Were it not for a life-altering wager, longtime local and raft guide Andre Blanchette-Dube might not have been raised in Jasper.
“My parents moved to Jasper because my dad took a bet with his coworkers,” Blanchette-Dube said. “There was a job opportunity as a music teacher and [my dad] applied for the job as a dare.”
Thirty-some years later, this small bet amongst friends has led Andre’s family to a bankroll of life experiences and a windfall of precious memories. For Andre, he’s been able to carve out an exciting career in whitewater rafting—a good vantage point to reflect on a life lived in the Rockies.
Many seasons have come and gone for Andre, but he still has a profound appreciation for the local wildlife—even if they occasionally are too close for comfort.
“The reason my best friend and I started biking to school was because it was easier to outrun the elk when they chased us. I’ve been late for work and for school because of elk. That’s not really something you get anywhere else.”
Whitewater rafting, for Andre, has only added to this appreciation of nature, having rafted since he was 17-years-old.
“It’s never the same. The water is different, the weather is different and you get to see parts of the park you wouldn’t see otherwise.”
It’s also a mental game, because as Andre explains, a river run is always unique.
“It keeps your mind active,” he says. “It’s never the same twice.”
Last year, as with many things affected by the Jasper Wildfire Complex, the whitewater season was cut short. While 2024 was an incredibly difficult time for both Andre and the team at Jasper Rafting Adventures, a new, stronger, rafting community has risen from the ashes, he says.
“Everyone kept each other going,” Blanchette-Dube says. “A big reason for sticking around is the staff and the genuine friendships that you make. That point was proven last summer.”
Rafting has taken Andre to many corners of the world, including Australia and New Zealand, but Jasper’s small town vibe and surrounding rivers and mountains will always call him back home.
“People who connect with Jasper, connect pretty instantly, that goes for people that [have] been here for 33 years or 33 days. That’s the spirit of Jasper.”
The splashy thrills and rushing adrenaline are part of what brings people to whitewater rafting, but the sport also offers an opportunity for connection, Andre says. When it’s just the crew, a raft and the backdrop of Jasper National Park for an hour and a half, it makes space to create core memories. Sharing that with people from all around the globe is a privildge—one he tries not to take for granted.
When JRA hosted an editorial cartoonist from the New York Times, Blanchette-Dube said it was a reminder of how fortunate he is to be guiding visitors down the country’s original highway.
“You’re at the mercy of nature, seeing parts of the national park that you would never see otherwise [and] it kind of reverts everyone back to being like a kid. It’s pure fun.”
Chase the adrenaline and see for yourself the magic of whitewater rafting this summer with Andre and Jasper Rafting Adventures.
Georgia Ristivojevic // info@thejasperlocal.com
