Trainings and Employment
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Apply for any of our positions and trainings through EWU’s employment website, Handshake. Stay posted on Handshake for trainings and positions opening up throughout the year.
Outdoor Trip Leader Positions
Are you interested in becoming a wilderness trip leader through our program? As a trip leader, you and a team of trip assistants will oversee groups of students in wilderness based environments. Through trainings and experience you can become qualified to lead any of the trips EPIC Adventures offers, and be paid to do it! EPIC Adventures trips include, but are not limited to backpacking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, skiing and snowboarding, dogsledding, and more. Beyond learning the technical skills to effectively lead groups in the wilderness, our trip leaders become well equipped with real world skills including working with people inside and outside of a workplace, facilitating communication amongst a team, conflict management, and more.
The following are prerequisites to becoming a trip leader. All training descriptions can be seen below:
- Trip Leader Training with Positive Evaluation
- Wilderness First Responder Certified
- Technical Skill Training from EPIC (Rock Climbing or Whitewater Rafting)
- EWU and EPIC Driver Training
Technical Skill and Trip Leader Trainings
Our Trip Leader training is a week-long backpacking training that goes deep into topics about leadership, judgement and decision making, technical skills, navigation, risk management, and more. This training is required to become a trip leader and is offered every September before classes start. To apply for this training, visit EWU’s employment portal, Handshake, and navigate to an open Outdoor Trip Leader Position.
All of our trip leaders are required to be trained as a rock climbing trip leader or a whitewater raft guide. No experience is necessary to join our technical trainings, but having experience could help you to become a full trip leader for EPIC more quickly than normal. Our technical skills trainings are offered in the spring. You can apply to take part in these trainings on handshake.
With a focus on technical skills, group management and safety practices, this course is the first step towards becoming an EPIC Raft Guide and a licensed guide in Washington State. To become an EPIC Adventures trip leader, you must choose to take one of our two technical skill specific trainings in the spring. During Raft Guide Training, you will learn how to guide a raft down class III rapids on different rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest. This training is open for anyone to apply for, and you can see available spots during summer and fall quarter. This training typically takes place during spring break, giving you the chance to be a raft guide for EPIC during spring quarter.
Start with this training to become an EPIC Trip Leader, then take Trip Leader Training in the fall OR take Trip Leader Training in the fall, then join this training in the spring.
During our Rock Climbing Guide Training, you will learn the skills necessary to be a well-prepared rock climbing instructor in a single-pitch environment. To become an EPIC Adventures trip leader, you must choose to take one of our two technical skill specific trainings in the spring, Rock Climbing or Whitewater Rafting. This course is geared towards both beginner and experienced climbers who will be trained to lead students on EPIC climbing trips. Beyond becoming competent with rock climbing guiding skills, this training will also cover what it takes to run a weekend long, EPIC Adventures climbing trip. This training is open to all EWU students and positions will open to apply for in Summer and Fall quarter. The training will be a hybrid of classroom sessions and outdoor sessions over winter quarter and a multi-day trip during spring break.
Start with this training to become an EPIC Trip Leader, then take Trip Leader Training in the fall OR take Trip Leader Training in the fall, then join this training in the spring.
Certification Courses and Professional Trainings
This three day course is for current, active rock climbers who have a real desire to teach rock climbing to novices in a single pitch setting. Offered in the spring quarter, EPIC will host this course through a certified SPI provider.
The Single Pitch Instructor (SPI) Program teaches climbing instructors to proficiently facilitate and instruct the sport of rock climbing in a single pitch setting. The SPI is the only internationally recognized single pitch climbing instructor certification program in the United States. The SPI has rigorous pre-requisites that you can find on the AMGA website.
Dates: Usually offered in Spring Quarter, this course will be scheduled depending on the need. Stay posted on our website for details.
From swimming class III rapids to preparing technical rope systems for unpinning whitewater rafts, this course covers skills necessary to deal with different problems on the river. This course is offered in the spring, but dates vary depending on provider schedule. After completion of the course, a potential certification can be acquired.
Dates: Spring Quarter – TBD
Every December, EPIC Adventures hosts a Wilderness First Responder course consisting of pre-course testing and 5 full days of practical examination. This rigorous wilderness medicine training prepares you for backcountry emergency preparedness. This course is required for EPIC Trip Leaders but is open to all students, staff, faculty, and community members. After successful completion of the course, you will receive a certification through the Wilderness Medicine Training Center.
Dates: Every December during the Week after Finals Week
This three day, 24 hour course will prepare you for avalanche hazard management. Students can expect to develop a good grounding in how to prepare for and carry out a backcountry trip, to understand basic decision making while in the field, and to learn rescue techniques required to find and dig up a buried person in the case of an avalanche.
Dates: This course is offered during winter quarter depending on the need. Stay posted on our website for details.
Operations Staff Positions
Our Customer Service Staff are the face of our program when you visit our front desk. Our team of students will greet you, help you find a trip to fit your schedule and budget, and get you squared away with the gear you may need for a weekend of adventure.
Visit our customer service staff to ask questions about trips, gear, and local recreation areas!
Do you have great customer service skills? Are you knowledgeable about the outdoors and our program? Come and join our team! As a customer service staff member, you will be trained to serve our EWU community on the frontline. You will engage with students, staff, and community members on a daily basis. To apply for this position, visit handshake at the link on the top of this page.
Our equipment staff are responsible for all maintenance, repair, cleaning, and staging of the equipment that EPIC rents and uses. The equipment staff are knowledgable in the equipment we use and can help you find the gear you need for an adventure.
Are you already a gear-head or passionate about outdoor gear? Do you enjoy being outdoors but want to know more about the gear available for different activities? We want you to join our team! You can search for open positions and apply on Handshake.
