Meet Our River Rafting Team – Glacier Raft Company in Golden, BC

Ryan has performed many different roles at Glacier over the last 15 years. Starting out as a guide and river manager, Ryan is now the proud co-owner.

Guiding is still his passion, but on any given day you can see him driving the bus, barbecuing at lunch or chatting with guests. An accomplished snowboarder and videographer, Ryan has happily found his home here in Golden.

Carmen will be one of the smiley faces you see when you arrive. As someone who does a lot behind the scene, she's in charge of many aspects of the Glacier show and she’s always there to help in any way she can.

Carmen moved to Golden planning to stay for a ski season, but quickly realized she didn’t want to leave. From downhill and nordic skiing, to hiking and mountain biking, Carmen loves being outdoors as much as she can.

Mike is one of those people you always want to have around. He's dependable, hard working and has the best sense of humour. Mike has been guiding since 2012 and he's spent all his years with Glacier (lucky us!)

He’s an amazing raft guide and exceptional kayaker and has spent the past few winters working in Chile, Argentina and New Zealand as a raft guide, and paddling in Ecuador and India. We are so fortunate to have him as part of our team, and you'll understand why as soon as you meet him.

Emmanuel is back! Emmanuel has been working with Glacier since 2017, and he is returning for another season on the Kicking Horse River as our Senior Trip Leader.

Emmanuel has as much energy as anyone we know, and his positivity and excitement makes him a lot of fun to be around. You'll no doubt feel his enthusiasm if you spend a day with him on the water and we're so so happy to have him back!

Cailen has spent many years with us on the Kicking Horse River, and he was the River Manager during his time on the Kananaskis River before moving to Golden.

Cailen brings a calming and practical presence to the team, and you can always count on him for great insight and ideas. He loves being on the river and we love having him as part of our team.

Ryan is a valued member of our guiding team. He's been rafting for 14 years all over the world, both professionally and recreationally. Rafting has taken him around Canada, Central America, South America, Europe and Oceania. He hopes to get all the continents under his belt one day.

In the winter, he either travels somewhere hot to raft guide, or to Arctic Finland to guide snowmobile tours.

In his spare time he enjoys playing guitar, experimenting in the kitchen and he's always up for a game of frisbee golf.

It’s hard to find a happier guide! Jair has been with us since 2008, and you can always count on him for a smile. Jair has an impressive amount of energy and he’s incredibly handy.

From wood working and sewing to automotive repairs, we’re always turning to Jair for something. He recently constructed a beautiful yurt where he lives off the grid with his family, and is currently in the process of building an earthship. Ask him about it - it's pretty amazing!

Darren is a solid member of our crew. Having worked with us on the Columbia River and Toby Creek in Fairmont Hot Springs, he has now found his way north to Golden where he's been guiding since 2013.

His river sense, positive outlook, sense of humour and humble demeanour makes Darren an awesome guy to have around. You might even recognize his face from a popular Canadian television show… The first season of Amazing Race Canada!

Austin comes to Glacier having spent a lot of time guiding on the Kootenay River, Toby Creek and Kicking Horse River. Austin is a fun person to have around and we can almost guarantee he’ll make you laugh at least once while you’re here. We appreciate his professionalism and dedication, and when he's not guiding you'll find him back out on the river in his kayak.

Jake has spent many, many years on the Kicking Horse and he’s a valued member of our team. Before making his way to Golden, he guided on the Shotover in New Zealand and on the Athabasca and Sunwapta Rivers in Alberta.

He’s someone who’s easy to be around and just gets things done. We appreciate all he does and know you’ll love spending a day with him.

Coming to Canada from New Zealand, Libby brings a wonderful energy to our team. Having rafted and guided on rivers all around New Zealand, she brings great experience to the Kicking Horse.

Libby is one of those people everyone likes to be around, and we’re sure you’ll see her dancing her way around the rafting base while you’re here.

Alex is a wonderful new addition to our guiding team and we're so happy he found his way to Golden.

He's been raft guiding for 5 years in BC and Quebec, and is a ski guide in the winter.

Before discovering his passion for guiding, Alex was a car mechanic. He loves rock climbing and has been van living (in his super cool van!) for 3 years now.

Nicolas has over a decade of rafting experience! From Chile, we’re fortunate to have him spending his winters (our summers) with us. He has a wealth of river safety and rescue experience, in addition to guiding.

