Meet the Adventure Travel Guides of H2O Patagonia

Meet the South American Adventure Travel Guides of H2O Patagonia:

Your safety is our first priority. At H2O Patagonia we believe nothing is as important as your safety, and that's why we employ only the best international adventure guides to lead you on your adventure travel trips in Patagonia. They are highly trained individuals with thousands of river miles and a minimum of ten years experience. They have worked in remote places all over the world and are certified in wilderness medicine and swift water rescue.

Take a moment to get to know the H2O Patagonia adventure travel guide team. Not only will they be your guides, we bet they'll become your friends as well.

		Mitch Sasser: Originally from Austin, Texas, Mitch fell in love with guiding in the mountains and rivers of Northern New Mexico. Mitch has always loved the outdoors and has pursued a lifestyle to make sure he can eat, drink and breath the stuff as much of the year as possible. As co-founder of H20 Patagonia he surmounted the task of building the unmatched, quality lodgings found at Antucamay, H20’s 175 acre private riverside lodge on the Rio Futaleufu. The exceptional rustic yet overwhelmingly comfortable amenities found only at H20 are precisely blended with World Class rafting and multi-adventure activities in a truly unique way. The end result is an unparalleled adventure vacation created by the H20 Patagonia Team’s vision and vast experience in the adventure travel industry. Aside from heading off H20 Patagonia adventure vacations, Mitch is also a recognized International Swiftwater Flood/Rescue Instructor with the IRIA, the International Rescue Instructors Authority of USA and Canada, teaching throughout Chile, Argentina and Peru. He is member to the Swiftwater Flood/Rescue Advisory Board of South America and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. He loves to kayak, fly fish and explore in whatever shape or form available at the given moment. Mitch spends his time developing new adventures throughout the area for H20, teaching rescue techniques for local communities and professional river guides, fly fishing to his heart’s content and raising his three girls. His wife Tatiana, born and raised in Futaleufu, is a professional gourmet chef and catering specialist who owns and operates her restaurant, Martin Pescador, in the town of Futaleufu. Mitch and his wife Tatiana live in the town of Futaleufu with their growing family.

		Aren Rane: Aren Sven Rane is a dual nationality Canadian-American who has worked in the kayak industry in North, Central, South America and Africa. He has loving support from his wife and daughter, Sarah and Hannah to pursue kayaking throughout the world, (it helps that his wife also paddles). Aren has been kayaking for 26 years, has first decents in Canada, and most of all loves teaching. His drive to save the Futaleufu River from a dam has triggered a free kayak program, teaching local kids paddling and other inlets to the tourism industry that blossoms around them. Aren enjoys kayaking on any level, and loves making his guests feel like "heroes of their own lives."

		Stan Ricketts: Stan grew up on various farms in South Africa and Swaziland where he began his adventure career early, building rafts with friends during winter floods and raging down the boundary waters of the farm. In his final years of school, he and friends explored beyond the comfort of local farms and navigated the next 100 kilometers down to the coast in small canoes, relying only on a rifle and fishing rods for sustenance. After two years in the South African Defense Force working with horses, he discovered river guiding. The joy of taking groups out on river journeys and sharing his passion with others lured him towards a life of constant adventure. Since then he’s moved from river to river, motivated by the challenge and fun of multi-day trips in remote and exotic destinations such as Nepal , Switzerland and Africa .

		Marc Gacond: Marc, a four-time Swiss freestyle kayaking champion, has been kayaking all over the world since age seven. He has worked and kayaked in Switzerland, New Zealand, Peru, Honduras, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Chile, Nepal and then some. Marc currently combines his love of kayaking with work in the film industy as a production assistant, location manager, and as H2O's video-kayaker. When not in Chile Marc, guides canyoning and rafting expeditions in Switzerland and trains guides for the Swiss Outdoor Association.

		Hernan Barria: Hernan was born and raised in Frutillar, Chile. He came to Futaleufu years ago as an aspiring raft guide and safety cataraft operator. Since then he has traveled and worked professionally from Italy to Colorado. His home is here in Futaleufu with his wife and 4 year old son. Hernan is a master on the oars and can always be found where we just might need him for safety on the river. When not rafting Hernan loves the outdoors, hiking, and canyoning and spending time relaxing with his family.

