Yana<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We are delighted to have Yana on our team since 2025. A certified kayaking instructor and social media marketing expert, she ran her own kayaking school in her hometown of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, before she and her family were forced to flee to Germany in 2022. To our good fortune, Yana then applied to join us and is now an integral part of our guide team for day courses and events on the Nahe River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the 2025 day course seasin and at the season finale event in September<\/a> Yana has already been a huge help to us and has been a wonderful addition to our team with her energy and cheerful disposition. On Yana's team profile on the website<\/a> she introduces herself a bit, and you'll find some photos from her travels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Willi has been part of the LWA team since the summer of 2023, and we\u2019re thrilled to have this friendly, athletic, and adventurous educator join us as another guide for our day and multi-day courses. By the summer of 2024, Willi has already led the expedition tour alongside Jannis on the tour to the Arctic Circle and took fantastic photos there<\/a> . He also occasionally joins our team of guides for the Alpine whitewater courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Willi has already picked up another superpower: baking pizza in a wood-fired oven, which he does without a warm-up phase during our Anniversary Season Finale <\/a>as demonstrated in September 2023. This is evident in his ability to convey skills and a sense of well-being in a very friendly and positive manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find more about Willi, including photos of him hiking and paddling in his packraft, on his profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d like to introduce you to Johannes, who has been part of the LWA team since spring 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the first time Johannes and Sebastian crossed paths in the Thuringian Forest in 2012, LWA didn't exist yet, but sympathy did. And now, a few years later, we are happy to welcome the Laplander of choice and meanwhile experienced outdoor guide, who is not unaffected by the subject of packing rafting, to our team.<\/p>\n\n\n He accepted his first assignment with LWA at the early summer Easter-Hunsr\u00fcck tour,<\/a> since the end of this tour he wears the LWA-Hoodie. After that, he guided our guests through the Tyrolean whitewater and, in the summer of 2022, with the Saale river <\/a>added a brand-new day-trip destination to our offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find more about Johannes, including photos from the far north, around the campfire, and in whitewater, on his profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind the social media channels\u2014and now also behind the back office and much of the communication with participants\u2014is Cora, an enthusiastic packrafter and former outdoor blogger who, whether wearing a whitewater helmet or not, is always out and about with a cheerful smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She first came to the Nahe River in the summer of 2016 for a day of packrafting, then returned again in late summer\u2014this time with her own boat\u2014and decided to stay. She stayed with packrafting and with us. She started out on a casual basis, and since January 2021, much to LWA\u2019s delight, she\u2019s been a permanent employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She combines her enthusiasm with plenty of positive energy and professionalism, and since summer 2017 has been responsible for our Facebook page<\/a>, for Instagram<\/a>, this ever-growing blog, and everything related to web marketing\u2014both in-house and in collaboration with our partners. Through her time at LWA and her comprehensive training and management of the back office, Cora has become a key partner in corporate development, particularly in terms of our public image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you\u2019re lucky, you might even find her lounging in the LWA hammock during a class<\/a>, with her eye on you for her next Instagram post. Not only there, but also online, you\u2019ll notice that Cora is always approachable in her typically friendly and cheerful manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find out more about Cora\u2014and, for once, see pictures of her herself, both inside and outside the packraft\u2014at her team profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next up on the LWA team, we\u2019d like to introduce you to Peter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We first met Peter in 2014, when he was preparing for the upcoming 600-km Laponia expedition by taking a whitewater packrafting course on the Soca River<\/a>. We knew we wanted this expedition-experienced, professional, and fun powerhouse on our team. And Peter wanted to join us, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s been part of the team since early 2017, and whether his paddle breaks<\/a>, he comes face-to-face with bears, or he\u2019s saddled with a second backpack, Peter just kicks it into high gear and won\u2019t let anything stop him. Just make sure there are always enough calories nearby\u2014preferably in the form of white chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite his strength and years of expedition experience, Peter is a level-headed and empathetic person and guide who is always one of the first to step in when someone needs help or support. He guides our participants with calmness, friendliness, and the occasional witty remark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You met him earlier this year in the Hunsr\u00fcck<\/a>, and, just like in 2018, he joined us again in 2019 on our Iceland expedition. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find out more about Peter, see photos of him in the boat, and check out his selfies taken north of the Arctic Circle on his guide profile.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d like to introduce Jochen, one of our longest-serving guides on the LWA team. With his calm, reliable, knowledgeable, and always friendly demeanor, Jochen has been guiding participants through the intensive Hunsr\u00fcck days<\/a> for many years, and it\u2019s hard to imagine the day courses and events along the Nahe without him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jochen has been with us since 2014 and was part of the very first Hunsr\u00fcck tour<\/a> and has been there ever since whenever anyone needs help; many of the great participant photos are his doing (sorry, hat!), and when no one has any chocolate left, Jochen always has some to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s a master at using a GPS device, and if you look away for just a moment, you might find him hanging upside down from a rock face, fishing for a geocache. You can find out more about Jochen and see some photos of him without his hat on his guide profile on the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d like to introduce you to Jannis, one of our guides for expeditions and multi-day courses, who is completely at home in rough terrain<\/a> and in whitewater with plenty of gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sebastian and Jannis first met during their wilderness guide training. By chance, they found themselves back together\u2014this time with Peter\u2014on the Soca River, and somehow it became clear that they shouldn\u2019t ignore this connection. In the summer of 2023, he was on the road with Sebastian and the participants of this special expedition in Canada.