The first Saturday in September, a unique fundraiser is set to make waves in Glenwood Springs. Raftoberfest combines a love for water and the dramatic local landscape with fundraising. Epic Experience is an Arvada, Colorado-based nonprofit that facilitates adventures and empowerment for cancer survivors. One of the nonprofit’s many creative charity events is Raftoberfest, a half-day of rafting and following party.
The afternoon and evening of Sept. 6 will mark the seventh annual iteration of Raftoberfest. Epic Experience partners with Glenwood Springs-based adventure company Whitewater Rafting, LLC to put on the event. After a three-hour guided trip on the Colorado River, participants gather at the boathouse for local beers and food, live music, a silent auction and more.
“Raftoberfest is the perfect mix of Colorado adventure and community connection,” said Colin Ferro, executive director of Epic Experience. “It’s more than just rafting and beer — it’s about supporting adult cancer survivors and helping them rediscover joy and strength beyond cancer.”
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit was founded in 2012 with a mission to empower adult cancer survivors to live beyond cancer through outdoor adventure. Epic Experience emphasizes that cancer survivorship is more than follow-up medical appointments and scans; it’s about living life to the fullest. The organization aims to empower adult cancer survivors to do just that via its various programs, from adventure experiences including rafting to structured community gatherings.
Epic Experience offers regional community meet-ups across the country, weeklong camps in the Rocky Mountains, virtual reality programming (ThriveVR) and a story-sharing podcast (Campfires of Hope). The organization’s programs help survivors find confidence, healing and connection — reminding them that while cancer may be part of their story, it does not define them.
The apex program is a free, weeklong adventure camp in the Colorado Rockies. The outdoor education opportunity breaks down boundaries for cancer survivors. As participants challenge themselves physically, find community with other survivors and talk through fears and worries, they gain hope and return home with tools and support to help them thrive.
Whitewater Rafting, LLC has operated in Glenwood Springs for over 50 years, since 1974. In 1998, the company moved to riverfront headquarters in Glenwood Springs, just below the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. In 2022, founders Erik and Phoebe Larsson sold the company to Thomas and Jenny Carter, who aim to keep it a locally-owned family business.
The Carters are dedicated to the community and to the outdoor spaces in which they operate. To them, getting to expose customers to new adventures and natural beauty is the highlight of the work they do. “The river is such a uniting force that everyone you meet out there is always friendly, happy and ready to help,” said Thomas Carter. “That joy of living is what we want everyone to experience during their time with us, and we hope a little of it goes home with them too.”
Tickets include the three-hour raft trip and dinner and drinks for $120 per person, or $80 for kids between the ages of 5 and 12. A set of four tickets costs $450. Those interested in joining the fundraiser but not spending time on the river can purchase a ticket for $60.
Raftoberfest starts and ends at the Whitewater Rafting, LLC boathouse at 2000 Devereux Road in Glenwood Springs. The event starts at 1:30pm on Saturday, Sept. 6. It will wrap up around 7:30pm that evening.
To purchase tickets, visit www.epicexperience.org; there you can also learn more about Epic Experience’s work supporting cancer survivors.