Bryce Thornberry

After working a corporate job for 10 years, Bryce decided to forgo stuffy offices for the fresh air of Jackson Hole, and since then, he hasn’t looked back, eventually spending 7 years with DH and becoming a Senior Guide. Bryce spends the off-season touring the country in his RV, fishing, and jumping on any multi-day river trip he can. Bryce is quickly turning into a legend on the Snake— in 2021 he guided a whopping 375 trips, an all-time record for guides across all companies! If you get Bryce as a guide, get ready jump in the river because Bryce is known for convincing his rafters to jump in and join the Snake River Swim Team!

Guide Gratuity

Delaney Harrop

Delaney knows the Snake River inside and out as a Senior Guide after spending 9 years guiding, 5 of them at Dave Hansen. After finishing her degree in electrical engineering, she got the rafting bug, and her life was forever changed. In addition to the Snake, she’s rafted on the Gallatin, Green, Colorado, Marañon, and Salmon Rivers. These were epic adventures that included basically getting kidnapped on a 17-day rafting trip in Peru! When she’s not on the river, you’ll find her hiking in mountains or practicing her rollerblading. In the winter, she’s navigating the snow by skis or snowmobile. Delaney loves blazing new trails. She was a part of the first all-female officiating crew to work the D1 women’s NCAA college hockey championships in 2019 between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Guide Gratuity

Brian Becerra

After working his way from a wetsuit washer in middle school to the office in high school to finally a bonafide raft guide, Brian is heading into his 9th year with DH and 6th year as a guide! Brian grew up right here in Jackson Hole and has spent the majority of his life on the river. Ask his seventh grade English teacher (who just happens to be an owner), and she will tell you Brian is one of the kindest, coolest cats she’s ever had the good fortune to teach. You can always count on Brian to keep you laughing with his contagious smile and sense of humor. 

Guide Gratuity

Zach Williams

Originally from Gresham, OR, Zach is back at DH for his 6th season with us and 7th year as a river guide. Zach is an open-minded thrill seeker (the best combination, of course) and will try anything twice. After numerous inquiries, he would like to make it known that, unfortunately, he is not Casey from Yellowstone…though he did once give sunscreen to Usher’s kids so if that doesn’t qualify him for celebrity status, we don’t know what will! Zach graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in accounting and got into river guiding after making the realization that living life on the river seems a lot more fun than crunching numbers. Zach’s big advice to his rafters is to “never trust a guide”… but hopefully that advice doesn’t apply to us!

Guide Gratuity

Celia Marino

While this is Celia’s first year as a river guide, she’s no stranger to rowing. She was a competitive rower for over 10 years and spent 5 years competing on a Division 1 team in California. Back on land, she completed her bachelor’s in computer science and earned master’s in entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. She also enjoys backpacking and biking whenever she gets the chance. While Celia is from Chicago, she’s also a Norwegian citizen. If you’re lucky enough to get Celia as your guide, ask her about working as a bubblegum taste tester, her two pet squirrels, or that time she got chased by a llama while she was out riding horses! 

Guide Gratuity

Nick Bahamonde

Unlike some of his fellow raft guides, Nick didn’t grow up on the river. His first time whitewater rafting was on a family vacation to Jackson when he was 11. The river trip and his dad’s comment that “Being a raft guide in Jackson is probably the best job in the world” is all he remembers about the vacation. That memory led him to quit his job at the farmer’s market and become a guide on the river 20 minutes from his hometown, the Shenandoah. After his first season guiding, he moved to Jackson and joined the DH crew. This will be his 3rd season on the Snake! Before guiding, Nick attended Ithaca College where he majored in television and digital media. There, he was a two-time All American kicker. Nick is also quite the traveler having been to 49 states and skied on 3 continents. If you get Nick as your guide, be sure to ask him about that time he won a dating show.