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jannis is a natural-born guide, uniquely combining a laid-back, fun, and authentic personality with professionalism, outdoor expertise, and seemingly boundless energy in the great outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n Even after the longest day of trekking, he still sets up his fishing gear\u2014unless he\u2019s got his binoculars up to his eyes, watching birds. Because no matter how heavy his backpack is, that kilogram of glass and metal is indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jannis always has his hands full, but once we\u2019re on the road, he\u2019s always approachable, brimming with curiosity and ideas, and\u2014as a biologist and a walking encyclopedia of bird life\u2014he\u2019s a very likable and engaging companion for our multi-day and expedition participants. You can find out more about Jannis and see photos of him with and without his binoculars on his guide profile.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019d like to introduce you to Andi, our whitewater expert on the LWA team. We first met Andi during his time as a whitewater instructor for the wilderness guide training program. And because he\u2019s such a great guy, we\u2019ve stayed in touch ever since LWA was founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andi is Nordic through and through\u2014you won\u2019t get to know him in five minutes, but you\u2019ll quickly come to appreciate his fair, reliable, and respectful nature. And, of course, his unique North German sense of humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And anyway, you haven\u2019t really met Andi until you\u2019ve been out on the water<\/a> with him. That\u2019s where he really comes alive, that\u2019s where he feels at home, and even after decades of whitewater paddling, his eyes still sparkle when he spots a special wave. And what\u2019s truly special is that, with his own enthusiasm, he can convey the joy of precise paddling to everyone there\u2014from beginners to experienced paddlers.<\/p>\n\n\n For a long time, he was a lone kayaker \ud83d\ude09 until he took a fling in a rubber boat, which then turned into a serious relationship. You can sense his experience on the world\u2019s most challenging rivers\u2014which he\u2019s already conquered in a kayak\u2014in this excellent, delicate whitewater technician. It\u2019s no coincidence that we talk internally about the mysterious \u201cAndi lines\u201d: certain routes through the difficult sections open up only for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andi, along with Sebastian, is the founder of the whitewater packrafting courses on the Soca River<\/a> and the mastermind behind many of the crazy routes and ideas we consistently offer our whitewater participants. Over the years of packrafting, the two have also become good friends off the river and often head out onto the water together, no matter where it comes from.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find out more about Andi\u2014who\u2019s usually by or on the water, or about to jump in\u2014in his guide profile.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Last but not least, we\u2019d like to introduce you to Sebastian, the leader of this colorful group. Sebastian is the founder of LWA and a passionate outdoor enthusiast who has turned his passion into a career. <\/a> As a scientist, he spent several years researching currents; now he guides his participants through small and large waves across Slovenia, Iceland, the Hunsr\u00fcck,<\/a> and many other beautiful places, all set against stunning backdrops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Relentless stamina and energy, combined with a deep passion for chocolate and a hearty laugh that\u2019s just as contagious as his enthusiasm for the outdoors and expeditions\u2014that\u2019s what makes Sebastian who he is. By the way, the whole team has caught the chocolate bug, so it\u2019s now an integral part of every tour and a staple on our packing lists.<\/p>\n\n\n Seine gro\u00dfe Abenteuerlust kombiniert er mit einer sorgf\u00e4ltigen, verantwortungsvollen Vorbereitung, so dass immer wieder neue spannende Touren entstehen, auf die wir uns freuen k\u00f6nnen. Und glaubt blo\u00df nicht, dass er auf der Route einen Berg auslassen w\u00fcrde. Denn sieht Sebastian einen, will er hinauf – davon kann der ein oder die andere von euch bestimmt Geschichten erz\u00e4hlen. \ud83d\ude09 Bei aller Professionalit\u00e4t kommt der Spa\u00df auch nicht zu kurz und es werden immer mal wieder Anekdoten seiner bisherigen Erlebnisse oder aber auch mal die Ukulele<\/a> ausgepackt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Team-Mitglied](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/lwa-20250628-141941-2400px-644x483.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWilli<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Willi](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/lwa-team-willi-09.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJohannes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Johannes](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lwa-20210724-123233-2400px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nCora<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Cora](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/lwa-team-cora-01.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPeter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/lwa-team-peter-15.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nJochen<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Jochen](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lwa-20210705-161157-2400px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nJannis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jannis](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lwa-20211015-133935-2400px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAndi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Andi](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lwa-20180828-P8280276.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSebastian<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/lwa-20190414-121355-P4140591-600px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
![\"Unicorn](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/lwa-20180609-165631-2400px-300x225.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.land-water-blog.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/lwa-208M0A0466-800px-300x200.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n