Does rafting down big class 3 and 4 whitewater and riding in a helicopter to get there sound like a good time to you?

It sure does to us, and that’s why Pure Whitewater, our half day heli rafting trip, was born.

The lower canyon is well known in the rafting world because it starts off with 4 kilometers of really fun class 4 rapids. It’s uncommon to have such a continuous stretch of class 4 in commercial rafting, so it makes the Kicking Horse River very special.

When the lower canyon is open, it offers the biggest whitewater and most rapids on the Kicking Horse. And want to know what makes it even more exciting?

Flying in a helicopter to get there. There’s no road access into the lower canyon, so we fly you from the take out of the middle canyon to the put in for the lower.

The middle canyon is another 12 km stretch of fun whitewater you’ll be experiencing on this trip, so it’s the perfect action packed afternoon.

Pure Whitewater rafts 22 km of non-stop action. Take in the views of the mountains surrounding Golden as you’re rafting through the canyon and as you’re flying past them!

This trip is limited to only 32 people per day, so give us a call if you have any questions, or book today to secure your seat!

This trip does not include lunch, so be sure to have a good bite to eat before arriving.

We are excited to announce that Alpine Rafting has merged with our friends at Glacier Raft Company. Click here to read more.

Carrie D

2020-08-02

Great Experience Our family did the family float and loved it, the guide was amazing, everyone felt secure and had so much fun

Laura H

2020-06-07

A great day! We have rafted twice with Alpine and both trips were fantastic. Staff are friendly and well organized, our guide made us feel safe. Lunch was provided in our trips and the food was fresh, well prepared and waiting for us. Beautiful views with an adrenaline rush! We will be back!

ERingger

2019-09-19

Great guide on the Kicking Horse Great guide. Memorable day. Beautiful River. Delicious steak lunch. Cool photos. This company delivered. Wish we could do the class 5!

Curtis R

2019-09-06

Great first time rafting This was my first time, my partners second time, and we had an absolute blast. They take care of you from start to finish, you just need to show up, that’s it. Friendly knowledgeable staff who are clearly good at what they do made this a comfortable fun experience. The water was cold of course but the neoprene suits made it just fine. I fell in the water (but I kinda wanted to); our guide put us sideways into a rapid and I went over, all was good and she planned it for me lol. We were taught how to retrieve a person from the water prior to this so it was all in good fun. Rapids were easily maneuverable for first time rafters, but still fun. Trip was 2-3 hours long, plenty of time on the river. Bus ride there and back was fine, not that far at all from town, we even got some food at the end and we were able to sit in the hot tub at the hotel upon our return to town. Highly recommend. Cheers

Schlabopi

2019-08-20

Ein großer Spaß und gute Organisation Tolle Organisation, reibungsloser Ablauf, tolle Betreuung. Es war ein riesen Spaß und man ist gut aufgehoben. Die Guides sind erfahren und man fühlt sich sicher. Absolut zu empfehlen. Es war unsere erste Rafting Tour und wir würden jederzeit dort wieder buchen!

Storyteller708253

2019-08-14

Thrilling!!! For sure one of the coolest things I did in my life. The guides were great. It's Adrenaline pumping and adventurous. I loved the intense Rapids

Family356

2019-08-09

Great experience, Great Time with Rupert Wir waren das erste Mal „Raften“, und es war absolut großartig! Wir bekamen gute Wet Suits und wurden mit dem bus zum Fluss gefahren. Auf dem Weg gabs eine gute Einführung in alles, was für uns wichtig war. Wir waren also richtig gut vorbereitet und wussten gut Bescheid, was wir tun sollten! Und dann war nur noch Spaß! Das Wasser ist kalt und wild, aber wenn man tut, was der Guide sagt: alles easy! Dieses Naturerlebnis ist einfach einzigartig, und Alpine Rafting hat alles perfekt vorbereitet! Nach dem Ride wird man mit denn Bus wieder zur Home Base gebracht. Weil uns der Ride mit Rupert so sehr gefallen hat, haben wir uns gegen den Heimtransport entschieden und für einen kleinen Aufschlag einen zweiten Ride gemacht! Und der war sogar noch besser, weil wir nun schon wussten, was zu tun ist! Thank you, Rupert😃😃😃

