We Know Our Rivers

Originally from the UK, Chris is at home on rivers worldwide having kayaked and rafted for over 20 years in places like the UK, France, Italy, Norway, Argentina, USA, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Nepal, India & Zambia. He is a rafting examiner for the BC and AB River Outfitters Association, a certified kayaking instructor, a Swiftwater & Ice Rescue Technical Instructor for Rescue 3 International, and is an Emergency Medical and Advanced Wilderness First Responder. Chris also has a strong background in rope rescue and has worked for the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association. Chris brings a wealth of experience, skill and charisma to our team. Asked how his rafting career began, “I suppose it all started when I was 10 years old. My local Scout Group had just bought six new kayaks, so I started testing them out on a nearby river. After a year of weekly kayaking lessons my dad bought me my first kayak, and before I knew it I was becoming hooked. My desire to combine both my passion for kayaking with my love for travelling eventually led me to train as a Whitewater Raft Guide.”

During his time studying mechanical engineering, Richard took every opportunity to sneak off and play in the water. Summers were spent guiding in beautiful Slovenia with rafting, kayaking and hydro speeding on the Soca river and also heaps of canyoning and caving. Expeditions, work and randomness brought him to Canada, La Reunion, Madeira, Turkey, Italy, Sri Lanka, Azorres, New Zealand and other pearls. With a total of 12 years experience in outdoor tourism, he's now a full time guide chasing the endless summer. When he's not around the flowing waters outside, it is highly likely you can find him making laps in the swimming pool, counting chocolate chips in cookies, welding some steel together or staring hopefully at ice cream. His favourite quote: "Njom njom njom njom" - Cookie Monster.

It was on a mountain in Bolivia that I realised that the outdoors is really fun. Upon arriving back in Australia, I promptly finished my University degree and then called my mum to tell her that I was forgoing the corporate life to go outside for a while. Beginning a career in Outdoor Education, it was this time spent living on the banks of the Snowy River in Australia that fostered my love for whitewater.  I have paddled in Peru, Thailand, Nepal and have spent the last year guiding on the Barron River in Australia, but I have decided to leave the crocodiles behind and come to Canada and see what all the fuss is about. I recently returned from a ten day descent of the mythical Franklin River in Tasmania which confirmed the notion that rafting is good for the soul. Aside from rivers, my life is dominated by mountain biking, canyoning, nachos and Taylor Swift.

From Australia, I started working in the outdoors in 2013 as a bushwalking, rock climbing, & rafting guide! Leading 10 day expeditions all around Australia, I discovered that my passion for the wild rivers surpassed my other hobbies and I have since raft guided on the Snowy, Murrumbidgee and Barron Rivers. If I’m not out paddling I’ll be out surfing , climbing, or doing pretty much anything to stay outside.

I'm Tim from down under. My passion for water all started when I was a young kid, towing an old car bonnet (hood) behind a motor bike in a channel full of leaches. But it all turned real in 2013 when I got my cert IV in outdoor recreation where I found my love for white water on a -6°C morning, putting on a frozen wet suit and playing frisbee with my jocks. Ever since then I have guided on the Snowy and Barron rivers, learnt to kayak on the Murrumbidgee and ticked off one of the best in Australia, the Tully River in Queensland. Other hobbies include eating cake, mountain biking, and growing my moustache.

A rare breed around these parts, I was raised on the slopes of the Rocky mountains in the Bow Valley, learning my ways on the frozen slopes as a skier. My passion for spending time in the outdoors led me to pursue Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership at Mount Royal University in Calgary. After that I worked in outdoor education with youth and adults and love to watch people grow in the outdoor setting. Travel has also been a big part of my life and took me all over the world, travelling from Vietnam to Nepal, Australia and New Zealand and even skiing through Iceland to name a few, but have landed back home to do some more paddling. This is my 5th summer guiding in this area and looking forward to a great year. When I'm not rafting I can be found canoeing great distances, camping in the bush, or flying down a mountain with a bike between my legs.

My name is Jordan! I'm originally from Ontario, where I received a college education in Outdoor Adventure and Recreation, basically I learned how to have fun outside! I moved out to Western Canada in 2012 and have enjoyed every moment of it. Since I've moved out west, I've had guiding experience on a numerous different rivers in both Alberta and British Columbia; Kananaskis, Bow, Elbow, Red Deer and Kootenay Rivers. On top of my river experience, I also have my certificate as an Interpretive Guide in the Canadian Rockies, so I am able to tell some great stories from mountain building to the first settlers of the area. When I'm not working, you can find me doing pretty much the same things; paddling the many rivers via canoe, summiting mountains and honing my knowledge of the area.

Hi! I’m Krista and I’m from Southern Ontario, although I prefer to hang out in the north. The coolest thing I’ve ever done was a bicycle tour across Eastern Canada, partly because it gave me the superpower of eating a whole pie in one sitting and waking up hungry for breakfast. I love getting active outside and it’s a full time challenge finding time for all the awesome sports and activities in the Rockies! This will be my second summer on the rivers in the Rockies and it can't last long enough!

Hello fine people! When I’m not paddling rivers in a raft or by canoe, you might catch a glimpse of me – long flowing cape streaming in the wind – zooming around on my lime green unicycle. If you blink and miss me whilst unicycling, I may stop for a while to enjoy an ice cream. My official classification should be part monkey because I make a hobby out of climbing trees. When the rivers freeze over, I do some laps on the ski slopes any chance I get. Did you know: Alberta is not just mountains? It’s also flat in some places, and that’s where I call home.

