Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Advanced (WRTA)

Take your river rescue skills to the next level with the Rescue 3 Whitewater Rescue Technician Advanced (WRTA) course at ACE Adventure Resort. This intensive three-day training is built for professional river users—raft guides, safety kayakers, and experienced paddlers—who are ready to expand their technical knowledge and sharpen their on-river decision-making. Building on the WRT-PRO foundation, the WRTA blends advanced hydrology, complex rescue scenarios, technical rope systems, and real-world problem solving on iconic West Virginia whitewater including the New, Gauley, Meadow, and Cherry Rivers. Prepare to push your skills further and operate at the highest professional rescue level.

Location: ACE Adventure Resort, WV, USA

Rivers: New, Gauley, Meadow, Cherry

Length: 4 days

Dates: May 5, 2026 – May 8, 2026

Price: $500

Meals: Lunch will be provided each day of instruction

Prerequisites: This course is designed for professional river users like raft guides and safety kayakers with existing river knowledge and experience along with confident whitewater swimming skills. It builds off of the Rescue 3 WRT-PRO course. The minimum age is 18.

Theory
Rescue 3 philosophy
Training standards
Rescue planning and incident management
Incident size-up
PPE and specialist equipment
Loads and forces
System safety check

Practical – Water
High energy water – swimming
High energy water – throwbags and tethered swims
Boat on a highline
In-water rescues at night

Practical – Rope
Knots and anchors
Belay systems
Steep ground access/egress
Basic ascending and descending
Mechanical advantage systems
Rope-based raising and lowering systems
Passing a knot through a system

Other Skills
Search operations and management
Casualty care and packaging
Improvised harness
Improvised stretcher
Low angle casualty evacuation