Hometown

Detroit Rock City, that's where all the great raft guides come from.

AVA Employee Since

2002

Favorite Trips

The Numbers, Colorado Half Day Rafting Trip

ABOUT Chris

When asked about himself, Chris responded with "I’m an average athlete that is overly dedicated." He believes the Saturday Night Live skit about Chris Farley living out of his van down by the river left too much of an impression on him, due the the fact that he's lived out of a vehicle for quite some time now. Chris is a professional whitewater enthusiast chasing his dream: big waterfalls, unexplored canyons, gorgeous landscapes, and a cold beer at the take out. These dreams have taken Chris to almost every state and across the globe. Chris blames the fact that his family moved a fair amount growing up to his traveling itch. His water bug came from time spent on Mackinac Island and Minnesota (Land of 10,000 Lakes). It wasn't till Chris moved out of the house and tried school and a career as a freestyle skier that he stumbled into his true passion. 2002 was a draught year in Colorado the mountains had 20% of the average annual snow, and Chris was giving commercial raft guiding a shot. The water levels that year were low, and rather uninspiring, until a dam-released river began to flow in the fall. Gore Canyon had a handful of exceedingly hard rapids and a 8 foot waterfall, and it was flying off that waterfall that sealed the deal. Anything else? "The risk is worth the reward."