A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
The Palena is a beautiful, although blustery, multi-day trip with nary a trace of whitewater. A dense pall of fog clings to Volcán Melimoyú (2400 m), the lofty summit that overlooks the lower river west of the Carretera Austral. Much of the forest is uncut, having escaped the fire-ravaged scenarios in other parts of Patagonia. [...]
Posted on October 27th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 2 | 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 »
The lower Petrohué is a popular commercial raft trip and a good run for intermediate kayakers. Its wide-open rapids require a minimum of maneuvering to negotiate safely. Surfing the warm, azure waves entail backing down and stroking hard because there are few convenient eddies. Calm interludes allow ample time to gaze at the lofty heights [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 3 | 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 »
Bordering the northern edge of Parque Nacional Queulat, the Río Figueroa flows through a beautiful valley of old growth forest. Cordillera Queulat and Sierra Negra peek above the horizon.
Excluding some excellent drops in the gorge above Puente Figueroa (which is on Rio Pico), most of the run contains intermittent class II-III boulder garden rapids. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4 | 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 »
A trip up the Cochamó valley is an incredible experience. Tumbling from the massive granite domes of Cerro Torrecillas (2164 m) and Cerro Cuernos Del Diablo (1920 m) is one of Chile’s most extreme kayak runs.
For the true adrenaline crazed boater, The Cochamó river will provide the goods as it plunges the final few hundred [...]
Posted on December 17th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
I first ran the Río Blanco back in 1991 with John Foss. We had come across the river while driving south to Futaleufú. I had not seen the river again until December of 2008 when I returned to area to explore the nearby Río Negro.
View of Rio Blanco upstream from takeout bridge
The Blanco is a [...]
Posted on December 17th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
For years I had heard rumors of a waterfall infested river in the South of Chile named the Río Negro. This year I ran into a Swiss boater named Toro who not only had heard of the river but in fact had run it 3 years earlier with a group of European kayakers. Toro spoke [...]
Posted on December 17th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 3, class 5 | No Comments »
The Espolon is a mellow float with some occasional play and spectacular water quality. For 20 years the river has been a favorite training run for beginner kayakers visiting the Futaleufú area. With easy roadside access and close proximity to the town of Futaleufú the river sees a surprising number of visitors in the [...]
Posted on February 8th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 2, class 3 | No Comments »
The Futaleufú river is known globally for its big volume and furious rapids. Until people visit and get to know the area they are often unaware that more mellow sections of the river exist. For those groups traveling with children, fishermen, or beginning boaters the lower Macal stretch makes for a nice float.
Pablo, Diego, [...]
Posted on February 6th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 2 | No Comments »
The bridge to bridge section on the Lower Futaleufú is one of the funnest stretches of whitewater on earth. This section provides ample pushy, big volume, class 3-4 rapids. Due to an upstream dam in Argentina the water is warm (relative to other nearby Chilean Rivers)
Many kayakers running this section for the first are [...]
Posted on February 6th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
The Azul is a nice class 2-3 run to do in the Futaleufu area. Access is relatively easy for put in and take out. The run is best done with water in early season (November/December) or after a heavy
rain. Local rafting outfits often take their clients on Ducky trips of the river and several [...]
Posted on February 6th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 2, class 3 | No Comments »
A class 4-5 kayak trip with unsurpassed scenery located in vicinity of Futaleufú. On a sunny day the put in has spectacular views of Volcan Michinmahuida whose hanging glaciers (ventisqueros) are the source of some high quality whitewater.
River soon after put in foto by Xavier
The trip can be made from Futaleufú in one very long day [...]
Posted on January 28th, 2008 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
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