The Guides of Kern River Outfitters
Our guides are our greatest asset. They make your trip fun, safe and memorable. We put a lot of thought into hiring and training and we’re proud of what each individual brings to Kern River Outfitters.
Dillon Cole
Niceville, FL
Dillon Cole
Hometown: Niceville, Florida
Education: BA, Global Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Dillon had a pet crab growing up.
River Miles: 3,316 as of 1/11/19
“I grew up surfing and being in the water. River guiding has been an extension of that and I love where it’s taken me and the people I’ve met. I spend my offseason traveling and chasing barrels. I do a lot of trip leading for KRO, so if you go on a trip and I’m on it, I’ll be the guy talking, a lot.”
Billy Miller
Terlingua, TX
Billy Miller
Hometown: Terlingua, TX
Certifications: Wilderness Advanced First Aid. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Billy has PO Box number one in his hometown.
River Miles: Over 10,000
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have guided in a number of beautiful places and I hope I have the opportunity to share the Kern river with you. I have a son, Joe, and he’s already logged more river miles than any other four year old.”
Andrew Schwartz
San Anselmo, CA
Andrew Schwartz
Hometown: San Anselmo, CA
Education: BA, Global Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Andrew can juggle five objects at once.
River Miles: 1,415 as of 1/11/19
“I grew up swimming competitively, playing water polo, and lifeguarding, then moved to Santa Barbara for school so I could live near the ocean. I’ve always loved the water, and now my job is to play on a river! Can’t beat that.”
Byron Roos-Collins
Berkeley, CA
Byron Roos-Collins
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Education: BA, Political Science, UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Byron is currently riding his bike across Africa
River Miles: 1,390 as of 1/11/19
“Hi! I’m a Trip Leader for KRO so it’s likely if I’m on your trip then I’ll be the guy with the clipboard. I’m writing this from Africa where I’m currently in the midst of an adventure of riding my bike from Cairo to Cape Town. Here’s a link to learn more about this epic. Looking forward to meeting you!”
Chey Daleiden
Bodega Bay, CA
Cheyenne Daleiden
Hometown: Bodega, CA
Education: BS, Zoology, UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Without fail, Chey spills at least one thing every day.
River Miles: 611 as of 1/11/19
“Jumped into whitewater guiding for a fun summer after finishing college, and now it’s a huge part of my life. Aside from whitewater, I enjoy backpacking, rock climbing, reading and spending time with my little niece. I’d say top three favorite things are Thai food, the ocean, and Northern California coastal redwoods. Hope you join us out on the river this season- I’ll be the smallest one with the biggest smile!
‘Live tiny, die never. tardigrade life.’ “
Mitch Solkov
Santa Rosa, CA
Mitch Solkov
Hometown: Santa Rosa, CA
Education: BA, Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Mitch just released an album that he recorded in Nashville.
River Miles: ~1,200 as of 1/11/19
“My passion is music, I love playing stand up bass. I’m part of the Surf Rider Foundation. My cheesy quote is ‘I’m not just your river guide, I’m your river friend.’ “
Blair Meyer
Auburn, CA
Blair Meyer
Hometown: Auburn, CA
Education: BA, Environmental Science and Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: A vacation for Blair typically means going on a rad surf trip with his Dad.
River Miles: ~1,349 as of 1/11/19
“I love all things outdoors. Backpacking, surfing, rafting – you name it, all of it. This is my third season Trip Leading for KRO and I’m PUMPED for a big water year.”
Milly Chi
Clifton, VA
Milly Chi
Hometown: Clifton, VA
Education: BA, Political Science at UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English, Mandarin
Fun Fact: Milly was a former Team USA athlete
River Miles: ~1,391 as of 1/11/19
“I love guiding rivers because it gives me a chance to connect to every brave soul that dares to step in my boat! I say brave because I’ve been known to tell some really bad jokes. In the off-season, I live in sunny Santa Barbara and spend my time rock climbing, surfing, and dreaming about big water! Doesn’t get much better than this!”
Patrick O’Connell
Dubuque, Iowa
Patrick O’Connell
Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Education: BA, University of Iowa
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Patrick likes to ski fast and has a twin brother whom he blames everything on.
River Miles: 2,112 as of 1/11/19
“I grew up in Iowa and knew I had to head West. I hit the Pacific and realized that was a tad too far so I backed it up a bit and landed in Kernville. River guiding has shown me a lot so far, and there’s so many more rivers to see, I’m looking forward to it.”
Sydney Lezberg
San Pedro, CA
Sydney Lezberg
Hometown: San Pedro, CA
Education: BS, Biology at UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder. Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Syd is obsessed with The Office, but swears the outdoors are just as amazing.
River Miles: 729 as of 1/11/19
“I seem to instantly become best friends with anyone that I guide. One of my favorite recent adventures was riding a motorcycle across Vietnam”
Augie Houlemard
Sebastapol, CA
Augie Houlemard
Hometown: Sebastopol, CA
Education: BS, Earth Science, UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Swift Water Certification, CPR / First Aid
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Augie is well known for his spot-on Chewbacca impression.
River Miles: ~712 as of 1/11/19
“I took a class called Rivers in college, and rafting seemed like the next best thing to do. Plus I like sandwiches and free bus rides to work!”
Daniel Connell
Los Angeles, CA
Daniel Connell
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Education: B.A. UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Fun Fact: Daniel has ridden my bicycle halfway around the circumference of the globe.
” I’m currently riding my bike from Cairo to Capetown with Byron, but will be back to guide another AWESOME year on the Kern!!”