Guide Gratuity

Charlotte Lee

“Hurricane Charlotte,” as she calls herself on the river, grew up right here in Jackson Hole where she’s always loved hiking, climbing, and skiing but only caught the rafting bug when she met former DH guide EJ while working as a lifty in Teton Village over the winter. She loved working on the river so much she’s back for a second season! She’s currently attending Montana State University where she’s studying psychology and plans to graduate this spring! Charlotte is also quite the world traveler. She spent a year in Costa Rica where she learned to speak fluent Spanish. Looking to go abroad again, she spent a year studying abroad in London. If you get Charlotte as your guide, be sure to tell her your favorite cheesy dad jokes!

Guide Gratuity

Melissa Kussy

A homegrown valley girl, Melissa is a DH day one. Melissa started with DH when she was in middle school, washing wetsuits and cleaning bathrooms. But, we all knew her calling lay beyond just wetsuits (though everyone knows wetsuit washing is an integral part to every rafting company!). Melissa made her way up to the office, and eventually, onto the river! Melissa spends her winters at Boise State University, where she is working towards a masters in Kinesiology for an eventual career in Athletic Training. When she’s not guiding, Melissa loves seeking out any live music festival–especially country, exploring the scenic areas of Jackson Hole, and finding any sort of river, lake, or creek to jump into. It will come as no surprise to learn that Melissa’s top bucket list item is to swim with whales and sharks…this girl was born to be on the water!

Greta Wendorff

Greta is trading the ocean for the river this summer in her first year at DH! Coming from Southern California, Greta was eager to find her water fix in the mountains and landed on guiding with us. When she’s not on the river, she loves taking advantage of everything Jackson has to offer from dirt biking to climbing to skiing in the winter. She attended TCU for college and earned a degree in creative business. She’s looking to apply everything she learned at school to another one of her passions—ceramics. Greta is building her own ceramics business this summer!
Guide Gratuity

Eagen Keeley

Eagen is a true outdoorsman. Whether it’s rafting 2,700 miles last year (2.5x the length of the entire Snake River) or completing Jackson’s most extreme challenges—like doing the “Picnic” on the Grand Teton or biking “Around The Block”—Eagan was made to spend his days in the mountains. These adventures are best when he’s with his wife, Burçin, and 2 dogs, Bemo and Çiya. Beyond spending 4 years as a river guide on the Snake, he’s also rafted in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Guatemala, and Arizona. Eagen got into rafting when he coincidentally ended up rooming with a DH guide who took him along on a 280 mile Grand Canyon float. The next season, Eagen was ready to join the crew, and now he’s worked at the company for 5 years!

Guide Gratuity

Hailey Stines

Hailey is carrying on the family tradition as a second generation raft guide! Her parents were both local river guides, so this has always been her dream job! In her first year guiding, she won silver in the Best of Jackson Hole Best River Guide category, and now she’s back for her second season. While Hailey was born to be on the river, she spent her teenage years washing wetsuits and working in the office waiting for her moment. Her river resume includes kayaking the whole Grand Canyon at age 15. Growing up in Jackson, Hailey was a competitive nordic skier for 9 years, and she climbed the Grand Teton with her high school mountaineering club when she was 15. When Hailey isn’t on the river, she’s trail running, hiking, or biking. Hailey is fluent in Spanish, and you should ask her about her 4-H accomplishments! 

Guide Gratuity

Sandy Feuer

Sandy is returning for his 7th season with DH and 9th season as a river guide across the Snake, Salmon, and Selway Rivers. When he’s not on the river, you’ll find him camping with his wife, Sarah, and two dogs, Tater Tot and Charlie. While Sandy loves the river, he explored many careers before landing in Wyoming including working on fishing boats in Alaska and playing soccer in Africa. Now settled in Wyoming, he still makes frequent trips, including to raft the Grand Canyon. It was that trip nearly a decade ago that got him hooked on rafting, and he’s since done the stretch six more times! Beyond his extensive outdoor resume, Sandy’s hidden talent is that he can juggle. 

