Meet the Family

About Apex Rafting

Embark on an adventure of a lifetime with Apex Rafting Company, a local family-run business that’s been guiding thrill-seekers through the wild rapids of southeastern British Columbia since 1993. Led by the dynamic duo of Ralph and Debbie Koerber, Apex Rafting promises an unforgettable experience on the Illecillewaet River.

Apex Rafting founders Ralph and Debbie Koerber

Debbie and Ralph Koerber: A local family-run business

Ralph got his start in the rafting world as a bus driver and guide-in-training in the 1980s, honing his skills on the Toby Creek and the Kicking Horse, Kootenay, and White Rivers. Ralph spent the next several summers guiding on the Kicking Horse River, with brief stints on other rivers like the Ottawa and Gauley. It was during this time that he met Debbie, who was working as a photographer on the Kicking Horse.

apex rafting family

30 years of rafting the Illecillewaet River

In 1993, Ralph and Debbie decided to make their dream of running their own rafting company a reality and moved to Revelstoke, BC.

They started Apex Rafting with just a van and a boat, but through their hard work and dedication, they’ve grown the business into a beloved institution in the community. Ralph has led over 1500 trips on the Illecillewaet River, and Debbie captures the beauty of the river through her camera lens.

The Koerbers are not just business partners but also a family, and they’re proud to have raised their children in the community they love. Their son Matthew is a kayaker, daughter Tayla is a river guide, and youngest daughter Josi helps manage the office and joins her dad on the river.

Join the Apex Rafting family and discover the beauty of the Illecillewaet River with the experts who have been sharing it with adventurers from around the world for over two decades!

Meet the Family

About Apex Rafting

Embark on the adventure of a lifetime with Apex Rafting, a local, family-run business that’s been guiding thrill-seekers through the wild rapids of southeastern British Columbia since 1993. Led by expert river guides Ralph and Debbie Koerber, Apex Rafting has brought countless memorable experiences to thrill-seekers over the last three decades.

Apex Rafting founders Ralph and Debbie Koerber

Debbie and Ralph Koerber: A local, family-run business

Ralph got his start in the rafting world as a bus driver and guide-in-training in the 1980s, honing his skills on the Toby Creek and the Kicking Horse, Kootenay, and White Rivers. Ralph spent the next several summers guiding on the Kicking Horse River, with brief stints on other rivers like the Ottawa and Gauley. It was during this time that he met Debbie, who was working as a photographer on the Kicking Horse.

Apex Rafting founders the Koerber family

30 years of rafting the Illecillewaet River

In 1993, Ralph and Debbie decided to make their dream of running their own rafting company a reality and moved to Revelstoke, BC.

They started Apex Rafting with just a van and a boat, but through their hard work and dedication, they’ve grown the business into a beloved institution in the community. Ralph has led over 1500 trips on the Illecillewaet River, and Debbie captures the beauty of the river through her camera lens.

The Koerbers are not just business partners but also a family, and they’re proud to have raised their children in the community they love. Their son Matthew is a kayaker, daughter Tayla is a river guide, and youngest daughter Josi helps manage the office and often joins her dad on the river.

Be a part of the Apex Rafting family and discover the beauty of the Illecillewaet River with experts who have been sharing it with adventurers for over 30 years!

Get to know us

Meet the Team

Ralph & Debbie Koerber

In 1993, Ralph and Debbie moved to Revelstoke, BC and started Apex Rafting on the Illecillewaet River.
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Danny LeBlanc

Danny started guiding with Apex over 10 years ago and is now our Operations Manager.
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Graeme Campbell

Graeme is an Ontario born water lover! He moved out to British Columbia to enjoy his summers rafting.
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Jason Day

Jason was born in Switzerland, grew up in Texas, and now lives in Canada. Yes, that means he’s got three different passports!
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Nick Studer

Nick is originally from Toronto but moved to BC for its whitewater and big mountains.
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Cade Chapman

