We Know Our Rivers

Originally from the UK, Chris is at home on rivers worldwide having kayaked and rafted for over 20 years in the UK, France, Austria, Italy, Norway, Argentina, USA, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Nepal, India & Zambia. He is a rafting examiner for the British Columbia and Alberta 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. In his spare time Chris is a Volunteer Fire Fighter with the Banff Fire Department. 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 on the Soca river and also heaps of canyoning and caving. Expeditions, work and randomness brought him to Canada, La Reunion, Italy, Sri Lanka, Azores, New Zealand, Honduras and other gems. With a total of 14 years experience in outdoor tourism, he's now a full time guide chasing the endless summer. With some accidental snowy stops along the way, he claims that summer is a state of mind. When he's not around the flowing waters outside, it is highly likely you can find him making laps in the swimming pool, welding some steel together or day dreaming about ice cream, pizza or cookies in no particular order. His all-time favourite quote: "Njom njom njom njom" - Cookie Monster.

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.

Alex here, a friendly neighbourhood trip leader. I have been rafting for the last five years in a few places, Australia, the USA, Ecuador and Canada to name all of them. This is my second season with Chinook Rafting and I am excited to be back on the rivers in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. When I’m not rafting here you will find me running with the Huskies, as in during the winter I work for a local mushing company. See you on the water!

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.

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.

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 fourth season with Chinook Rafting as a Riverbase Manager & Raft Guide and I am very excited for Summer 2018! 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 back for her 3rd season as part of Chinook Rafting 2018 team.

My name is Nathalie, I am from Niagara Falls ON. I just finished a 2-year college degree in Outdoor Adventure in the Ottawa Valley. I have previously worked as a Raft Guide in Newfoundland, and I am looking forward to coming out to the Rockies for this upcoming summer. When I'm not rafting some of my other interests include hiking with my dogs, rock climbing, wilderness first aid, and photography.

So I’m Alexis from the Andes mountains of Cusco, Peru. I’ve been a rafting guide for around 10 years now working and traveling in different countries and rivers around the world, such as Canada, USA, Norway, Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia & Peru. I’ve rafted some really nice rivers and met some awesome people. I’m now excited to be back in Canada again for my second season at Chinook Rafting. In my free time I love doing all white water sports, such as rafting, canyoning & river boarding. That’s a little bit about my life. Hope to see you around some where.

Hey there! My name is Gabby, and I'm from Kitchener, Ontario. I had the privilege of experiencing the great outdoors both in southern Ontario and in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Alberta while growing up, and I’m very excited to be back living in the mountains this summer! I'm currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Guelph and spend my free time working at my local climbing gym, playing cello, and taking care of my large collection of house plants. I fell in love with whitewater while rafting on the many gorgeous rivers in BC, and this year I'm thrilled to join the amazing team at Chinook!

Hello my name is Ariel Eli Ihaka Coleman. I have been rafting in New Zealand and trained as a raft guide on multiple rivers throughout New Zealand such as the Rangitata, Buller, Clarence, Grey and Arnold River. I am from a small town of Mokihinui in New Zealand where the population is approximately 50. An interesting fact about myself is that I have six brothers and no sisters. I really enjoy whitewater kayaking, fishing, rafting and sea kayaking in my spare time. When I am not guiding I am striving to live more simply.

I am Vikram Hirani from India. I live in the lap of the Indian Himalayas in the holy town of Rishikesh.  I have been raft guiding and safety kayaking on many different rivers off and on for the last 8 years. I feel very lucky to live in the Himalayas and I was trained on the Himalayan Rivers also. My favourite river is my home river called Ganga. When I am not rafting I go hiking, kayaking &  cycling. I am practicing yoga for the last 6 years and I can now teach students up to an intermediate level. I am very excited to be the part of the Chinook Rafting team this summer.

Hey there, my name’s Nik. I’m a Canadian, born and raised, who loves to have a great time in the outdoors. I am currently a Student of Outdoor Parks and Recreation at Lakehead University in beautiful Thunder Bay Ontario. I was first introduced to white water when I was 16 and haven’t been able to get enough of it since then. I have paddled rivers all around northern Ontario and New Zealand and I worked as a raft guide on the Ottawa River last summer. I enjoy Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain and I am very excited to be joining the Chinook Rafting team this summer. See ya out there!

Hi there, I’m Abigail. Originally from the UK, I escaped work in the big smoke and moved out to Canada in the hope of finding clean air, mountains, wildlife, like-minded people and a sense of freedom - I haven’t been disappointed! Having worked for a local dog sledding company throughout the winter, I’m now really excited to be part of the Chinook team this summer. I love hiking, yoga, going on adventures and relaxing round a campfire with friends. I’ve always had a passion for travel and among my travelling highlights was rafting down the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world!

Howdy folks! Brychan here, have your best shot at saying that name! I'm coming at you all the way from Toronto, but I'm no average city boy. I've spent the last several years guiding multi-day canoe trips back in Ontario as well as rafting on the Ottawa river. I'm currently working on my degree in outdoor recreation in the quaint little town of Thunder Bay at Lakehead University. If I'm not on the river, you'll find me catching turns on the closest snow covered slopes or some other country far away, but you'll seldom see me not wearing my sandals! My passion really is whitewater and experiencing the beauty that this world has to offer and I can't wait to share it with you folks! See ya on the river!