Hey there! I’m Ryan coming from the prairies of Manitoba. Growing up I spent the majority of my spare time as most Canadians do, at the hockey rink! After graduating from high school I made my way out to Alberta to see what the rockies were all about, and I have been kicking around ever since. Over the summers, whenever I’m not working at Chinook, I’ll be out for a rip up the mountains, trying to reel in a big trout, or cheering on the Jets! Hope to see you all out on the rapids!

The passion for nature and the outdoors started early in my life, growing up and travelling around Ecuador. I have been working as a guide for youth camps, national tour guide in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, trip leader and rafting guide and avid kayaker since 2008. I have led multisport expeditions to the Galapagos Islands, the Andes mountains and the Amazon and have kayaked and rafted down class III and IV rivers in Ecuador, Argentina, Canada and the United States. When I’m not in the river, you can find me running, mountain biking and/or hiking and after surviving my first real Canadian winter, you may even find me skiing.

My name is Anastasia and I am thrilled to join Chinook rafting this summer. Continually looking for new challenges and new things to try, I have started rafting a couple of years ago. I have never missed an opportunity to get on the river ever since. Hopefully a student for still awhile, I have just taken a gap year to get the most from mango and pineapple all-you-can situations in Africa. When I am not on the river, you can see me biking, going on random runs, reading with a big bowl of apples or trying to learn new expressions in foreign languages.

Hi everyone, I am Javier from southern Chile, the land of active volcanoes still in eruption, natural hot springs and thermals coming from the icy chills of frosty glaciers, and beautiful Araucaria trees contemporary with dinosaurs. My passion for the outdoors has been born when I was a kid, as my grandfather used to take me for trips to the rivers and the mountains. Three years ago, I started working as a Snowboard instructor and later as a Rafting and a Fly Fishing Guide. Past season in the south of Chile I worked in the tremendous and challenging rivers Petrohue and Puelo. In winter, when I don´t guide, you can find me working as an instructor at the ski slopes or just shredding with my friends. This will be my first summer guiding in Canada, which I can´t be more excited about!

Hey, I'm Dom. Australian born and bred however moved to Canada last summer to explore the west coast mountains playground. I grew up in the outdoors on a farm where we entertained ourselves by throwing dirt clogs at each other or pushing each other off hay bails. I studied outdoor recreation and ecotourism back home and worked on the Snowy river and Mitta Mitta as a guide. These days I entertain myself with whitewater, rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding and sub-par guitar playing. See you on the river!

My name is Katrina, and I have just recently graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Recreation and Leisure studies, majoring in Sport Business. This will be my third season with Chinook Rafting and I am very excited for Summer 2017! In my free time I enjoy playing sports, traveling and hanging out with friends and doing anything outdoors. Looking forward to another great season in the Rockies. Fun fact: I don’t know how to whistle.

Originally from Ontario, Shannon made the initial move out west in 2010. She has always had a passion for the outdoors, adventure sports and travel. In 2005, Shannon tried white water kayaking for the first time. After that, she was hooked. Since then, she has been able to experience rafting and white water kayaking in Canada, Ecuador and New Zealand. Shannon is thrilled to be a part of Chinook Rafting this 2017 season.

Hi my name is Andrea or Dre for short. I will be travelling from the beautiful city of Guelph, Ontario to the mountains of Alberta for the summer. I am a rookie to the Chinook team this season and excited to to get the season rolling. I love the outdoors and if I'm not playing in it, I'll be capturing its breathtaking beauty through my paintbrush or camera lens. I'm always up for new challenges and adventures which makes me excited to take advantage of the endless opportunities Alberta has to offer. I'm thrilled to be one of the Riverbase managers getting you amped up and ready to raft. I hope you are all just as excited, if not more!

It didn't take long for me to realise that a life in the corporate world wasn't for me, so after quitting my Engineering job in the UK I've spent the last two and a half years horse riding, hiking and kayaking my way around New Zealand. After working predominantly as a horse trekking guide near Queenstown, I'd like to try out some different terrain, so I'm super excited to join Chinook Rafting for my first season this summer! In my spare time you can find me doing anything outdoorsy or looking for a dog to hug.

This will be my first season working at Chinook Rafting as a driver. As a bus driver I have been lucky to work in some pretty cool places like on a glacier and the snowy ski town of Niseko, Japan. I'm super excited to get back to the mountains for the summer where I will spend most of my time rock and alpine climbing. Conquering Mt. Robson is top of my list for the season. Fun fact: I have a dog called Beau, named after one of my favourite Ontario craft breweries, Beau’s!

Being born in Fernie, British Columbia gave me the perfect stomping grounds for starting a love affair with nature. My name's Zach and this is my first year driving for Chinook Rafting but my second season driving in the Rockies. This past winter I was travelling South East Asia on a six-month climbing trip, with side trips to Japan and Indonesia to ride water in its various states​. I've found that the more I travel the more I can truly appreciate everything Canada, specifically the Rocky Mountains, has to offer. The glassy lakes and whitewater rivers can provide calming bliss or heart-racing action, whether you're​ in a kayak, a raft or in a lawn chair on the bank after a long day. Needless to say I'm extremely excited to be in the Rockies for another summer. See you out there.