Charles Ruechel
– Program Director and Head Instructor
Still a farm boy at heart, Charles has always been at home in the outdoors, and loves sharing big adventures with great people. He first got his start in professional guiding as an instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership school, leading young adults on 30-day river and mountain adventures in the Yukon and Texas. He founded Elements Adventure Company in 2013 and has since become a Master Instructor with the Recreational Canoeing Association of BC – specializing in whitewater canoeing, river rescue, and expedition canoe guiding. His interests in personal development and leadership skills led him to take training and teach courses in communication, facilitation, and life-coaching with a variety of sources including Landmark Education, Ranch Management Consultants Inc., and Karen McMullen Coaching.
With the support of his creative and talented team of instructors and guides, Charles designs courses, and expeditions that connect people to nature, teach life-long skills, and provide an atmosphere for learning and personal growth. His favorite part of working in the business is getting to put stickers on things and showing off his hidden talent of backing up trailers into tight spaces!
Charles lives in the beautiful Lumby valley with his wife, Leanne, and their two daughters, Xenia (10) and Leo (7).
See full list of Charles’ certifications and qualifications – click HERE.
Keiran Rankin
Senior canoeing instructor for river canoeing courses and guide for the Kootenay River, Upper Stikine River and 4 Rivers in 4 Days canoe trips
Even as a young teenager Keiran was paddling many of the rivers of southwestern BC with the Beaver Canoe Club. A highly-trained and experienced canoeist, Keiran is also a graduate of the Thompson Rivers University Adventure Guide Training Program and has worked in many parts of the paddling tourism industry. He currently lives and works in Kamloops as an elementary school teacher and as a canoe guide in the Northwest Territories during the summer months. He is currently the President of the Recreational Canoe Association of BC, and a Master Instructor with the RCABC. Keiran is very interested in local ecology, geography and history and has a passion for teaching about the outdoors and sharing his love of adventure.
Karl Podolski
Senior canoeing instructor for Lake canoeing courses and river canoeing courses & guide for Kootenay River Couples Adventure Retreat
Karl is a registered massage therapist in Vernon, BC and an avid, passionate canoeist every other waking moment. He believes every Canadian should learn to paddle a canoe – shortly after walking – and as such, has taught countless adults and kids (including his own) how to paddle.
His love for canoeing began at age seven when his father introduced him to the sport. In 1985, he participated in an outdoor recreation program where he first learned to guide canoe trips and became a flat water canoe instructor. Over the years, he’s developed a wealth of experience in teaching canoeing, building and restoring wooden canoes for a manufacturer, selling canoes for a retailer, captaining 25-foot voyageur canoes, and even racing outrigger canoes! His diverse and broad background in paddle sports and his enthusiastic personality makes Karl a huge asset to our team.
He is also currently the Okanagan/Shuswap zone rep with the Recreational Canoe Association of BC.
Scott Fisher
Senior canoeing instructor and guide for the Kootenay River and 4 Rivers in 4 Days canoe trips
Scott’s passion for nature and outdoor adventure blossomed into careers working with young people at Educo Adventure School in the BC interior and then 17 years as a faculty member at Capilano University in the Outdoor Recreation Management Diploma and Wilderness Leadership Programs in North Vancouver and Squamish, BC. During his years with Capilano, Scott taught Instructor level paddling courses on flat and moving water, wilderness first aid and a variety of leadership courses geared for working in the outdoors. Scott loved being an integral part of a program that developed lifelong wilderness skills and leaders for the outdoor adventure industry of British Columbia.
Scott and his wife Carol traveled throughout BC teaching paddling instructor-level and wilderness first aid courses to various communities throughout the province.
Scott is a Master Canoe Instructor with the Recreational Canoe Association of BC. He is thrilled to be providing high quality experiences exploring Canada’s stunning natural environments with the Elements Adventure Co. team!
Emily Cole
Canoeing instructor and senior guide for the Kootenay River, Upper Stikine River Expedition and 4 Rivers in 4 Days canoe trips.
Emily started canoeing in university with outdoor ed courses and quickly switched her major and her focus to all things outdoors. As doors opened for her in the guiding and expedition world, she took opportunities to guide many trips on the Nahanni River and moved to Alaska to work with at risk youth running 50 day expedition based therapeutic programs along the inside passage and on the lower Stikine River. A few personal trip highlights include canoeing the Snake and Tatshenshini Rivers and sea kayaking in the Northwest Passage.