		Josh Waterson: The quintessential river gypsy. He was bitten by the travel bug early in life when he went on long family trips around his native Australia. Rivers are playgrounds of peace for Josh as his thoughts are clearest when he’s on the water. He has parlayed his love of travel into work on rivers in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Morocco, Turkey, Zimbabwe and South America, not to mention all the miles logged on home rivers in Oz and Tasmania. He is an accomplished class V kayaker and raft guide, he makes entertaining, fast paced videos, and he’s even handy in the kitchen!

Meet the rest of the team:
Our massage therapists are trained professionals who know all about relaxing those tired, strained, sore muscles. Our chef provides a week of gastronomical journeys through different flavors. Our local camp staff is prepared to ensure that your stay is pleasant and enjoyable. Take a moment to get to know the H2O Adventure Team.
		Adriana Radwanski – H2O Patagonia Coordinator/Administrator Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Dri has been a world traveler since her younger years having spent considerable time in Brazil, Uruguay, The Netherlands, Panama and the United States. After completing a one-year Holistic Health program at The Heartwood Institute in northern California focusing on Deep Tissue Therapy, she established her own private practice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a number of years. Always looking for a new challenges, Dri arrived at H2O Patagonia for it's first season as Massage Therapist & Spa Coordinator. Since then she has taken on the responsibility of coordinating and administrating all company matters in Futaleufu, Chile where she has been living for the past two years. Aside from overseeing general maintenance and keep-up of H2O's camp and Antucamay farm, Dri is also responsible for coordinating all camp-related logistics for trips and local bookkeeping. During her free time she continues her practice as a MT and Reiki practitioner attending to the local community and tourists, and is also involved with the newly founded local NGO Aguas Libres, whose main priority is maintaining Patagonia free of environmental threats that cause irreversible damage to the local communities in the region.

		Sarah Vangelder Rane - Spa Coordinator Sarah has been working in Patagonia for the last 8 years in massage therapy. She enjoys the balance of relaxing and adventure, keeping up her kayak skills when not doing massage work. Her skills at the massage table are Polarity therapy, Swedish technique, deep tissue, and trigger point therapy. Sarah, her husband Aren and daughter Hannah split their time between their home in Futaleufu and the United States.

		Sonia Tomioka - Yoga Instructor and Massage Therapist Sonia, the daughter of Japanese parents born in Brazil, has traveled and lived all over the world including Japan, Brasil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay. She studied physical education at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil as well as Shiatsu and Zen Shiatsu at the Shiatsu Center of Sao Paulo. After receiving her black belt in Aikido while living in Japan, Sonia travelled and taught Aikido internationally for many years. An avid practicer of dynamic and ashtanga yoga, Sonia now lives in Futaleufu with her Uruguayan husband and practices yoga and massage therapy all over the region.

		Carlos and Alicia Garcia Caretakers at the ranch and lodge. Carlos and Alicia are a wonderful couple. Our neightbors at the Lodge, they are descendants of the original colonials who established Futaleufu some 84 years ago. Carlos and Alicia live in Futaleufu year round and are responsable for the landscaping and upkeep at the Lodge. Alicia is a specialist in horticulture and all things green. She manages the greenhouses and outdoor gardens at the lodge. Carlos is a master carpenter and takes care of all of the animals which include 20 head of sheep and 4 alpacas. As an all around fix-it-man, Carlos is one of the most helpful around on the H20 Team.

		Aurora del Carmen Vallejos Grenier Aurora lives in Futaleufu and manages her own farm when not on the grounds of H2O Patagonia. As the head caretaker of H2O Patagonia since its inception, she manages all maintenance and cleaning of the Antucamay Camp.







Back to top
1 866 525 2395 US 00-800-772-05820 Europe Home I Expeditions I Lodging I Gallery I Guides I Media Corner I Contact Us I Press Room Calendar and Prices I About Us I H2O eNewsletter I Sitemap I Links I Travel Industry 2004 - 2008 © H2O Patagonia - Rustic Luxury Adventure Travel South America