Guide Gratuity

Madden Hart

After five years at DH, Madden is a true triple threat—he guides, can drive a bus, and even works in the office. When he’s not keeping DH spinning, you’ll find him rock climbing, riding his motorcycle, at a concert, or focused on his latest project—whether that’s working on his car or building a guitar. He’s a recent University of Wyoming graduate having earned a degree in entrepreneurship and business management. After a long day on the river, you’ll find him at the boathouse with Tucker, making dinner on the brand new “Raftstone” grill.

Guide Gratuity

Alex Nelson

With 25 seasons of guiding, you can say Alex has found his calling!  Originally from North Yarmouth, Maine, Alex got his degree in international studies at the University of Denver before finding his way to Jackson Hole. Alex is returning to DH for his 12th season, and he is one of our most experienced river runners. If you’re lucky enough to get him as a guide, ask him about the 21 different rivers he has guided on all over the world! Alex is always in search of adventure and usually migrates south for the winter, so ask him about his most recent travel to New Zealand or his past adventures in Honduras, Costa Rica, and Chile! If you can’t find Alex on the river, don’t worry, ‘cause he’s most likely on his way there.

Guide Gratuity

Tabby Burke

After spending a year working in the DH office, Tabby is ready to make her river debut as one of our first-year guides! Tabby grew up in Connecticut before moving to Austin where she studied art at UT, flexing her creative muscles across painting, drawing, photography, and digital art. It was during her college years that she started coming to Jackson to ski instruct, and she’s just wrapped up her 5th year at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Even though she came for the snow, Tabby found that she loves the summer just as much as the winter and spends the warmer months going on long bike rides and completing hikes, like climbing the Sleeping Indian last summer. As a middle child in a family of seven, she’s perfectly comfortable striking out on her own and spent months backpacking around Europe and Asia solo. Since Tabby’s mom is English, Tabby is a dual citizen and has spent lots of time exploring the UK as well. 

Guide Gratuity

Jordan Ibarra

While this is Jordan’s 2nd year at DH, it’ll be his 1st behind the oars. Jordan started rowing in his grandfather’s drift boat, and while he enjoyed the trips, he craved the thrill that comes from running the rapids in a raft. So after growing up in Laramie and working at the Weed and Pest department, Jordan was ready to switch jobs and get on the river! When he’s not rafting, you’ll find Jordan mountain biking, skiing, or antler hunting. 

Guide Gratuity

Julien Langshur

Julien comes to Jackson by way of Boston.  It was dreams of powder turns that brought him to town where he applies his degree in Outdoor Education from Ithaca College to ski instructing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Now, he wants to stick around for summer, so he’s embarking on his first year of guiding here at DH. While this is his first season behind oars, he’s already rafted the Rio Grande and the Dechutes rivers.  When he’s not on the river, he looks forward to a summer full of hiking, hopscotch, and picnics with his dog, Mango. If Julien is your guide, ask him about his many hidden talents including playing piano. Or mention cheesecake. He recently discovered his deep passion for the dessert. 

Guide Gratuity

Savanah Lee-Sobal

Savanah, a Colorado native, has made her way to Jackson, WY for her second year at Dave Hansen. Even though she’s new to DH, she’s an experienced guide who has rafted in 16 different states and has been a raft guide for 4 years! If you get Savanah as your guide, ask her about her adventures rafting in Montana, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Utah, and Tennessee. Before becoming a river guide, Savanah went to Colorado State University to study Political Science with a focus on U.S. Government, Policy, and Law. When Savanah is on land, you’ll find her climbing, backpacking, or hiking. We’re so excited to have Savanah with us on the river this summer!

Guide Gratuity

Matt Wiseman

Matt comes to Jackson Hole by way of Williamstown, Massachusetts. After getting his Bachelor of Arts in Geoscience from Williams College, he jumped into river guiding as a way to spend as much time outside as possible! When he’s not guiding, you’ll find him trail running, mountain biking, or locked in a competitive game of Catan with his friends. You’ll find Matt exploring the Tetons or venturing deep into the Wind River Range. He’s a serious trail runner, even jumping into ultra running with fellow DH guide Emmie! He’s run 100 miles in a single day before! The only thing Matt might like as much as running and rafting is food. His perfect day would include a big dinner with friends, and he has a soft spot for croissants. He once ate 14 of the flaky pastries in a single day! Now that might be some kind of record!