Now her focus shifts to having a home base in Revy and exploring the amazing rivers in BC as well as finding the balance of entrepreneurial pursuits with her life coaching business. With a passion for guiding and supporting journeys, both in the wilds and within oneself, river expeditions still excite and inspire Emily, whether on our local Kootenay river or in the far reaches of Canada’s North.
Matt Casson
Canoeing instructor and Senior Guide for the 4 Rivers in 4 Days Trips and the Kootenay River Canoe Trip
Matt Casson hails from eastern Canada where he developed his love of canoeing on the Madawaska river. When he was 16 years old he went on his first white water canoe expedition on the Keele river in the North West Territories and instantly knew he wanted to guide on those pristine rivers. With 10 consistent seasons guiding in Canada’s north, throughout BC and Ontario his passion lies with showing folks the beauty and adventure that anyone can experience on wild rivers. Today, he calls Whistler home where he is an ACMG certified backcountry ski guide in the winter and a River guide in the summer. Shoulder seasons are spent fishing, biking and finding adventure!
Rowan Smart
Instructor for Weekend River Canoe Courses
Growing up in Vernon, Rowan has spent many years exploring the valley and surrounding mountains. With only a handful of times in a canoe throughout his youth, he took his first Intro to Moving Water course with Elements Adventures in fall of 2018 after a recommendation from his parents. Often alongside his parents, Rowan has participated in numerous Elements Adventures courses and trips, inclusive of Four Rivers in Four Days and the Kootenay River, and has quickly shifted to solo canoeing as his preferred mode of transport down-river. In summer/fall 2021 he completed the Paddle Canada and RCABC instructor courses to take the next step and become an instructor with Elements Adventures.
Outside of canoeing, Rowan is currently finishing his PhD at UBC Okanagan and when not busy with school he can be found skiing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, or getting lost behind his camera. Some of his favorite conditions for canoeing include sub-zero temperatures in a snowstorm, and he is a firm believer that canoeing is a year-round sport!
Daniel Leidl
Canoeing instructor for Weekend River Canoe Courses and guide for multi-day canoe expeditions
Even though Daniel has been transplanted from the Prairies, he has quickly embraced BC’s mountain culture as a talented and intuitive paddler, alpine rock climber, mountain biker, and backcountry skier. He is at home in the mountains and rivers as much as in his beautiful yurt, where he lives close to nature near Vernon with his partner, Shauna. Whether on an alpine trip in the Bugaboos, or in frothy white water on the Clearwater River, he has found himself connecting to nature and himself in ways he never thought possible.
In 2018 he decided to give whitewater canoeing a try when someone related it to the experience of telemark skiing (Daniel prefers to have his heels free). After a multitude of courses and local day trips, Daniel went for it with his first wilderness canoe expedition completing the Upper Stikine River with Elements Adventure Co. After that, it’s fair to say he was hooked!
Daniel has continued to grow and develop his paddling, guiding, and instructing skills by completing the RCABC Expedition Guide training, co-guiding on the Kootenay River trip and completing a 90 hour wilderness first aid course all in 2020. Daniel has become an integral part of the Elements Adventure team, facilitating the transformation that outdoor adventure brings to people’s lives.
Kat Donison
Elements Adventures Admin
Kat has spent half of her life paddling around the world of spreadsheets and office admin work and is delighted to get to know the fine rivers and lakes of BC from a new perspective.
As an experienced landlubber, Kat’s adventures have mostly been within the realm of organic gardening, novice construction projects and food preservation. What she lacks in canoeing skills or paddling time she makes up for with enthusiasm for pretty much everything.
Ana Robertson
Elements Gear Manager, Lake & River course instructor, Apprentice Guide
Ana grew up just outside of Nelson BC on a small hobby farm. The mountains and rivers have always been important in her life. She was on skis from the age of two and ski racing and coaching through her years in Nelson. She started canoeing with her family from a young age as a mode of transport for backcountry trips from the Green River in Utah to the Wind River in the Yukon with many rivers in between. When in Nelson during the canoe season, Ana and her dad regularly paddle the Slocan River with the local paddling community.
Ana worked for a nonprofit company out of Ontario for the past two summers taking kids and adults with type 1 diabetes on canoe and hiking trips. Ana is currently at UVic studying earth sciences and is looking forward to a summer of river adventure with Elements!