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BY STEVE BROOKS
Steve has lived in Austria for over 24 years, from being a place to come and work seasonally on the river to a base camp and finally making Austria his home! Steve’s love for kayaking and adventure is infectious, and this can especially be seen in the Kayak School he set up 12 years ago. Based out of the Arlberg Region in Western Austria, the school runs courses for beginners, coaching and instructing kayakers through all the whitewater grades, including creeking and river running. In-between the kayaking season in Austria, Steve can be found kayaking, leading courses, adventure trips and expeditions in the Soča Valley, Indian Himalayas, Peru and Chile in South America. He speaks Austrian German like a local and has picked up a little bit of an Argentine dialect in Spanish. When Steve is not kayaking, he searches for that perfect powder run in the backcountry in his home mountains of St Anton am Arlberg or riding his Royal Enfield Bullet in search of undiscovered rivers in the Himalayas.
For more information check out: www.gokayaking.at and Instagram @kiste_wala
Huge thanks go to everyone who supports me in being able to keep kayaking, travelling, exploring and having fun: Peak Paddle Sports, Striebel Designs Paddles, Waka Kayaks, Arcteryx St.Anton – Austria.
A different side to Kayak Mecca of Pucon
We have been coming to Chile since 2003, and the first visit was to ski. Though the skiing was good with lots of potential, the abundance of rivers and quality of the whitewater brought me back ever since with my kayak!
This January, Ute and I embarked on our first trip outside the Alps since the pandemic and headed to Pucon in southern Chile. The check-in at Munich in Germany was not at all stressful, and with our kayaks all booked in, we started our journey via Amsterdam and then onto Santiago.
We spent a couple of hours getting our documents checked and tested for covid. As soon as the all-clear was given, we met up with David and were on our way to the truck to Pucon!
David Joos, or Gringo Loco as he is known in these parts, has spent the best part of 25 years living and working in Chile. He has set down roots in Pucon and has become an integral part of the kayaking scene in Pucon and within the municipality itself! Along with being a professor running the Outdoor Education degrees at Pucon University, he runs the Pucon Kayak Shop and leads trips for Kayak School Arlberg in Chile.
We had not seen each other for a few years, so the 7-hour drive down to Pucon flew by as we talked kayaking, caught up on family news and talked some more kayaking!
This year was different for us; we were coming to Pucon to stay in our own lodge. The last time we were here in Pucon, we bought a hectare of land and have had a beautiful lodge with stunning views built on the flanks of the Villarrica Volcano (the safe side!).
Pucon is situated in the Araucania Region of Chile, some 780km south of the capital, Santiago. In English, the Araucania region gets its name from the huge trees known as Monkey Puzzle. As you head up around the national park, onto the border of Argentina, you can immerse yourself in forests of these amazing trees; some even date back to the dinosaur years!
Chilean classics
For the whitewater kayaker, Pucon is a paradise or mecca. There are many rivers around the town with some Chilean classics such as the Palguin and Nevados. The Trancura river is also a popular destination for kayakers and for the tons of tourists that come and raft its drops and whitewater throughout the summer months.
The Trancura River drains the southeastern side of the Volcan Villarrica National Park and the north western flank of the Volcan Lanin on the border of Argentina. It has a few names on its way, and some important tributaries help the river gain more volume, such as the Rio Maichin (one of my favourite rivers around Pucon).
The Palguin and Turbio add a little water to the volume depending on the time of year. Lago Caburgua’s water increases the volume as it arrives into the Trancura via the Rio Liucura.
The Upper Trancura is an excellent pool drop river with the size and difficulty getting bigger or more challenging as you progress down. It has some nice waves to surf at the top before the steepness picks up. The Salto de Feo is a classic drop on the Upper Trancura; if you time it right, you can do laps of this drop with stunning snowcapped volcano views of the Villarrica in the background; what more could you ask for?
Below the Salto de Feo is the Mariman Waterfall. The waterfall can be a portage for some; however, for others who like to put their creeking skills to the test, they tackle the tricky entrance and boof the lip to catch some air on the way to the landing. Then you have the rapid and drop of Last Laugh before it is a nice paddle down to the take-out and the start of the Lower Trancura.
No-stress, fun paddle
The Lower Trancura is a very different river to the Upper. The pool drop style of kayaking has now changed to a more significant and bouncy fun section of river similar to the Imst Gorge of the River Inn in Austria. The Lower is a no-stress, fun paddle with opportunities to surf and fly off some great waves!
The take-out for the kayakers is by the bridge, but you can also kayak into the Lago Villarrica if you want to float out.
Mariman Extreme Kayak Race
When the Rio Trancura river levels start to drop and the main tourist season is over, it is time for the locals to put on a sweet little festival. Kayakers sign up, prizes are organised, and with the enthusiastic spectators, the Mariman Extreme Kayak Race begins.
The sun was out last March on race day. We were treated to some great racing as the Chilean kayakers love entertaining and getting the crowd going. Some excellent moves and style were being shown alongside all the competitive racing!
It is a great little event that Santiago Sandoval organises, now in its second year and still in its infancy in terms of some of the events around the Americas. His vision is big, not just with the racing but with showcasing one of Pucon’s natural treasures!
After the final run, the kayakers, crowds and hangers-on all met up for prize giving. The party continued, fuelled by the Puesco Brewery, and the vibes were good.
We are heading back again for 2023, so maybe we will see you there?
Congratulations go to:
1st place: Lucas Varas
2nd place: Breiner Matiz
3rd place: Kilian Ivelic