After a long blustery winter, the days we have been anticipating are finally here. It’s time for Kicking Horse River rafting!  Every Spring, when the snow melts, the warm sun comes out and the river begins to rise, we gather on the Kicking Horse River for another season of rafting fun!

There’s something special about the first few weeks of Kicking Horse River rafting season. It often begins with the first drive to the RiverBase. Weaving through every bend of Hwy 1, reminding yourself of every peak and waterfall you pass. For those of us that spent the Winter season away from the Rockies, it’s the smell of the fresh pines and the mountain air that makes us feel as if we’re returning home. And for those that are new to the Kicking Horse River, it’s the breathtaking views and landscape that immediately validate the decision to make this unique place home for the Summer.

For many members of the Wild Water Adventures team, May is filled with epic reunions. There’s something about the Kicking Horse River that keeps people coming back, and there’s nothing quite like reuniting with the people that you share this mutual love with. The catch-up lunches at the RiverBase, the first trip down the refreshing river, and the early evenings spent gathered around the campfire. It’s these experiences that make the start of the rafting season so memorable.

We welcome new team members every year to Wild Water Adventures, and it’s their eager smiles and immediate infatuation with the river that excites us most. Sharing the history of  Kicking Horse River, and the towns surrounding it has always been recognized as a privilege to us. It’s our pleasure to share this treasured piece of Canada with people, and there’s nothing more special than watching members of the Wild Water Team embrace the Kicking Horse as if it has been apart of their lives forever.

After the long, tiring days of re-opening the RiverBase for the season are over, it’s the anticipation of the arrival of our Banff rafting tours guests that have us running around with excitement. We know that you have been waiting all year, (or maybe a lifetime) to check rafting off of your bucket list, and we can hardly stand that we get to be apart of this adventure! It’s the first-time nerves, that quickly get calmed by the jokes of our International Guide Team, along with the funky fleece sweaters and bright yellow school buses that typically get your excitement going. And upon arrival at the banks of the Kicking Horse, your beaming faces is what reminds us, why we love what we get to do every day.  

Despite the long days, and regular routines that begin at lightning speed once the season gets started, there’s never a day we wish would hurry up and finish throughout the Summer. From the outside, it would appear that our team does the same thing day in and day out over the course of the season. But it’s the new faces of rafters traveling from around the world, and the calls we receive from first-time visitors interested in Banff white water rafting, that ensure no two days ever look the same on the Kicking Horse. The wonderful stories we share with rafters, the surprise animal visits we get along the river, and the challenges that Mother Nature brings us, is what keeps us motivated throughout the busy season.

So whether we will be seeing you this weekend, or in the coming months, know that we are eagerly awaiting your arrival. The paddles are ready to be splashed in the river, the buses’ horns are ready to be honked upon departure, and the Guides are anxiously waiting to tell you their jokes they’ve been practicing all Winter. Wild Water Adventures is ready to get our 27th season on the road! (Or shall we say river?!)  

Join us this season! We’d like to show you our love for Kicking Horse River Rafting!