It All Started In 1995...

Canyon Raft Company

Owned And Operated By Blair Craig and Lynn Muller...

Incorporated April 20th 1995, we have been running the Elk and Bull Rivers ever since, and they remain just as wild and remote as when we first fell in love with them.

We provide the highest quality equipment and professional guides, all licensed with the BCROA, who maintain the highest standards of safety in the country. We are trained in first aid and swift water rescue, and also have extensive knowledge of the Fernie area rivers, their geology and the history of our backyard.

What really sets Canyon Raft Company apart? Our staff being known for their passionate and fun approach to river running! We enjoy sharing our love of the river with our clients and feel privileged to be out on the river every day!

The B-man is our chief.

He leads the trip, drives the bus, does the dishes and the laundry. Most notably he is the pioneer of commercial rafting on the Elk River.  Originally from Saskatchewan, Blair moved west for the mountain lifestyle early in life. Originally guiding on the Kicking Horse River in Golden, he first rafted the Elk in ’85. Ten years later in 1995 he started the Canyon Raft Company with his partner in crime, Lynn Muller. Blair fills his winter skiing and working at Fernie Alpine Resort, where he runs the groomer crew. Blair likes roller blading, hockey, McDonalds, and the Flames.

Lynn started Canyon Raft Company in 1995. With her partner, Blair she moved from rafting on the Kicking Horse river to the Elk river and embraced life in Fernie. You can meet Lynn most Sundays at the market in Rotary park throughout the summer. Lynn’s fitness is an inspiration. She keeps active year round, biking, swimming, hiking, paddling, cross country skiing, and alpine skiing. Her spirit animal is the hummingbird.

Lynn’s excitement is contagious, and she is well known around town for always being excited about everything, but especially anything to do with the river. If you get lucky enough to be in Lynn’s raft for the day, don’t forget to ask her about her part in the 1994 hit movie, The River Wild.

Mylo is our 4 legged guide in training. With is big paws and even bigger heart he has fit in well with the team. When he’s not helping out with your rescue on the river, he is making sure our shuttle drivers are well entertained, and he knows that there is always atleast one more stick that could be thrown for him into the river. He is sometimes shy, but don’t be afraid to ask one of the guides for a few snacks to help with getting to know him!

Raised in a rafting family on the Ottawa River, Ethan is our combination photographer/safety kayaker/raft guide/story teller and anything else we can get him to do. If there’s one thing he’s always good for, it’s another story. Bringing with him years spent on the water, he finds himself most comfortable in a kayak, or on a raft, with only short breaks in between to commute to the river. With more experience than you might guess, it will be up to you to decide which of the stories are true, or, well, river tales.

Coming from North Van to take the MAST program in Fernie, Maria Excelled behind the oars and to no surprise. Bringing her talented other half Bradly with her, they are now the dynamic duo of our crew. If you get a chance to catch her contagious company, be sure to ask her about how she was almost a world champion Irish Dancer! 

Being a package deal with Maria out of the MAST program, Brad also grew up in Noth Van. Known for his skills on the ice, hockey wasn’t the only thing he excelled in… Paddling in Ontario, driving snow cats at FAR, coastal ski patrol, and now a raft guide here at Canyon Raft. With his bubbly attitude and love of the mountains, he’s sure to bring a smile on your face.

Escaping the prairies for less flat winters, Logan made his way onto the Cat Crew with Blair at Fernie Alpine Resort. A fellow Saskatchewan boy, he soon joined us in the summers first as a shuttle driver, and now as a guide. With a classic mountain man beard, Logan will have you convinced he’s been on these waters since the beginning of time, and it will be up to you to figure out when he’s smiling under it all.

(Hint, it’s almost always)

Born and raised in Calgary where he use to skip school to ski – he is now on the Fernie Alpine Resort Ski Patrol. He worked on the Ottawa River for a couple of years before realizing that old adage, “West is Best” and joined us here at Canyon Raft. Kyler loves bikes, whitewater, telling stories, and always finding something new to surf.

Tall Paul comes to us from Coaldale, Alberta. Before he joined the Canyon Raft family, Paul was studying civil engineering and working as a land surveyor. He now spends his winters playing in the snow with explosives, (a.k.a. as a Ski Patroller here in Fernie,) and his off season working part-time as a carpenter. Paul enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, playing drums, and skiing. Try to find your tallest friend, (preferably a Paul,) to claim his title as tallest one on the river!

Jacob comes to us from Honeywood, Ontario. He spent two seasons guiding on the Ottawa River where he learned all about sunny side down rafts. After a few winter seasons in Fernie, he is staying for the summers now and is turning over a new leaf, not the rafts.

“He is also handsome, funny, and good looking. He likes short walks on the beach and long swims in the canyon.”

-Jacob

Alexa hails from the Elk Valley, and grew up around rivers. With a degree in management, she keeps us all in line as our acting HR boss. Alexa is also a passionate for kayaking, gardening, mountain biking, road biking, hiking, climbing, and finding new things to do. If you think there’s not enough hours in the day to do all of that, she’ll prove you wrong.