Family Is What Makes It Happen!

At Browns Canyon Rafting we are a family! We strive to provide our guest with an individually unique, personable and memorable experience. This is achieved first and foremost by the INDIVIDUALS who you meet on any adventure. Below you can meet those very individuals that will be creating unforgettable memories on your next adventure in Colorado’s Majestic Rocky Mountains!

Elroy

Elroy is the glue that holds Browns Canyon Rafting together. He is often seen patrolling the grounds or napping in the office. Elroy has been rafting since he was a pup and is a seasoned vet in the white water industry.

A quote from Elroy – “I love Chewy treats, long bike runs, and rafting with my dad.”

Byron

Byron’s first rafting trip ever was on an overnight trip through Browns Canyon with his family when he was 7 years old. Since then a lot has happened and he finds himself back where he began. Byron is an avid kayaker, rafter, snowboarder, bus driver, and dog dad. Byron has guided across the US and in Costa Rica.

Ethan – “E-tron”

Our Headboatman, Ethan, is transplanted from the radiant city of Cleveland Ohio, and attended the University of Evansville in southern Indiana, for graphic design and D1 Swimming. Naturally Ethan has always gravitated to the water, from surfing to sailing and everything in between, all across the east coast and Midwest. Ethan joined the BCR family back in 2019 to try his hand at white water and the high alpine and finds himself happily stuck in this eddy ever since. As a class V guide, he was voted “Sexiest Guide Alive” by Arkansas Valley River People’s Magazine. When he’s not on the river you can find him dying on a 14er, skiing, climbing, underwater basket weaving, and planning his next overnight river trip.

Jeremy – “The Professor”

Jeremy, or Jerm for short, began guiding with Brown’s Canyon Rafting in 2015. He grew up in South Florida and has been in Colorado since 2010. In the winters he works Ski Patrol for Keystone Ski Resort. Jeremy started his rafting career in college going on many student led overnight rafting trips. Since then he’s been lucky enough to raft many rivers, including the Colorado, the Selway, the South Fork of the Payette, the Snake, the Arkansas and many others. As a guide, his goal is to help you gain the knowledge and experience to one day be your own guide. Jeremy is here to promote outdoor recreation and conservation for the next generation of boaters. On his days off you can find him floating on the water or hiking in the mountains.

Matt – “Matty-Ice”

Matt (Ice Man) Spencer, also known as Matty-Ice, has been part of the BCR family since he first trained in 2015.
Since then he has guided around the world in places like New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and the Grand Canyon. Matt is a Wilderness EMT and in the winter he can be found Ski Patrolling at Wolf Creek.
BCR is his family and the upper Arkansas River is one of his favorite rivers to guide.

Ryan – “Ryan-Ice”

Ryan “Little Ice” Spencer joined BCR when he trained in 2018 as a summer job after riding along with his brother Matty-Ice. Several years and an Electrical Engineering degree later Little Ice is still around guiding folks down the river. In the winter you can find Ryan shredding it up on the slopes always contemplating if he should use his degree or not.
One thing is for certain, Little Ice always finds himself most at home with his family at BCR on the Arkansas River.

Zane

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Zane found his love for rivers out in the mountains of Montana and Colorado. When you find him on the river, he will usually never know the time, but will always have an enthusiastic smile. If you don’t find him on the river, he will probably be snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing, but in his head he is always chilling on a beach somewhere trying to catch the right wave.

Josh

I’ve never been one to stay in one place. Ostensibly from Texas, I have also lived in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Puerto Rico — and now I spend my summers in Colorado floating in a big, bouncy, splashy boat. I’ve worn a variety of occupational hats over the years, including the clergy, the group fitness industry, taxi driving, and backpacker hostel management. Somewhere I have a piece of paper that says I’m one of the best indoor cycling instructors in the world, but riding a bike that doesn’t go anywhere eventually got old. I hope to someday create a new board game and to publish a book. I spend my winters curled up in a blanket waiting for the snow to melt so I can go rafting on it.

