A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
A rumbling steep creek coming off the permanent snowfields of Nevados de Solipulli is the Rio Trafanpulli. In local Mapadungo language the meaning is “junction of the valleys”.
French kayaker Valentin Grollemund
I first started looking at this creek in 1995 but it was not until 2009 that I was able to get back to run [...]
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 4, class 5, pucon | No Comments »
Written by Greg Moore
The emerald Río Manso flows through a wild canyon in Parque Nacional Nahual Huapi (Mapuche for “Tiger Island”) south of the ski resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The river drains the southeast flank of Monte Tronador (3491 m) (‘Thunderer’ or ‘Anon’ in Mapuche, whose meaning is almost identical to [...]
Posted on October 27th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: argentina, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
Volcanic ash and cinders blanket the Río Cajón basin, which lies downwind from Volcán Hudson (1369 m). After laying dormant for twenty years, Hudson erupted in August 1991 wreaking considerable property damage and environmental change in Chile Chico and western Argentina. Meter-thick ash deposits buried a 25 km section of the Carretera Austral.
Spend the time, [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2009 by Josh Lowry
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The Río Petrohué drains Lago Todos los Santos in Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. It is the largest park in the Chilean Lake District and adjoins Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi in Argentina to form one of the biggest contiguous tracts of protected trans-Andean wilderness in South America. Established in 1926, it is the second oldest [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
Don’t be fooled by the low average gradient on the upper Cisnes. Its citadel rock walls reverberate with the roar of great whitewater rising from the abyss. Located east of the Carretera Austral, this precipitous canyon forms the southeastern boundary of Parque Nacional Queulat. Although off the beaten, dusty track, the magnificence of this [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
On our first descent in February 1998, Joe Larrow, John Hart, Aaron Pruzan, Robby Dastin, and I encountered an irritatingly low flow at the put-in. If there had been a road nearby, I would have bailed out. Nevertheless, we persevered only to encounter bumping and grinding class III boulder gardens in the headwaters and grueling [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
After tumbling through a foggy, verdant canyon upstream, the Resbalón meanders into Bahia Murta, the northwest arm of Lago Bertrand. Because of its lush vegetation and sheer walls, bailouts are virtually impossible. More than a few inconveniently placed logs require caution. Even though the canyon is tight, there is sufficient room to scout and portage. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The upper roars through a chiquitito box canyon 2.5 km below the put-in in Reserva Nacionál Río de Los Cipreses. House-sized rocks that tumbled down from adjacent talus slopes create terminal hydraulics at high water above this seething cauldron of whitewater. The unportagable slot is 2-3 m wide, and no more than 100 m long. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The name of this river depends on which one of those—at times—contentious neighbors maps you’re squinting at while cramped inside your vehicle during moonlight navigation. In Argentina, its known as the Corcovado. Chileans call the river the Carrenleufú. From a geographer’s viewpoint, its the headwaters of the Palena. Regardless of the name, its sublime scenery, [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: argentina, class 5 | No Comments »
During our failed attempt to explore the headwaters of the Río Melado in December 1997 (a wicked high El niño year) , John Foss, Josh Lowry, Robby Dastin, and I came upon this little creek. Quebrada El Toro is a beauty, one of a dozen of such torrents tumbling out of the southcentral Andes. It [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region VII, chile, class 5 | 1 Comment »
Without a doubt, the hydro-developed Río Pangal is one of the most radical whitewater stretches in Chile. The river is only runnable when the right amount of cold, silty water is released from the dam and allowed to churn through its rocky channel. The crux of this formidable run occurs at Cuesta Caracoles where the [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
Estero Lechoso is an intense, class V+ committing run of great beauty. Directly below the put-in lies a majestic, runnable slot canyon with a navigable cataract at the bottom. The river then meanders for a couple of hundred meters until the walls constrict again. At this point, the gradient increases dramatically as the Lechoso [...]
Posted on October 23rd, 2009 by Robby Dastin
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
Only 1 km in length this short, difficult run (class V+•VI ) is quite different from the section upstream. After bursting over the lip of the 8 m high falls dowstrream of the hydroplant, the Cochrane explodes in a series of drops that require caution.
From Cochrane, 337 km south of Coiyaique, drive out of [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
We were dead tired after many days of nonstop scouting and boating when we crossed Puente Cañal. Draining the glittering heights of Cordon Contreras (2602 m), the Río El Cañal flows out of the westernmost edge of Campo de Hielo Norte. Even though the sight of this milky green, glacial creek tumbling out of the [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
This short 6 km, class V trip makes for an interesting combination of tight, technical boating on the Bosque averaging 53 mpk or 280 FPM @ 300 CFS, culminating with a high volume flush thru the Río Ibañez narrows. The Bosque’s clear water contrasts sharply with the brown, silty water of the Ibañez.
Start your [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The Río Los Maitenes is only recommended for that paddler who loves the commitment of a slot canyon, is willing to climb on crumbly rock, and thrash through thick, inpenetrable thorn bushes. At medium-to-high flows, you will have to endure these hazards during a mandatory portage that requires you to climb out of the canyon, [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The Río Avilés is my favorite of the many streams that empty into Lago General Carrera. First explored by Arnd Schaeftlein, Bernd Sommer, Josh Lowry, Dave Kashinski, Oliver Grau, and Manuel Arnu in January 1996, this committing trip requires a 2-3 hour scout from both canyon rims to confirm that its slot canyon is free [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
While paddling down the still free flowing stretch of the Upper Bío-Bío, the magnificent view of Volcán Callaqui (3050 m) first comes into view at the confluence with the Río Llanquén. This little drainage offers a fun, short, steep creek run for the energetic boat hiker. The tight moves in the narrow streambed require precise [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VIII, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
The terminator stretch combines big water playboating potential with the heart stomping option of running the gut of its biggest rapid terminator. The water is irridescent blue and generally warm and the scenery spectacular.
Due to an upstream dam in Argentina the river has year round water. Winter months are cold and the river is high [...]
Posted on October 21st, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
The run is 4km long with average gradient of 165 FPM. Put in is at 1100 meters at Salto Las Chilcas and takeout is at the ENDESA reservoir 975 meters. Class 4 +/5- run best in spring and summer.
The Río Laja rips through a geologic wonderland upstream from Salto del Laja, a popular roadside [...]
Posted on October 21st, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VII, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
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