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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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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Nick Studer

Nick is originally from Toronto but moved to BC for its whitewater and big mountains.
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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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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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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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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 575 reviews
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Katrina G.
11 hours ago
We had a fantastic day on the water with Nick, Nino, Tate and James - took some great lines through the rapids, learned a lot about the history and geography of the area, and shared a ton of laughs along the way. Massive thank you to the team for the experience...we couldn't have asked for a better first rafting trip!
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helen M.
4 days ago
Had an unreal day with Apex Rafting Company in Revelstoke. Rafting the glacier-fed Illecillewaet River through Glacier National Park was easily a highlight for the rest of my summer — amazing scenery, fun rapids, and an all-around incredible experience. Apex has been running trips here for decades and it really shows in how smooth, professional, and fun the day felt.  Huge shoutout to Graeme, Cade, Nick, Danny, and the rest of the crew. Everyone was welcoming, funny, knowledgeable, and made us feel safe while still keeping the energy high the entire time. You can tell these guides genuinely love what they do — lots of laughs, great stories, and somehow they kept our chaos organized. Kade and the team made the whole experience feel effortless, whether it was hyping everyone up, guiding us through the rapids, or making sure we had an awesome time.  Whether you’ve rafted before or it’s your first time, I’d recommend Apex to anyone visiting Revelstoke. Incredible people, incredible views, and a day we’ll be talking about for a long time. 10/10 experience. 🌊🙌
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John S.
1 week ago
Fantastic morning out with the lads from Apex. Started well with Dylan assuring us we could park outside the hotel and just went on from there to be a perfect adventure for an Irish family of four with no previous white water rafting experience. Cade was our leader and on-raft guide, Nick our safety back up and Danny the operations manager drove and took great photos and video. It’s normal to get one guy with a personality in tourism but to get four such exceptional men was wonderful. We felt safe at all times and it was also good craic. Cade had lots of great stories on the 2.5 hour journey down. Highly recommended. Thanks Apex.

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