Becca

Becca was born and raised in Southern Africa and first moved to the US for college where she studied Archaeology and Biology at the University of Evansville in southern Indiana. She joined the BCR family several years ago when she married Matt ‘Ice-Man’ Spencer and is also known as ‘Mrs Ice’ or ‘Mice’. During the winter months she is a manager at Wolf Creek Ski Area. When not in the office you can find her mushroom foraging, hiking, or playing Bananagrams.

Georgina – Office Matriarch

Georgina grew up on the sunny beaches of the southern California Coast. Although her background has been in accounting, Georgina has had a heart for the entertainment industry. She started singing by 3 years old and playing piano at 7, and with accounting as her background, Georgina’s spare time was spent playing music/gigs in Hollywood and on the Las Vegas Strip. She soon realized there was money to be made in the entertainment industry and became a booking agent, helping bands get paying gigs. When she got to Colorado in 1994, she started in the resort industry booking fun!! Georgina spent her time skiing, skating, and now rafting. She is still playing gigs, but now she plays several hand-drums, bass, keyboards, violin, and has been known to play the glockenspiel!! You can see her around town at the local open mics, or at Sunday Service!

Andrea

Andrea is a long time river guide and teaches ski school in the winter time out of Breckenridge Colorado. She is multi talented and works as a costume designer at Breckenridge Backstage Theatre.

Kayla is a class V river guide and an avid boater. If she’s not working on the river, you’ll find her playing on one. Guiding year-round has led Kayla to work on rivers around the world, with a few of her favorites being the Rio Jataté in Southern Mexico, the Gauley River in West Virginia, and the Rio Naranjo in Costa Rica. While she loves to move around to different rivers and travel often, the Arkansas River is home and continues to bring her back year after year. When Kayla isn’t on the water, you can find her hanging out with her dog, reading a book, playing Catan, or attempting to beat Becca in Bananagrams.

Ryan Kilgus, also known as Dirty Ron around the Arkansas River Valley, is originally from Pennsylvania and has graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute. During his time is the military as an infantry officer and mountain warfare instructor, he has gravitated towards the world of outdoor adrenaline sports. Ryan has guided on several rivers domestically and internationally to include the Arkansas River, Blue River, the Upper Colorado River, Clear Creek, the Rio Jatate (Mexico), the Savegre (Costa Rica), the Naranjo (Costa Rica), and the Coto Brus (Costa Rica). When Ryan isn’t on the river you can usually find him climbing, skiing, tinkering, playing the banjo, learning more cow jokes, or playing board games. Ryan’s claim to fame is performing most stunts and vocals for Zac Efron in “High School Musical 2”

“If you hear banjo music, paddle faster!!” Nathan hails from the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River, where the whitewater classic Deliverance was filmed. Since 2012 he has been guiding across the USA, but the combination of 300 days of sunshine a year and some of the best whitewater in the country have kept him here in Colorado. If he isn’t guiding on the river, he is definitely playing on it. Any day on the water is a great day in his opinion! He’ll happily guide you down any section of river that we offer, from the Family Float to Class V Pine Creek. His goal in life is to create lifelong rafters who enjoy the beauty and excitement of rivers as much as he does!

LC or “Little Chris” is a second year river guide. Her favorite place is the river. She’s in architecture school and she takes every opportunity she can to guide. She’s been a ski instructor in Utah and a glacier guide in Alaska but her favorite job ever has been taking people down Browns Canyon.

Julianna began guiding for Browns Canyon Rafting in 2024. She previously guided kayaks on the Colorado river. Jules is originally from Las Vegas, is working towards her Masters Degree, and has a black belt. She knows way too many Hoover Dam facts and is not afraid to use them.

Dylan started guiding with BCR in 2024 and previously was a guide on the Colorado river. He is originally from Las Vegas and was living on the coast of Spain prior to working on the Colorado. He likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Eddying out at browns canyon rafting was a choice that disappointed my parents but I have loved every moment of it. When I’m not river guiding, I’m kayaking. If my body ever gets too sore for that, I swear I’m going to climb a 14er someday!