Meet our white water rafting guides
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Mark Zoller
Mark has 28 years of professional experience all with Zoller's on the Klickitat, White Salmon and Snake Rivers. While he is the president of Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys, Mark still personally guides over 100 trips per year. Favorite quote: “Don’t hate me because I have the best job in the world”.
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Richard Schneider aka “Rooster"
Rooster spends half of the year in Mexico enjoying the sunshine and then its back to his home to Washington between the White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers for a summer of delighting guests with his river wisdom. Rooster has been guiding Zoller rafts for a whopping 26 years and is an absolute master at his craft.
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Russ Cole Sr.
Now in his 23rd season of professional whitewater guiding with Zoller’s on the Klickitat, White Salmon, and Snake Rivers. Russ guides side by side with his wife Joetta, son Russ Jr. and Daughter in-law Angie. In his spare time, Russ is the owner of Allied Sign co.
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Marq Box
Marq has 23 years of professional experience all with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon and Snake Rivers. Marq directs our Snake River operation and has hiked and climbed every peak in Hell’s Canyon. On the side Marq acts as the CEO of Wilson Enterprises. Marq looks forward to becoming a grandpa.
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Andy Curry
Born and raised right here in beautiful downtown BZ Corner Washington Andy is a 22 year veteran of professional guiding on the White Salmon River, five with Zoller's on the Klickitat, White Salmon, and Snake Rivers in Hell’s Canyon. Andy has always been a proud “papa”, but we could see that his pride was elevated to new heights summer of 2009 when his son, Denman became a 2nd generation White Salmon river guide. Father and Son guiding side by side. Sounds like a Zoller rafting tradition.
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Joetta Cole
Joetta has 18 years of professional experience all with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon and Snake Rivers. Co-founder and owner of Allied sign. The only grandmother river guide on the White Salmon River. Joetta has her grand daughter in “pre-guide” training and looks forward raising up yet another great river guide.
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Taylor Lindseth
Taylor has 18 years of professional experience all with Zoller’s on the White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers. Congratulate Taylor this year… he became a daddy!
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Shawn Lonon
Shawn has 17 years of professional experience, 9 with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers. As a top notch chef, Shawn can make your mouth water… As a top notch whitewater professional, he can water the rest of your body.
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Ben Koefed
Ben has 14 years of professional experience, 11 with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers. Hard core, 12 month a year guide, Ben lives for boating.
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Ben Box
Ben has 12 years of professional experience all with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers. Pastor for 300 screaming Jr. high students at Crossroads church, Vancouver.
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Morgan Colburn
Morgan has 12 years of professional experience all with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers. Youth pastor for Mt. Adams Baptist church, local basketball and track coach, and not to shabby with a fly rod. Morgan hates it when we tell people that he was the NCCAA National championship team MVP power forward in 1989.
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Casey Box
Casey has 10 years of professional experience, all with Zoller's on the Klickitat and White Salmon Rivers. After cramming four years worth of college into seven years Casey became bold enough to ask Mark Zoller, company owner, if he could marry Mark’s daughter. Local police and the FBI are still searching for clues in the sudden disappearance of Casey. Legal counsel for Mark Zoller stands firm that the idea of Casey marrying Mark’s daughter had anything to do with his disappearance.
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Mark “Frenchie” Lasage
Mark has 7 years of professional experience all with Zoller’s on the White Salmon, Klickitat & Snake Rivers. Lab technician, ski instructor, Medical Officer for the Husum FD and baseball coach for the mighty Trout Lake Mustangs, Mark can do it all. He once sailed around the world just so he could make new friends. Mark holds a record for running 148 professional trips down the White Salmon River in one season. Special congratulations to Mark and his wife Terri who became grandparents this year.
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Russ Cole Jr
Jr. is the son of Russ and Joetta Cole (see above) and a 8 year professional of the White Salmon, Klickitat and Snake Rivers. Jr. held a record with Zoller’s for running 143 trips in a single season in 2005. He intends to regain the crown. In 2007 Zoller’s acquired a new rookie river guide, Angela Duke. Five months later Jr. acquired Angie as his bride. Jr… you are one lucky boy!
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Meghan Jenkins
Megan is a 5 year whitewater professional, 6 years with Zoller’s on the White Salmon River. A physical therapist by trade Meg lives for the weekend whitewater. Megan was voted the first and only “rookie of the year” in 2005. Last fall Meg played to role of “Frenchie” in the musical “Grease”. Just take a look at her picture and imagine her with pink hair! Go “Pink Ladies”!
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Rachel "Zoller" Box
Rachel is a 7 year professional on the White Salmon, Klickitat & Snake Rivers. In 2004, Rachel became the youngest licensed guide in the State of Washington on her 18th birthday and celebrated by guiding on the White Salmon River side by side with her father Mark, and grandfather (company founder) Phil. In 2006 Rachel mysteriously disappeared after Casey Box asked about marriage. Some believe she is in hiding, some believe her father has hidden her.
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Zachary Zoller
Congratulations! August 2nd 2006, Zach became the youngest licensed guide in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Zach splits his time assisting directors in the film industry (keep and eye out for Predator), and summers at home with the family rafting biz. A more current congrats to Zach for getting married last September (2009) to Lacie-Maire. Thanks for giving us yet another beautiful daughter. Now let’s see some grandkids!
