Merry Christmas, the tottal Pelguin

So what does 12 fired up kayakers do for Christmas in Chile? they run the shit!

Truck loaded down and boys picking up some epanadas for breakfast.

When we got to the put in you could feel the anticipation, energy, nervousness, and pure glee circling the group. We where at the Pelguin to run it all and a couple people took this really seriously.


Jared Seiler sending the Salto Pelguin.

Up to this point the Salto Pelguin had only been ran once, and LJ Groth and Jared Seiler where about to double that number. The lead in puts you in a nasty folding pinch as it launches off the 80 some odd feet.

Every one else was setting safety, taking pictures, video, and crossing there figures. Both of the guys had good lines unfortunately Jared got ejected at the bottom. After the salto entertainment it was off to the normal upper run, there was no stopping this possy everyone knew the lines and everyone was just charging off of drops.

We quickly ran one normal portage and arrived at "The Portage"


LJ getting toyed at the portage


AJ seal launching into the middle of the portage

Every one was on fire, we had just been bombing off of vertical and it was soon going to come to it's culmination, The 70 Foot stout.


Contemplating 70 feet for Christmas


Ian Garcia having a Merry Christmas


Jared


Evan


Nate


AJ


Bryan


Kirk


Nate

We finished up the run bombing off of every thing in our path and had a hand full of power full numbers to deal with.
6 swims
+5 broken paddles
+12 people off a 70 footer
+2 people off a 80 footer
= best Christmas ever.

Lower Nevado

So we wanted something new, and we got it. The lower Nevado starts at the demshitz drop, this thing is sketchy to say the least a burly technical lead in into a 50foot unclean drop. My decision came quick, NO. So we (Bryan Kirk, AJ, and myself Chris Baer) put in right below the drop and right above another great rapid.


AJ in the put in rapid, known as the little devil, This thing has an amazing boof just up stream of it. photo by Bryan Kirk

As soon as you come out of the little devil slot you find yourself in a sieve pile. Rocks everywhere that where slick as snot, a 20 foot portage took 15 minutes of slip sliding around. Once back on the water it was right back into blind big drops.

Bryan paddling away from the sieve pile


Bryan charging off the second drop, Nutrience

After Nutrience there is another stout rapid, it had a great 5 foot boof to start it off and then all the water pushed left, and off a bouncing 10 footer.


AJ with a big boof on the set up drop


Chris Baer boofing off the bounce ledge, photo by Bryan Kirk

After this drop it mellowed out for a bit, we rounded the corner and confluence with the Liucura. Once on the Liucura it took only minutes to arrive us at the "magic canyon" this thing starts out with a heinous sieve, (portage left). Then it is really one rapid boof hard right over a nasty walled in hole, and then boof over a few more small ledges. The gorge eases up and the next thing you know your at the Tres Saltos bridge.
This is one of those small gems that not enough people know about or enjoy.


a little closing shot

Chris Baer signing out from Chili

Pucon

So I have been in Pucon, Chille, for about 20 days and we have been running everything. From the big water of the Fuy, to the water falls of the Palgine, and Navatos. Pucon has offered up the best well rounded class 5 runs I have ever seen.


The Volcano here in Pucon,

Now for the Photo dump, First off the Rio Nevado. This run is amazing, I would consider this to be the Green Narrows of Chile.


Rodrigo on the first slide of the Rio Nevado


All the boys scouting the crack drop on the Rio Nevado


Andy McMurray, Rio Navado


Next up the Palguin, this run has three different sections. The upper is a water fall run the middle has a burly seldom run portage and a 70 footer. The lower is more low angle and offers some quality rapids.


John McConville on the first rapid of the upper Palguin, this is a tricky double drop where the first hole backs all the way up to the lip of the next 10fter.


Adam Bixby, going right on the 20fter


AJ about to send the right side


Andy McMurray, sending the left side


Bryan Kirk resurfacing on the "tricky drop" of the lower Palguin


Bryan Kirk launching one of those drops your sure was made for kayakers


Next up is the Desague, this has some of the meaner rock in the area, real sharp and oddly placed.


Adam Bixby boffing the shit out of the bottom drop.


Andy McMurray sailing away


When we got to the Rio Fuy it was silly high and we where unwilling to run the waterfalls but where willing to giggle our way down some amazing big water


Adam Bixby deep in the Rio Fuy

Another park and huck is the Ciolaco, this is a really simple fun 30fter


Andy Mcmurray styling the 30fter


There is also some ridiculous scenery down here






Chris Baer signing off from Pucon

Rio Claro

The beta your about to read will be ok, the beta we had going into this run was dead wrong and allmost unexistant.
So there is three boatable sections to the river, staring from the top is the 22 waterfalls section. Park at the bridge and stealthily walk up the river right shore 3k or so, we were denied this section by the ranger.

The next section has a lot of nicknames my personal favorite is "the devils throat". This section is a true gem, it may be the hardest, most contained, worst evac, most fun, scary, silly, unscoutable, unportageable section I have ever ran. This is where you bring your A game, your best team (boof or die), all your safety equipment, and a big roll of fun tickets. You start out at the bridge walk a couple dumb rapids, and then start boofing.

John McConville looking into the abyss


John McConville boofing one of the upper drops.


Yet another great boof

When you get to a 15 footer that you will want to scout on the right you will notice the next drop. The next drop looks great it has a huge tongue into a 15 footer.


If you run this one you are committed to the next section. The next section is burly, it starts with the twirly bird, a 20ft twisting slide that dumps into 30-40 feet of vert.


Chris Baer, probing twirly bird, photo by John McConville

Amazingly this drop goes really well. Once you're in the eddy of twirly bird, hoot holler and get ready it's going to be game on for a while, one burly blind rapid after the next. Keep on spending fun tickets scout when you can, and survive till you get to a wooden walk way on the left, and get out! The following rapids get harder and harder until the hole river falls off a couple drops into a crack thinner then your boat. This is where we hiked out, or rather John climbed out. The climb boat extraction process took 6 hours, don't mess up your take out.


Andy McMurray visible haggard after the hike out.

The bottom section and easiest is the 7 teacups. Logistics are easy here park at the sign for the 7 tea cups. Walk up stream river right for 10 minutes till you get to a rock cairn. Lower your boats into the canyon and start giggling. This section starts off with a 10ft slide into a 15ft vert and ends with two 20 footers stacked relatively close to each other. Get out at the overlook and be carefully getting your boats back up to the trail.
Chris Baer signing out from Pucon Chile