Tom Horn
Kernville, CA
Tom Horn
Hometown: Kernville, CA
Education: Associate Degree & ongoing enrollment in the Kern River School of Hard Knocks!
Certifications: Swift Water Rescue, CPR, First Aid
Languages: English, Hungarian
Fun Fact: Tom fear sharks, grizzlies, and heights, yet he’s spent all of his free time riding waves, exploring the wilderness, and rock climbing.
River Miles: Over 15,000
“Join me for the ride of your life!”
Matt Daly
Santa Rosa, CA
Matt Daly
Hometown: Santa Rosa, CA
Education: BS, Biopsychology, UC Santa Barbara. MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (In Progress)
Certifications: Emergency Medical Technician, CardioPulmonary Resuscitation
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Matt works as a ski patroller in Tahoe during the off season.
River Miles: 1,080
“Hi future river friend, I am absolutely stoked to go rafting with you! If you like hitting things big, ask for Frog Man to guide your raft.”
Micah Collins
Holliston, MA
Micah Collins
Hometown: Holliston, MA
Education: BA, Chemistry, UMass Amherst
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Fledgling Sailor and working towards his pilot’s license
River Miles: 3,150 as of 4/25/19
” I cut my teeth on whitewater in New England, now getting my raftin’ fix by guiding as many weekend trips as possible while working as a molecular biologist in SD.”
Kelley App
Littleton, CO
Kelley App
Hometown: Littleton, CO
Education: B.A. Humanities, Evergreen State College
Certifications: Swiftwater Rescue Professional, Wilderness First Aid, CPR
Languages: English
Fun Fact:
” I met my man on the Kern River, we named our baby Finley Kern, we now live in Kernville and we all work for Kern River Outfitters!”
Skip Volpert
Point Reyes, CA
Skip Volpert
Hometown: Point Reyes, CA
Education: B.A. History, Minor in Italian, University of Oregon
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Skip has a first raft descent on Timber Creek in Montana and Panther Creek in Idaho.
River Miles: Over 10,000
“I like to think of myself as a decent guide and even better photographer. I’ve found it doesn’t matter if you raft class I or class V rapids, the river brings out the inner Huck Finn in all of us. I love it.”
Ed Jackson
Downey, CA
Ed Jackson
Hometown: Downey, CA
Education: BS, Electrical Engineering, Chapman University | BS, Fire & Emergency Mgmt, Purdue University
Certifications: CPR/FA Instructor, Swift Water Rescue, Wilderness First Responder
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: If Ed isn’t boating, you’ll find him running. He’s ran a half marathon in every country he’s visited.
River Miles: Over 4,000
“Viam inveniam aut faciam – I shall find a way or make one”
Evan Calbi
Los Angeles, CA
Evan Calbi
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Education: BA, Politics/Journalism, Occidental College | MFA, Master of Professional Writing, University of Southern California
Languages: English, Spanish
Fun Fact: Evan often works as a freelance musician but remains completely terrified of karaoke.
River Miles: 3,100
“What’s better than a day (or two) on the river? I love the Kern and find myself returning season after season to share the experience with people. “
Kyla Bazlen
Mill Valley, CA
Kyla Bazlen
Hometown: Mill Valley, CA
Education: UC Santa Barbara
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Swift Water Rescue
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Recently, Kyla worked on a boat in Alaska, gathering surface and subsurface plankton across the North Pacific specifically for genomic sequencing.
“When I get a dog, I’m going to name him Eddy. I haven’t thought much about my second dogs name – maybe Throw Bag?”
Alia Ajina
Arcata, CA
Alia Ajina
Hometown: Arcata, CA
Education: BA, Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Languages: English, Spanish, Swedish
Fun Fact: Alia has split boarded to the top of an active volcano in Chile!
“I grew up between the redwoods and the ocean, am obsessed with fungi & mushrooms, and somehow always seem to be in the water. I’m stoked on this upcoming big water season! Can’t wait to see you out there! “
Zander Davis
Stanford, CA
Zander Davis
Hometown: Stanford, CA
Education: BA, History, UC San Diego
Languages: English, Spanish
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder
Fun Fact: Zander’s favorite dessert is the Haagen Dazs vanilla milk chocolate ice cream bar.
River Miles: ~5,000
“For me, going on a river trip has always been a magical experience. It could be the rapids, the connection with nature, sharing a laugh, or how it seems to bring people together. I love it all. “
Operations
Adam Bernberg
New Orleans, LA
Adam Bernberg
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Education: BS, Computer Science. BA Political Science, Minor in Italian at UC Santa Barbara
Languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Russian
Fun Fact: Adam knows four languages and has been to 53 countries.
River Miles: 3,289 as of 3/1/19
” I love running half marathons and my dream is to run one in a new country each year.”
Robert Reed
Squirrel Valley, CA
Robert Reed
Hometown: Squirrel Valley, CA
Education: BS Business
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Robert is a two time national hang gliding champion, 1976 and 1977.
River Miles: Over 5,000
“Fasten your seats belts and be ready for a Class 5 ride!”
Matt Volpert
Point Reyes, CA
Matt Volpert
Hometown: Point Reyes, CA
Education: B.A. Geography, UC Santa Barbara
Languages: English
Fun Fact: Matt’s two favorite words are snowpack and CFS. His latest hobbies have been metal detecting, meteorology and figuring out all that smart home hardware.
River Miles: Over 10,000
” I love my job because I love river guides. They’re always up to something fun and have good stories to tell. The guides that make up KRO are all outgoing and I hope when you join us you’ll see it’s not just the river that makes the experience, but mostly the guide.”