Employment

Come Spend Time in the Great Outdoors

Want to change lives while spending time in the great outdoors?

Join our team!

Position: Windwalker/Field Guide

A Windwalker is a guide position at WinGate Wilderness. It is the most fun and rewarding job you'll ever have; it will also be the most challenging mentally, physically and emotionally.

As a Windwalker you will walk with our clients through the wilderness terrain, guiding them through the journey of change they are engaged in. Our clients are youth who are caught in unhealthy patterns--we are imperfect adults, a little ahead on the path. We walk with them and carry the same food and gear, sleep in the same setting and hike the same terrain. As you go through the day, you will be modeling the kind of life you will invite them to live.

Guiding with us provides the opportunity to

  • Work in the outdoors, in incredible southern Utah
  • Learn primitive skills
  • Make a meaningful contribution
  • Experience tremendous personal growth
  • Be in community with other remarkable people
  • Have 2 weeks of every month

A Windwalker is someone who

  • Is on a growth path
  • Has the humility to confront ego, surrender a need for control and walk with the students
  • Will walk the walk, exemplifying moral character both in and out of the field
  • Is resilient and committed. Up for a challenge
  • Practices empathy, compassion and patience
  • Has the confidence to hold boundaries
Qualifications
  • Hike up to 10 miles, carrying a pack
  • Pass a federal background check
  • Pass a physical exam, including a drug test
  • Work 15 day shifts with 13 days off between
  • 1 year commitment (or at least 4 months, if between May and Sept)
  • At least 21 years old
Preference given to applicants with
  • WFR, EMT or other medical certification
  • Degree in relevant field
  • Experience with adolescents
  • Experience in mental health
  • Experience in the backcountry
Compensation and Benefits
  • $165/day start pay (possible increase for relevant experience/credentials)
  • Bonuses and raises (up to $195/day) based on time and performance
  • Medical and dental insurance after 30 days
  • Training bonus after 3rd shift
  • Access to pro-deals
  • Access to local gym

Why Wingate?

  1. Setting
    • The stunning landscapes of The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
  2. Our philosophical approach and therapeutic model
    • Relational, alliance based model vs behavior modification
    • Non-punitive. Honoring autonomy and recognizing natural consequences
    • No level system (intrinsic vs external motivation)
  3. A more immersive, primitive experience
    • Nomadic, no base camp
    • Fire by friction, no lighters
    • Only use headlamps in emergency
    • Do our best to stay off-trail
    • Tarp shelters vs tents or cabins
    • Minimal gear
    • Pack frames made of sticks vs commercial packs
    • Practicing and teaching primitive, ancestral skills
Hiring Process
  • If you meet the qualifications and are able to work in Southern Utah, submit your resume here.
  • If we are hiring, beginning with the most qualified candidates, we may schedule a phone interview.
  • From those, some will be invited to an 8 day training that serves as an in-person interview.
  • Training includes a seminar introducing our philosophy, time in the field with a trainer and time in a group with students.
  • Based on performance during training, a decision is typically made on the last day of training in a final interview with the field director.

Your first move

Please email your cover letter and resume to Tamra Hyde.