Cade was born and raised in Texas. He found his passion for whitewater rafting among the mountains and canyons of Colorado before making his way to Revelstoke, Canada.
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Matthew Forth

Matthew grew up immersed in the world of whitewater rafting, thanks to his father, who founded APEX.
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Nino Dover

Nino is from Ottawa and is in his 8th season of guiding. He first started rafting on the Ottawa river and has since made his way out to BC to explore more rivers.
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James Brand

James is 22 years old from Scotland, this will be his 4th season guiding but his first on the Illecillewaet.
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Callum Townsley

Callum grew up in the UK and has spent the past several yeast exploring and working in the mountains and rivers of Western Canada.
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Dylan Murray

Dylan is born and raised Albertan beef but moved out to BC for the mountains and rivers.
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Tate Askey

Originally from Manchester, Tate came to Revelstoke for one winter and made the classic mistake of falling in love with the place.
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Jason Ancell

Jason is a longtime Revelstoke local and recently retired dad who’s joining the team this season helping keep our gear clean and ready to go.
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Hugh Owen

Originally from Wales, Hugh recently made the move to Revelstoke after wrapping up an epic Canadian road trip.
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Hayley Johnson

Coming from a small island in the South Pacific known to most as New Zealand, Hayley is part river rat, part flightless bird, 100% fueled by stoke and snacks.
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Steve Knight

Steve was APEX’s first employee back in the day.  Now he’s back again as your driver and photographer.
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Tayla Koerber

Tayla is a born and raised river kid, having grown up on the banks of the Illecillewaet with her sister and brother.
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Josi Koerber

Jo is a home-grown Revelstokian and shares the same love for whitewater as the rest of her family!
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Ekko

Ekko is the youngest member of the Apex team. He entered the Koerber’s lives five years ago and it’s been full speed ahead ever since.
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Here’s What Our Guests Say

At Apex Rafting, we don’t just run rivers, we deliver unforgettable adventures in the heart of British Columbia. With over 30 years of experience, we’re Revelstoke’s top-rated whitewater rafting company, guiding thousands of guests down the iconic Illecillewaet River since 1993.

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Excellent
Apex Rafting Company5.0
Based on 666 reviews
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Adele S.
18 hours ago
WOW!!! Our rafting adventure with Apex Rafting was hands down the highlight of our trip! From start to finish, it was SO MUCH FUN, and our guide Jay was absolutely incredible! We have a family with two adults and three young kids, and Jay was the PERFECT guide for us. He was incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and safety conscious, but managed to make the entire experience great! He was hilarious, energetic, encouraging, and genuinely SO much fun. Jay was especially fantastic with the kids. He made sure they felt comfortable and confident while still giving them an exciting adventure. He knew exactly when to hype everyone up, when to reassure them, and when to make us all laugh!! The rafting itself was AMAZING, exciting enough to get your adrenaline going, but incredibly fun and challenging for our whole family. The scenery was spectacular, Jay pointed out so many points of interest and explained the local terrain. The experience was unforgettable, and the laughs were nonstop! Jay absolutely made this experience what it was. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does, and that enthusiasm is contagious. He went above and beyond to make sure every single person in our group had an incredible time. If you’re anywhere near the Revelstoke area, BOOK THIS!!! And if you’re lucky enough to get Jay as your guide, you hit the jackpot! An absolute 10/10 family adventure! We would do this again in a heartbeat!!
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Meagan S.
1 day ago
We took our family of 6 ranging from 8yrs to 74 yrs, and had a blast!! This was the highlight of our BC trip! The guides were amazing! Highly recommend this to anyone! The were so amazing with the young ones and the old ones!!
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Shana S.
2 days ago
This was an amazing experience! The views along the Illecillewaet River are breathtaking. And the rapids were enjoyed by all in my family of 9 (age 16 to 63). It was a good balance of relaxing and thrilling. Nick did an excellent job as our guide. We highly recommend Apex!

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