Banff Rafting Courses - Become a Guide

River guiding is one of the greatest jobs on earth, with worldwide opportunity. It combines international employment with enjoyment and excitement in the outdoors. River guiding presents real challenges and requires considerable skill and knowledge. It is an occupation that develops personal confidence, positive people skills, and leadership ability.

Each year, Chinook Rafting trains several new guides to introduce them to the industry and lifestyle with the intention of hiring them for the upcoming season. Many of our valued staff members are graduates of this program and have gone on to work on rivers around the world.

Sometimes students join the guide course with no intention of becoming commercial guides. They come for the fun, adventure, and learning, and many go on to enjoy whitewater rafting as a personal hobby. If you'd like to try this, please reach out, and we can look together if there is space on the course for this.

COURSE LEARNING INCLUDES

• General knowledge of rafts and equipment, guiding skills such as steering a paddle raft, paddling commands, raft leadership, ethics, interpersonal skills, duty of care, signals, and leading an effective safety talk
• Rescue techniques and incident management including survival swimming, self rescue, capsize scenarios, flip drills, rope systems, first aid, and how to respond to emergencies
• A practical understanding of the whitewater industry including a question and answer session about careers in rafting

Our goal is to graduate skilled, knowledgeable, and employable river guides with the confidence to run rivers safely. The course involves twelve days of intensive training that combine clear theory with full days on the water. As the course progresses, so do the challenges. The course is scheduled to take place on the Kananaskis River near Banff and Canmore, water dependent.

Candidates who excel may be offered a seasonal position with Chinook Rafting. Successful trainees continue with in house training and sign off before guiding commercial trips.

A comprehensive training outline is provided after enrollment is confirmed.

COURSE INSTRUCTORS

Be trained by industry specialists! Our Instructors bring with them a wealth of knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and a fun-loving attitude.

Richard van der Ploeg is Chinook Rafting's Operations Manager. He is originally from the Netherlands and 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 canyoning and caving. Expeditions and work brought him to Canada, La Reunion, Italy, Sri Lanka, Azores, New Zealand, Honduras and other gems. With over 20 years of experience in outdoor tourism, he's now a full-time raft guide. International certifications include Rescue 3 International Swiftwater Advanced, Alberta PROAOA rafting examiner, and he has been trained in Wilderness Advanced First Aid. Richard has been involved with the Raft Guide Course for over 10 years.

Chris Burnham will be the SRT instructor for the course. He has been involved in the rafting and kayaking industry for over 25 years both locally and around the world, including working on rivers in the UK, France, Norway, USA, Canada, Argentina, Chile, India, Nepal, & Africa amongst others. For many years he was the Operations Manager at Chinook Rafting. He is an examiner for the BC and AB River Outfitters Association, a certified kayaking instructor, a Swiftwater & Ice Rescue Technical Instructor for Rescue 3 International, and an Emergency Medical and Advanced Wilderness First Responder, and still finds time to go on the river often (as that's where he still love to be). In his spare time, he is also a Volunteer firefighter with the Banff Fire Department.

All of our guest instructors also have many years of rafting experience under their belts and are holders of valid First-aid or Wilderness First-aid certificates and are qualified Swift Water Rescue Technicians as a minimum standard.

We ensure a guide-to-client ratio that guarantees you will be able to maximize your learning experience.

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE COURSE?

• Twelve full days of training and instruction
• All rafting and safety equipment during the course, including rafts, paddles, throw bags, ropes, and first aid kits. Chinook Rafting runs a modern self-bailing fleet and quality equipment for your safety and enjoyment
• Training manuals and study materials to keep on completion
• Rescue 3 International Swiftwater Rescue Technician certification, subject to passing
• PROAOA raft guide certification, subject to passing
• Professional coaching, daily feedback, and clear evaluations throughout the course

Possible PROAOA outcomes: Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3. If, at the end of the course, you are not ready to sit the PROAOA exam, a certificate of course completion with the topics covered will be issued instead. A Class 3 certificate is required for guide roles at Chinook Rafting.

Prerequisites for certification: all participants must hold Standard First Aid with CPR C before the course begins.

PRE-REQUISITES

• Minimum age 18
• Competent swimmer and in good physical condition
• Willing and able to complete early mornings, variable weather, and back-to-back long days when needed
• A valid driver's licence with a good driver's abstract is required before accepting employment with Chinook Rafting
• Certain injuries or medical conditions, such as serious shoulder or back injuries or hernias, may limit safe participation. Please inform us early so we can discuss options

Employment path: Our intention is to hire course graduates who achieve Class 3 and who demonstrate the right attitude, reliability, and teamwork.