Chile Creeking - Upper Palguin

This was a great way to get introduced to creeking, what a beautiful setting with clean drops, clean water, and good company. If you ever want to kayak in Chile, check out kayakpucon.net and "Run the Shit" with Rodrigo. Rodrigo, Tom from Shred Ready, another cat from Colorado, and a dude from Cali, let me tag along with them on this gem just a few minutes outside of Pucon, Chile. After 3 weeks of paddling big water, I was ready to hit some waterfalls!


Not much warmup on this run - these three photos are a sequence of the first rapid right at the get-in.




No scouting possible here, just a blind corner with a waterfall.


A perfect shot of a perfect 20 footer.


Watch the elbows!


Thanks to Rodrigo for taking such sick photos!

November and December is the best time for creeking around Pucon, and I can't wait to go back and RUN THE SHIT!

Expeciones Chile - Kayak Safari

This winter was super cold - a great time to escape to the southern hemisphere where it's summer. I planned a two week guided safari, paddling different rivers throughout Chile and Argentina the first week, with the second week all on the mighty Futalafu... After that I decided to spend an extra week at the Futa, then up to Pucon.

We started out on the Rio San Pedro, a class III/IV big water run.

The get-in.


A good wave.


Next we drove down to Shoshuenco where we stayed at a nice spot located on a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and rivers. We spent a few days paddling the Fuy.

Some gradient nestled right under a volcanoe.


Surfin.


I got some sunburn the first day - nice tan lines!


Next up was a class III section of the Manso.
Nothing Wrong with this scenery.


Switching cars on the way to the Futa.


Terminator.


Coming head-on into Mundaca - a Futa right of passage.


A cave upstream of Zeta.


Making our way down the Rio Azul to our camp at the confluence with the Futa, looking up at the Tres Monjas.


After leaving the Futa, I traveled for 24 hours by bus to get to Pucon, Chile.

Here I am at the top of Mt. Villarrica outside of Pucon.