Rio Aconcagua “Salto De Soldado”

kurt casey — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:15:22 +0000

This description was actually written by kayaking legend Lars Holbek

Salto del Soldado canyon sports a wild class V+ run through a imposing, vertiginous chasm. According to Chilean folklore, a soldier once jumped across the canyon on a horse! The narrows is the crux of the run, undoubtedly one of the most difficult set of rapids in Chile. Paddlers would be well advised to run Salto del Soldado early spring or in the fall when it is much less dangerous and intimidating.

Portage around a small dam about 3 km downstream from the put-in. Below here, a few kilometers of swift, non-descript whitewater lead into the portals of the gorge. The intensity builds, culminating in numerous class V-VI drops that require careful scouting from the railroad tracks up above. A nearly dark, but relatively easy, exit from the canyon’s depths marks the end of this Hadean underworld.

Exit of the slot canyon viewed from hi up on the road to Portillo

From Los Andes, 86 km north of Santiago, drive up the paved highway into the foothills of the Andes towards Portillo. Put in at the confluence with the Río Blanco elevation 1410 meters. To find the take-out, drive 12.5 km downstream from the town of Río Blanco to a road that provides access to the river at a wooden bridge at elevation 1110 meters. Along the way, be sure to peek into the abyss at the scenic overlook. If you venture upstream from Río Blanco, you’ll find some runnable sections amongst all the class VI.

Ideally flows are 700 to 1500 CFS usually in spring and fall months. River is runnable at higher summer flows with significant 5+ action.

Rio Colorado (Aconcagua)

John Foss (posthumously) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:06:11 +0000

This Río Colorado, one of 37 by the same name in central Chile, is a churning quagmire down to its confluence with the Río Aconcagua. It is a good run to do when Salto del Saldado is frighteningly high. Tight and continuous, the rapids have few eddies and require frequent scouting from shore. The most difficult drops are out of sight from the road that parallels the river. Beware of a lethal low-head bridge 2 km downstream from the put-in. After a wet winter, the springtime desert sprouts a prolific floral bloom.

From Los Andes, 80 km north of Santiago, drive east on the paved road up into the foothills of the cordillera towards Portillo. Turn north a couple of hundred meters before Puente Río Colorado. Drive up the road 400 m to the take-out at the first bridge 1075 meters. Put in at the ENDESA hydroelectric plant 8 km upstream at elevation 1350 meters. For the ambitious boat hiker, 2 km of continuous class V rapids occur upstream from the diversion dam. This section described is 8 KM long with average gradient of 34 m/km or 181 FPM.

Water quality can be a bit dubious due to mining activity and the high sediment content of drainage. Best run in late Spring/summer with flows in the 500-800 CFS range.

River was first run in 1993 by Clay Wright and John Foss.

Rivers of Chile » Region V

Rio Aconcagua “Salto De Soldado”

Rio Colorado (Aconcagua)