basic rock-climbing, so most of us leave the season as new, or improved climbers, too!
Finally, the best aspect of adventure-guiding is meeting so many people from around the world and forging new friendships along the way. Each season makes for a unique experience as new faces arrive to complement those who have returned year after year, and as quickly as introductions can be made, new friendships become old friendships. The guiding industry is diverse, and as I’ve met other professionals along the way they’ve been all too willing to share their enthusiasm for their area of expertise, whether it’s paddling downriver or hiking through National Parks. Most career paths don’t lead you directly to your next camping, climbing, or paddling partner, but a guiding gig is a one-way ticket to making life-long adventure buddies.
Ultimately, it’s hard to deny that being a zipline guide is a little like being at summer camp again, all the way down the sunburns and dirty fingernails. We work where others are like to play, and are lucky to have Colorado as not only our backyard but also our office. If you are looking to escape the 9-to-5 and fully immerse yourself in the Rocky Mountains, learn new skills at a fun summer job, and make lifelong memories while taking a non-traditional approach to professionalism you can join me by applying here!
