Guide Bios
Our guides are exceptional whitewater professionals with thousands of hours in the field and years of experience guiding not just in NM but all over the United States and in some cases all around the world. The guides are the people who make any river trip stand out above the others and our guides have gone through rigorous training on sections of river we run. In addition all of our guides are swiftwater rescue trained and have emergency medical training.
Atom Crawford
Atom is a native New Mexican who fell in love with the Rio Grande and surrounding rivers at a young age. He has been an integral part of the river community here for the last 18 years. A world-class ACA certified kayak instructor, raft guide, swiftwater rescue technician and wilderness first responder, Atom has been an integral part of countless New Mexicans learning the wonderful sport of kayaking and introductions to river life. Atom is a key figure in New Mexico River Adventures and you're likely to see him each time you visit us. In his off time, Atom enjoys kayaking, enjoying life with his beautiful partner, Rachel, his dogs and there home on the banks of the Rio Embudo. Atom certainly lives everyday to the fullest!
Willie Mueller
Whitewater guide since 1992, Willie has spent the years guiding rivers all over the southwest with a passion. From the Colorado Plateau to the depths of Grand Canyon and the high desert of Northern New Mexico Willie has been racking up the river miles. In addition to all his river miles he has become a rotary wing (helicopter) Certified Flight Instructor in 2008. Willie spends his winters in Utah downhill skiing and desert motocross riding.
Elias Griego
Native northern New Mexican and raised on the banks of the Rio Grande in Embudo, NM, Elias took our Whitewater School in 2008 and has become an excellent guide. His local view points on history, culture, and river running as well as his youth in general have brought some new blood into our team. Elias is in his 3rd year of college working on a degree in Media Arts
John Weinmeister
John started Known World Guide Service in 1994 and has watched the company grow from a very small raft company into a successful, and diverse outfitting company. In 2010, the name of the company changed to New Mexico River Adventures and John decided to step down from the day-to-day operations and focus on simply spending time with clients on the river. John has been a Swift Water Rescue Instructor since 1997 and leads many courses on rivers throughout the southwest annually. John's passions are whitewater kayaking, wilderness exploration on rivers and on land, motocross trail riding fly fishing and snow skiing. In the winter John is the Snowmaking Supervisor at the Taos Ski Valley and enjoys spending time with his faithful companion, Blanco.
Wendy Hinton
Wendy started her rafting career on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama and has been in love with rivers ever since. She has left New Mexico to search out other rivers in the U.S and beyond but could never find anything that compares to the rivers and community of Northern New Mexico. Whether it's a calm float through the Bosque or an exciting ride through the world-class whitewater of the Taos Box, she loves to share her passion for the river with everyone in her boat. When not on the river, Wendy enjoys walking her dogs on area trails and kayaking her local rivers.
Matthew Gontram
Matt started rafting and kayaking at the age of 18 and knew right away that this was the life for him. He ran his first commercial raft trip on the Rio Grande and Rio Chama in 1992 and has been in love with the rivers of New Mexico since. Before recently returning to the New Mexico he has dedicated his time to exploring the greatest river trips in the U.S. and around the world. His hobbies away from the river include playing with his dogs, seeing bluegrass legends and planning the next big adventure.
Brad Crater
Whitewater and Mountain Bike guide Brad has been with KW since the 1990’s, weather it be day trips in the Taos Box, running multi-day river trips or leading the mountain bike program Brad is guy who is getting the job done. Brad is an excellent skier and works in the high mountains of New Mexico in the winter months at Taos Ski Valley. Brad plays Frisbee golf in his spare time as well as exploring the remote mountain bike terrain around the area. Brad is a huge fan of live music shows and travels around quite a bit to visit festivals and concerts.
"Mr. Weinmeister,
I just wanted to send you a note to let you know how much we enjoyed our Rio Grande rafting trip 6/24/09 with Willie. I told Willie that the primary reason we selected your company from all those available on the Web was that your site showed people wearing helmets in every shot. When I have our two grandsons in tow, I want to be as careful as I possibly can while still showing them a good time, and I respect a company that promotes that concept.
I also want to thank you for sending Willie as our guide. He was fun, entertaining, and educational about the geology and hydrology of the river. But what really amazed me was how well he communicated with our grandsons (ages 6 and 11). He made them feel important ... and showed them a great time over some great rapids .... while still watching out for their safety.
The kids thought it was "AWESOME!" ... and I did too."
Thank you,
Janet Knowles