Operations & Field Staff

Luke Moran-Pedersen

Job Title

Professional River Guide

Pronouns

He/Him/His

Destinations

Oregon

With OARS Since

2022

Hometown

Big Sur, CA

Current Location

Incline Village, NV

Offseason Gig

Ski Instructor

About me

When I am not working in the outdoors, I am usually playing in the outdoors. Outside of river guiding, I love to backpack in the Sierra Nevada, climb in Donner, CA, ski all over the place, and throw ceramics when I have access. I am also not ashamed to admit that I can be a huge couch potato watching movies.

The Best Part of My Job

The best part about working at OARS Oregon is a tie between the amazing connections that are fostered by the river and simply being able to spend the majority of my summer living on the river.

How I found OARS

I attended Sierra Nevada University in North Lake Tahoe, where one of my majors became Outdoor Adventure Leadership. This exposed me to the wonderful world of being a river guide and so much more. In my final year at SNU, I had the amazing opportunity to take the Rogue River course outfitted by OARS. On this trip, I met wonderful and life-changing guides who showed me the ropes of navigating the river, as well as this free-willed lifestyle. Once that trip commenced, I decided to cancel my internship plans and become a day guide on the Truckee and the American River. However, my heart was still with the Rogue, so I applied for the 2022 season. Best decision I have ever made.

My Favorite Spot on the River/Outdoors

One of my many favorite outdoor spots to go in my free time is Chickadee Ridge via ski touring because it's a quick assent that has great sunset views of Lake Tahoe.

My Favorite Trip Memory

One of my favorite memories was the last day of my last trip in 2022, where 4 of our boats formed a musical flotilla in the Flora Dell flat water. There was an unbelievable amount of quality music and laughter. It made me feel like we were the only people on this planet.

Favorite River Tradition

Before Blossom Bar (IV) on the Rogue River, I collect a little bouquet of flowers that I place in the front of my PFD and give a flower to each of my guests. This is to pay tribute to this amazing rapid and ask for safe passage.