Maine Raft Guide and Brewer: Matt Bateman
Name: Matt Bateman
Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ
Age of First Rafting Trip: 13
Year you started guiding at Northern Outdoors: 2015
What type of guiding do you do? Whitewater Rafting
What do you enjoy most about working at Northern Outdoors?
Getting the opportunity to work with an amazing group of people and take new friends down the river everyday.
What is your favorite river to guide, and your favorite rapid on that river?
Penobscot, Big A and the Falls. Both rapids have awesome surfing and sharp drops, so your options are endless and you never know what can happen.
What’s your classic Northern Outdoors memory?
Fourth of July, 2015. It was my first commercial trip on the Penobscot. All the guides (and most of the guests) were decked out in awesome USA gear, face paint, and tattoos. Everyone was stoked to go rafting and it was a beautiful day, you could literally feel the positive energy that was getting everyone so excited.
Where do you adventure when you are not working?
Pleasant Pond is where you will probably find me if I’m not on the river.
What do you do in the off-season when you’re not guiding for Northern Outdoors?
Ski Patrol at Sugarloaf
Tell us about any certifications, special talents, guide awards.
Rookie guide of the year, 2015. I was one of the two full time guides that trained that year, but in the words of the great Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Which Kennebec River Brewery beer is your top choice after a day on the river?
Any IPA we have on tap
Meet more of our awesome river guides (a few have mustaches almost as sweet as Matt’s.)