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John Campbell
Sometimes the best way to keep a great guide is to make sure they continue their education… so they have more summers to work. So, after John finished becoming an architect we all encouraged him to go into the medical field. With 8 years of professional guiding under his belt, we may just have him around long enough to earn a few more degrees. Hurrah for post graduate school.
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Ryan
After 8 years of professional guiding and managing a neighboring rafting company, Ryan joined the Zoller’s rafting team in the summer of 2008. Ryan has a very short commute being out next-door neighbor with his wife Charlotta and their brand new extra smiling son Lucien. In Ryan’s first full season with Zoller’s he became the 3rd most requested guide on staff.
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Sean Woody
Every now and then a youngster comes along who has been running rivers with their parents and gaining professional skills without knowing it. Woody is just that kind of guy. After many family whitewater vacations on great rivers such as the Middle Fork of the Salmon and the Rogue, Woody came looking for some summer work in 2006. We are glad to say that he will be returning for his 4th season as a professional guide this summer.
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Angie "Duke" Cole
What to do with the 15 year old neighbor kid who begs… take me rafting, take me rafting. Well, you take them rafting and train them to become a guide. Angie comes from a family who knows adventure in the outdoors and had made sure Angie got her fill of rafting on the White Salmon with no less than 20 trips over the years. Angie’s first year of guiding was in 2007 where she found she could guide and also found a husband! Congratulation to Russ Jr. You are a lucky boy!
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Zak StClair
The summer of 2006 Zak arrived as a guest and quickly asked how he could become a guide. After a month of training in the fall of 06, Zak went home to West Virginia, sold his restaurant and home, then headed out west with his wife Yonah.
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Matt Farmer
Matt lives for being in the outdoors. As the leader of many outdoor recreation programs in our community, Matt was a perfect fit for guiding rafts on the White Salmon River in 2007.
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Silas
Guide of the STARS. Silas must be well connected because this six year professional White Salmon River guide has been specifically requested by cast members of both Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live. You too can request Silas and don’t forget to ask him for an autographed picture!
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Cooper
Need Fun? “Coop” is your man. For the past five years Coop has been putting the “big grin” on customers faces going down the White Salmon River. In real life Coop is a super hero… at least that is son tells me. Coops favorite part of being a river guide? Leaving no dry spots on anyone.
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Sarah Moore
Sarah showed up with enthusiasm and a smile in 2007 for her first year of guiding. She’s a raft full of fun for everyone and we can’t wait for her to start her 3rd season in 2009.
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Luke Lambert
Rookie Alert! Luke has been a family friend for years and it only seems natural that he becomes a river guide. After all, two of his brothers were Zoller river guides a few years back (David & Seth). Luke and Zach hang out together in Hawaii where they are enrolled in the cinematography program at University of the Nations.
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Derek
Derek is heading into his second professional season of guiding after an amazing 2008 rookie year. During the winter Derek attends college in Central Oregon and chases the dream of getting paid to extreme ski. During the summer its all about riding that melted snow in a raft.
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Jarred
Do you want this man educating your children!!! During the summer He’s “Professor Jarred educator of paddling” but during the school year he’s molding high school kids minds in the arts. After years of paddling his kayak down the White Salmon Jarred took the jump to professional guide and is now in his second season as a Zoller guide.
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Keenan
With a life-time of running whitewater and over a decade of professional guiding in Oregon and Washington, Keenan went from full time river guide and rafting company manager (of another great river company) to part time guide at Zoller’s. Why the switch from FT to PT… He got married and had to take a real job! And, teaching 7th grade social studies and language arts is a real job. Keenan says the only difference between working with 7th graders and rafting guests is that the guests pay attention a little better.
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Denman Curry
At Zoller’s we raise our kids to become river guides. Living proof is Denman Curry who became our 10th second or third generation whitewater guide working for the Zoller team. He’s been guiding the family raft down Washington’s White Salmon River with mom, dad and sister for several years, and finally reached the golden age where he could “turn pro”. We’ve know for years that Denman would join our staff and look forward to a long and fun life of guiding whitewater rafts just like his dad.
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Bryce Guske
Bryce showed up at Zoller’s river school in 2009 as an energetic fun loving college grad (political science). Breaking into the team of Zoller river guides is near impossible but because of personality, hard work, and many years of running whitewater rafts with his grandpa, Bryce fit right in with the team. It was not until mid season that we found out his grandpa is Vladimer Guske the co-creator of the self bailing raft and a legendary rafter from Russia. If Bryce keeps up the great work, he will become a legend as well.
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McKenzie Zoller AKA “The Boss”
McKenzie first showed her authority at Zoller’s Outdoor Odysseys at about age 10. This is when she started to levy fines in the form of tickets to guides for infractions such as leaving their gear out or parking under her rope swing. From that moment on she was known as “The Boss”. The guides put her to early training and started teaching her how to guide at a very young age, but McKenzie says they really just wanted her to do their work for them on the river. Her favorite guide has always been Shawn & “Frenchie” (not Mark, her dad?!). August 9th 2010 McKenzie becomes the youngest licensed class IV whitewater river guide in the state of Washington.