In 1991 Chase joined fellow guides in taking his own raft down 270+ miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He has been a sea kayaker since 1988 and has taken trips in the San Juan Islands, Washington, along Vancouver Island, British Columbia and in Baja, Mexico. In 1995, Chase was certified by the American Canoe Association as an Associate Instructor in Coastal Kayaking. Chase has also been certified as a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and Open Water scuba diver

In 1988, in part to satisfy his own curiosity concerning the potential liability exposure of commercial guides, Chase researched an article on assumption of risk under Washington law, and on the effectiveness of written liability release forms for participants in commercial outdoor recreational activities. That article was published in the October, 1995 issue of the Washington State Bar News. He also wrote an article on the use and validity of liability release forms for the April, 1996 issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine, and has written articles for the Outdoor Network newsletter. Chase is a columnist for Outdoor Retailer, a monthly trade publication serving the outdoor recreation industry, and is on the Board of Directors of the Trade Association of Paddlesports.

Since 1992, Mr. Van Gorder has presented his findings and recommendations on release forms and risk management at numerous outdoor recreational industry meetings and conferences, including the annual America Outdoors Confluence, the Outdoor Retailer and Fly Fishing Retailer Markets, the West Coast Sea Kayaking Symposium, the 1996 International Conference of the Association of Experiential Education and the 1998 Wilderness Risk Managers Conference. In 1997, he authored America Outdoors' Risk Management Manual which is up-dated annually. He advises clients in Washington and Alaska on the preparation and proper use of written release forms, and on methods of risk management and minimizing potential legal liability. He has also defended such clients in personal injury lawsuits.

Representative Client Areas:

Legislative Lobbyist

• Professional River Outfitters of Washington (1997)

Defense in Personal Injury Lawsuits

• Mountain Springs Lodge
• North Cascades River Expeditions
• River Recreation
• Blue Sky Outfitters

Risk Management and Liability Release Forms

• Olympic Outdoor Center
• Kulshan Mountaineering
• Shearwater Adventures
• Peninsula Kayak
• Elk Horn Ranch
• River Recreation
• Gronseth Kayak Academy
• Folding Kayak Adventures
• North Cascades River Expeditions
• Alpine Adventures, Inc.
• Camp Huston
• Adventure Sports Northwest
• Fish-On Guide Service

Risk Management, Liability Release Forms and Business Advice/Incorporation

• Eddyline Northwest, Ltd.
• Elakah Kayak Tours
• Northern Lights Expeditions
• Olympic Raft & Guide Service
• Wavetrek
• Klub Kayak
• Beyond Limits, Inc.
• The Great Adventure, Inc.