gentrynan

2019-06-04

SUCH A BLAST!! I was mildly terrified to go on this raft trip after I talked to a local in a coffee shop in Golden. But now that I went on the full day trip I am kind of laughing at how nervous i was..it is SO MUCH FUN! I was not scared in the slightest and I am not an adrenaline seeker or have a particular fondness to roller coasters (which some reviews compared it to). Alpine Rafting is a good, safe pro operation. Our guide Chris was AWESOME... funny yet took his job seriously and explained everything very clearly. My 16 and 14 year old LOVED it too. Highlight of our visit in Golden. A MUST DO. The only problem was that we wished it lasted longer cause it is that much fun. You don't want it to end. Don't even think 2x about doing this raft trip. Book it...NOW!

kek604

2018-09-17

Made Class II and III REALLY fun!` Our Kicking Horse River adventure was great! Great staff - informative and humorous. Excellent equipment - the wet suits were washed and sanitized between river trips. The Express in the afternoon was advertised as 1 hour 15 minutes on the water, and was more than that.The price was right - and the clear sky day was stunning.

Itinerary

• The adventure begins at the Alpine Rafting office at 11:00 a.m. but you must check in 15 minutes prior to the start time.
• You’ll get a full safety briefing before you get on the river, so you’ll know exactly what to do when you hit the whitewater.
• You’ll also get a yummy snack between the middle and lower canyons before flying into the lower canyon – all that paddling certainly works up an appetite.
• We’ll end up back at the Alpine Rafting office at approximately 5:15 p.m.

All rafting guests must be at least 16 years of age. This trip requires a minimum number of 12 guests in order to run. If that number isn’t met, or if there is inclement weather, your trip will be substituted for a Half Day Rafting Trip, and you’ll be charged accordingly.  Please see the rest of our policies below.

What to Bring

• A craving for adventure.
• Your bathing suit and towel – we provide everything else you need on the river.

Why WE Love This Trip

• It’s the two biggest sections of whitewater on the river, and a heli flight to get there – it’s a lot of bang for your buck
• It’s a dream come true for adrenaline junkies. 22 km of Canadian whitewater – that makes us smile too!
• Lots of time in the morning to sleep in, or experience other sites around Golden, BC

Heli Rafting Policies

• All guests are required to read and agree to a Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims and Assumption of Risks and Indemnity Agreement prior to rafting. Guests 19 and older must sign their own, and those under 19 must be signed by a guardian.  VIEW THE WAIVER HERE.
• This trip is offered on Saturdays and Wednesdays starting mid-July.
• No experience is required. Our guides will train you up.
• We can only raft the lower canyon at specific water levels. It closes at certain times throughout the summer when the water becomes too high for us to safely run it. This is typically June and early July, but can extend into late July or early August. When this occurs, we run the middle canyon whitewater section twice. Not to worry though – at high water, the middle canyon is as good as it gets!
• If we can’t raft the lower canyon due to high water you WILL STILL be flying in the helicopter. The heli will fly you back up the canyon to raft the second lap of the middle. The flying time is the same for both trips. If you’ve booked a heli trip you will be flying – you DO NOT have the option downgrade your trip day of.
• We cannot give advance notice of whether or not we’ll be rafting the lower canyon, as river levels are dependent on Mother Nature and can change very quickly. The decision to raft the lower canyon is often made the morning of the trip when we have realtime information on water levels and weather. Please try to understand that river levels are completely out of our control.
• We hold the right to cancel trips entirely if water levels fluctuate to a level that makes it unsafe for us to be on the Kicking Horse. Safety is the only consideration when making this decision. If we cancel a trip for this reason you will receive a full refund.
• If you have to cancel your heli trip, the full amount is refundable (less a $20.00 per person processing fee) provided we receive at least 30 days notice prior to your trip date. If notice occurs within 30 days of your trip, the $100.00 per person deposit becomes non-refundable, and within 21 days of your trip the full amount is non-refundable.
• We need a minimum number of people for heli trips to run. If those numbers are not met we will not be able to book the helicopter. If minimum numbers are not met we will not charge you for the lower canyon portion of your trip, or for the heli flight.
• A $5.50 Land Use Fee and 5% tax is added to all trips.

Have more questions? Check our our Frequently Asked Questions Page or Contact Us.

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