Guide Gratuity

Tucker Pierce

Tucker is floating into his 3rd season with DH after moving to Jackson the summer after he finished his degree at SUNY Cortland. While ski instructing at Greek Peak, he met fellow DH guide, Nick, and he jumped at the chance to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a raft guide. Tucker’s dad spent the 80s and 90s raft guiding on the Moose and Black Rivers and even took a trip to Kenya to guide. Beyond rowing and skiing, Tucker is a skilled athlete. If you get him as your guide, be sure to ask him about being a Section 2 Volleyball All-Star in 2017. These days, though, the sport that makes Tucker’s heart sing is a spirited game of cornhole. This year, Tucker is very excited about grilling on his “Raftstone” grill (be sure to ask about it) and hosting cheeseburger picnics with his fellow raft guides. 

Guide Gratuity

Lili vanZutphen

Lili comes to Jackson by way of Healdsburg, California. She moved to the mountains after earning her degrees in Biological Anthropology and Psychology from the University of Oregon. Lili started at Dave Hansen working in the office, and this is her first year guiding after finding her passion for the river through the job. She’s especially excited to get behind the oars after rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon last fall. When she’s not on the river, you’ll likely find her honing her climbing skills, practicing yoga, or learning to play the banjo. Lili is also a crossword puzzle enthusiast and always works her way through the newspaper’s new puzzles. In the winter, you’ll find her teaching skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and getting in some powder turns of her own. 

Guide Gratuity

Margaret Starr

Margaret is embarking on her first year as a river guide with DH! After growing up in New York and attending the University of New Hampshire, she decided to come out west after meeting fellow DH guide Nick. She found a place to land over Teton Pass and is stoked to be spending the summer in Jackson. When she’s not on the river, Margaret spends her time swimming and hiking, and her winters are dedicated to skiing. Margaret is proud to be the tallest member of her family. If you’re lucky enough to get her as your guide, be sure to ask about her bagpipe band! 

Guide Gratuity

Rose Adrat

Rose is perfectly at home in the wilderness. She got her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and forestry and managed to hike 6,400 miles over the course of three summers. If you get Rose as your guide, ask her about all the trails she’s completed to rack up so many miles! While she’d already fallen for the great outdoors, it was her friends that introduced her to rafting. Even though this is her first year guiding, she’s already taken a rafting trip in New Zealand while on an epic adventure across the country. While Rose’s outdoor resume is impressive, you’ll be surprised to learn about her other talents—like being able to unicycle. Rose is also quite musical and can play the flute.

Guide Gratuity

Vlad Dandu

Vlad has always been a free spirit. He was born in Romania and spent his childhood in Spain. Growing up, he loved to hike and camp in the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania which led to his enthusiasm for the outdoors. After college, he traveled to Mexico where he started his own climbing tour service in the Chiapas mountains. He started running rivers in Moab, Utah and spent some of his happiest days guiding multi-day trips in Cataract Canyon. Eventually, Vlad made his way to Wyoming, the best place to explore whitewater, birds of prey, and national parks. He’s now been with DH  6 awesome seasons! These days, Vlad soaks up as much summer as he can. After the DH season, he goes to the Southern Hemisphere to guide on the Futaleufu River in Chile.

Guide Gratuity

Merry McDonough

Merry is new to DH and river guiding, but she’s no stranger to the great outdoors. She got her undergraduate degree from SUNY Plattsburgh from the expeditionary studies program where she learned about mountaineering and outdoor leadership. She got to DH by way of her good friend and former DH guide, EJ, who she worked with as a liftie at JHMR. When she’s not on the river, she has a plethora of hobbies and interests including running, reading, wildlife photography, acrylic painting, and drawing. She spends her free time volunteering with the incredible Teton Raptor Center where she connects with her love of birds. If you’re lucky enough to get Merry as your guide, ask her about that time in 2016 where she ran across the country from California to Brooklyn, New York! 

