As the province begins to loosen COVID-19 restrictions and business begin to reopen, Golden’s Alpine Rafting is eagerly welcoming thrill seekers back to the Kicking Horse River with plans to reopen June 27.
“We, along with our staff, are excited; we’re just happy to be back rafting, it’s probably one of the most fun jobs there is,” said Ryan Johannesen, co-owner of Alpine Rafting.
“We’re all just happy to try and reopen with an adjusted program and to make this work.”
According to Alpine Rafting, rafting is considered a low-risk activity for the spread of COVID-19 due to being outdoors and in wide open spaces, where the chances for transmission are lower.
Alpine Rafting will be making several changes to their policy and programming as well to fall into line with the recommendations and guidelines set out by the B.C government. River Outfitters Association to keep operations healthy and clean.
The company will be increasing sanitization of equipment and will be rotating out their gear every few days to ensure that, after use, each piece of equipment is quarantined to minimize the chances of transmission.
Alpine Rafting will also reduce the size of the trips in general for additional spacing between customers and will be offering discounts and a flexible refund policy.
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“Some other companies have already opened, so we’re taking notes from them and seeing what works well,” said Johannesen.
“It’s all about who feels comfortable coming.”
Johannesen says the majority of their clientele are international travellers and come from different corners of the country. With non-essential travel still being discouraged, it’s hard to predict what the outlook of the season is going to be, he noted.
However, Johannesen says it’s a good time for locals to get into a raft and explore the river, with up to 50 per cent discounts available for Golden locals. He also says discounts on renting out a boat per group will help ensure that people are staying within their own bubble.
“It’ll be interesting to see how this all works out,” said Johannesen.
“Local businesses have definitely been struggling through all this, so supporting local is going to be a very big thing for everyone for the next year or so.”
With a strong core of returning staff, Johannesen says customer experience won’t be sacrificed, despite the restrictions.
“We’ve all been cooped up, it’s good to get into wide open spaces for change,” he said.
“We’re pretty happy to be running trips this year.”
More information on their full COVID-19 policy and discounts can be found on the Alpine Rafting website.