He’s guided in Chile, Peru, the US and Canada. Nico brings a calm and professional presence to our team and we’re so happy to have him!

The only one of our guides to have rafted with Glacier in Montana, as well as us in Canada, Will is a special member of our team. (If you didn’t know we used to have a sister company in Montana, you can check out 'Our Story' page in the menu).

Not to digress, we love having Will on our team! He’s funny, he’s kind and he brings great experience to the Kicking Horse from his time guiding in Montana.

Jaime joined our team in 2022 and he is a river guy! He’s been guiding for over 25 years and has rafted around the world in Chile, Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico, Switzerland, Norway, the US and now Canada. We’re so happy to have his knowledge, professionalism and sense of humour as part of our team.

Chris is the kind of person everyone loves having around. He’s easy going, kind but also an amazing guide and kayaker. Growing up in Ontario, he spent many years guiding and river managing on the Ottawa River.

You’ll find him back out on the river in his kayak any chance he gets and we’re pumped he’s part of our team.

Ali is new to the Glacier team this summer and we're so happy to have her!

She left Vancouver 6 years ago to escape city life, and now biking, skiing, snowboarding and hiking fill her spare time. We know her positive energy and sense of humour will make her a great addition to our team.

“You miss 100% of the cheese you don’t eat” - Wayne Gretzky - Michael Scott” - Ali Starchuk.

Bara is a member of our office team and we’re happy to have her! She’s hard working, kind and always willing to pitch in to help get things done. From the Czech Republic, Bara speaks four (!) languages, is a serious animal lover, and enjoys being outside any chance she gets.

Georgia has lived in Golden since moving here from the UK with her family at age 6. While young in years, she's gained many experiences through her love the of the mountains, and she can't imagine living anywhere else. Georgia divides her time between summer and winter activities - ski coaching for the last 4 years, and working in the rafting industry for the last 5 seasons before joining Glacier this year.

Georgia graduated high school last year, and has shared her time between working and backpacking through SE Asia and Colombia while working out what’s next for her in life.

Heather is awesome! She's been around Golden for a long time so she's a go to person for things to do, places to see and experiences to have. She's worked in the rafting industry for a few years and knows the ins and outs of the Kicking Horse River.

She loves getting outside for adventures whenever she can. She like escaping in the summer for camping, hiking and getting on her bike.

Always a positive presence, we're so happy Heather's part of our team!

Originally from Quebec, Evelyne now calls Golden home. As a graduate of the Outdoor Intervention and Adventure Tourism program from the University of Quebec she is a keen adventurer.
Evelyne has organized rafting logistics and transportation for the past 3 summers, and is a dogsledding guide in winter. She is an avid climber, hiker, river runner and traveller. Evelyne is enthused to share her passions and is focused on making the outdoors her home and office.

Matt grew up on a fur tapping line in beautiful northwestern Ontario. He learned at a young age how important nature is to the spirit. Living a lifestyle of fun and adventure, Matt has travelled as much of our beautiful globe as possible. He's living up to the promise he once made to himself to never to leave a stone unturned and to live every day to its fullest.

Matt's first whitewater experience was on the Ottawa River. Having rafted in Ontario, Revelstoke, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, France, Switzerland and Indonesia, Matt is super excited to experience our
Kicking Horse River.

Thankful to wake up every morning in Golden, BC, Matt is super excited meet you out there this summer.

Zoe was born in northern Saskatchewan and being from a family of canoe guides, she spent her childhood whitewater paddling. She left the flatlands for the mountains and spent two and a half years living in Banff before moving to Golden last summer. This will be her third season with Glacier as a driver.

During the winter you’ll find Zoe spending as much time as possible on her snowboard; either at Kicking Horse, Lake Louise or out in the backcountry!

As an adventure seeker, Noemie recently completed her first bike-tour, a 7,000 km journey across Canada. During this trip she discovered the magic of Golden, BC and made it her home. Here she began one of her biggest adventures, creating an outdoor gear repair business. She is now helping like-minded adventurers extend the life of their gear and enjoy their favourite activities.

When she is not sewing, you can find her on the local mountain bike trails, practicing her knots at the crag or shredding the slopes of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. And of course, helping get you to your whitewater rafting adventure.