Guide Gratuity

Ben Obertacz

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Ben has been with the DH crew for 9 awesome seasons! An avid outdoorsman, Ben spends his winters working at the local ski resort and his summers on the river. In his spare time, he loves hike, climb, and anything else that gets him outdoors. You’ll only find Ben inside for Wing Night at the Bird or when he’s purchasing very unnecessary river gear. Ben joined us originally as a shuttle driver and soon decided to hang up the van keys for a paddle! We are thrilled he chose to do so, as all of his rafters get off the boat happy and wanting more. If you get Ben as your guide, you’re sure to see plenty of wildlife spotted by Ben’s eagle eye!

Guide Gratuity

A. Urban

While Urban is starting his first year at DH, he’s already a highly experienced river guide with 11 years of guiding experience on the Yellowstone, Yampa, Colorado, Green, Futaleufú, and Petrohué rivers—and now the Snake! He first got into guiding while attending Montana State University, earning a degree in geology. His cool summer job turned into a career, and he’s never looked back. Urban can’t get enough of the whitewater and spends his time not guiding embarking on his own whitewater kayaking expeditions. Out of the water, he has a number of hidden talents. He speaks Spanish and describes himself modestly as a “competent” musician. If you get Urban as your guide, ask him which river that he’s guided on is his favorite! 

Guide Gratuity

Liza Merritt

Liza comes to Jackson by way of Madison, Wisconsin where she grew up and Chicago where she earned her degree in peace and conflict studies from DePaul University. While Liza’s favorite way to spend the day is rafting the Snake, she’s also quite the world traveller. She’s always down for an adventure, which has taken her to a farm in Ecuador where she learned to speak fluent Spanish and all the way to Japan where she drove a go-kart through Tokyo traffic. When Liza’s not on the river, you’ll find her mountain biking or swimming. She spends her winters snowboarding. 

Guide Gratuity

Bud Chatham

A proud owner of Dave Hansen Whitewater, Bud is a river guide extraordinaire. Born and raised in the Bay Area of California, he owes his love for rivers to his father, cousin, and uncle. In high school, Bud was lucky enough to spend summers guiding fishing trips on the Truckee River and his college summers out here guiding in Jackson Hole for Snake River Park. Let us just say, Bud has never strayed far from rivers.

With an impressive 15 years of guiding under his belt, Bud and his incredible, superwoman wife Kelly were lucky enough to spend a year working with Dave before taking the plunge and buying the company in 2003. 20 years later, Bud still yells out river commands in his sleep. Bud and Kelly feel eternal gratitude towards Dave and their goal is to keep DHWW thriving for yet another four decades. Oh, and if it’s not too greedy, they’d love for their two girls to be on the oars by the age of 15. Yes…child labor is illegal…but we think there are ways around it if they are your children 😉

Ian Lynch

In Memoriam: We at Dave Hansen would like to memorialize our beloved Ian Lynch, a 10 year guide on the Snake and the Deerfield Rivers. In 2016, Ian passed away from a rare heart condition. Ian’s smile was his superpower; he brought light and laughter to the grouchiest and grumpiest among us. Kindness incarnate, Ian only brought good vibes to all he encountered–no matter who you were. From the youngest wetsuit washer employee, to Dave Hansen himself, Ian showered all with generosity and love. When he wasn’t getting people soaked on the river, you could find him at the local watering hole, cheering for his favorite New England sports teams. Ian spent his winters snowboarding and working at JHMR, spreading his joy. Ian was eclectic–he loved cooking, Tae Kwon Do, football, music, reading, and even writing poetry. We are all trying to live up to Ian! Ian loved entertaining his guests with cheesy jokes and encouraging them to jump in and have fun! No joke–if a customer happened to leave the office impatient, hot, or frustrated, guaranteed after spending a couple hours with Ian, he would come back high-fiving and loving life. Everyone who was lucky enough to know Ian felt uplifted simply by being in his presence.