The Smoky Mountain Outdoors Guide Training Program is a free program that trains excellent river guides. The program provides training in basic whitewater rafting and international professional standards. The training program has a high completion rate and trainees who successfully complete the training can usually get a guide position.
This document describes the Smoky Mountain Outdoors (SMO) raft guide training program, often called guide school. It explains that guide school teaches rafting fundamentals and international professional standards, that several schools are held each spring with limited class size, and that trainees pay $300 total for their own gear while the training itself is free for guides who complete the full season.
The text also covers what a typical training day looks like, the skills taught (reading water, paddle strokes, steering and maneuvering rafts, river rescue, equipment care), what trainees must bring, the training dates and the Hartford, Tennessee outpost location. Further sections describe seasonal hiring and work days, the Upper and Lower Pigeon River sections, the staff, SMO standards and personal appearance rules, and housing riverside in Hartford.
| Guide school length | Five day courses |
|---|---|
| Daily start time | 8 am |
| Total gear cost to trainee | $300 |
| Peak season | Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend |
| Training location | Outpost on the Pigeon River, 3299 Hartford Road, Hartford, TN 37753 |
| Upper Pigeon River section | Six and a half miles, Class III-IV whitewater |
Guide schools are five day courses that start at 8 am, with mornings on dry land and afternoons on the river. Training continues the following week while trainees work toward getting checked out.
Topics include reading water, paddle strokes, commanding and steering a raft, maneuvering and swimming rapids, righting and unwrapping a raft, equipment care and repair, river rescue techniques, loading and unloading rafts, and river hazards, plus American Red Cross First Aid and CPR certifications.
Training is held at the SMO outpost on the Pigeon River in Hartford, Tennessee, at 3299 Hartford Road, Hartford, TN 37753.
You must come prepared for long days on the water with warm clothing such as polypropylene, fleece, warm hats and wool socks; cotton is not to be worn on the river.