Well, Let me tell you ... Our Cochamo Trip was unbelievable!! But unfortunately... Thats all I am going to say. Stories and Pictures will come in due time, sorry, just trying to add a little suspense. Instead, let me tell you a little story about a group of kayak instructors living it up on the shores of the fabled Rio Futaleufu. Where to start? I’ll start with the group that made this what it is ... The Kayak FU Crew (Tyler Curtis, Mariann Saether, James Roddick, Brendan Mark, Dave Gore, Lisa Utronki and myself (Tyler Fox)). Kayak FU is pretty much like an old boys club, with a list of alumni reading like a who’s who of Ottawa River paddlers, in that you don’t really get hired more so get invited to come by your friends, with an okay from the man that brings it all together Tyler Curtis. So, as you can imagine with a group like this there was never a dull moment. My personal highlight (other then the paddling of course) was enjoying plentiful Crystals in the Hottub after our afternoon paddles or ... actually enjoying plentiful Crystals at anytime with good friends. The Location!.... is absolutely perfect. You hear a lot about the Patagonia’s this, Patagonia’s that and there is a reason for that... they’re beautiful and the Futaleufu Valley is no exception. The main camp is based midway down the Bridge to Bridge section out of the Cara del Indio camp, a meeting point for many boaters, and owned by the Toro’s a super nice local family. To add on to this once a week we make the paddle into Cave Camp. Cave Camp is probably the coolest place ever, located directly beside the rapid Zeta , it has everything from gym sized caves to a natural hottub to a lagoon filled with gigantic salmon and on and on. You gotta see it to believe. My personal highlight was seeing our new waterfront building completed only days before our first group of clients arrived, after the main Kayak FU building burnt to the ground in a freak assado accident (An assado is the traditional way of cooking a sheep over an open fire - Ummm ya, so cooking with open flame in a wooden building might not be the best idea! Thankfully no Kayak FU members were involved and no one was hurt, except the kayak and gear that was being stored there. all that was left was a grab loop.) Ooooooh Ya! lets not forget the white water. The Futaleufu is questionably the greatest river ever! It has countless big volume rapids ranging from easy cl II to violent cl V, rapids so steep, fast and short they are over in a heart beat (ok probably like a million heart beats - scary stuff) like Throne Room to rapids that span a half kilometer long and are around a 100m wide filled with big pushy water riddled with humongus holes and monstrous waves like Terminator to the numerous rapids with unending wave trains of blissful fun like the Himalayas, Kybers, Munduca, Wina etc, etc... If your looking for play this river has that as well , it has holes and waves of every size. A few favorites include Wina wave, Pistola, Paradise wave, Super clean and rodeo hole. Just don’t expect to find any park and play all the features on this river require a little hard work and determination. If your looking for a step up from your favourite section try doing it at night, which brings me to one of my personal highlights ... running Camp to Bridge on a full moon. Thankfully, there is a lot of white water in this section as that was all you could see, unless your friend snaps a picture with a flash in your face 2 seconds before you peel out to run a rapid in which case you can’t see shit except little white star thingys every where... GOOD TIMES ! Other highlights include running Throne for the first time, running center Terminator in big water and plugging every big wave / hole possible. I wont say I had the trip of a lifetime ... as I plan on coming back, but I will say it has been one of my most enjoyable times and how could you not say that when you get to spend time with such amazing people, on such amazing white water in one of the most amazingly beautiful place I’ve ever seen. You could almost say it was AMAZING !! If anyone is interested in spending time with Kayak Fu or you are planning your own trip to Chile and are looking for info, look into www.KayakFU.com or reach Tyler Curtis at www.RiverPlay.ca . Tyler Fox Photos By: Lisa Utronki, James Roddick & Mariann Saether http://www.KayakFU.comhttp://www.RiverPlay.cashapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
Chilean Travels
The Kayak FU Crew
The crew again
Out for an evening paddle
Entering 1st rapid on
Bridge to Bridge sec.
Launching off a wave in Tiburon
Heading towards the Pillow
Exiting that Pillow fight unscathed
Thats one vertical paddle stoke!
Loving that Futa Big Water
Saying hello to the
Right Hand Man
Nothing like a face full of
big wave
Putting in for a rip down
Mas O, Y Casa
Where did Tyler go?
Here I am !
Ahhh ! Continuous Big White Water
Some play at Super Clean
Coming up! for Air
Dave Gore heading for the Toaster in Throne
Tyler entering the
Throne Room
Heading hard left
Throne Room
Bringing it around
Tyler reflecting on Good Times
Getting Hot in da Hottub at Cave Camp
Soaking it all in back at the Kayak FU Camp
Brendan Mark, Juanito, James Roddick & Tyler - night paddle
Who turned the lights out?
Night Paddle on the Futa!
Tyler contemplating a low water Zeta run
Getting lined up
 
Setting one last stroke
Off the Lip
Landing with a stroke
Boof line in
Terminator
yup!
Some real Cowboys
Sweet Mustache
James & Tyler sporting
a good look
Petrohue Falls with
volcano as back drop
Side view of Petrohue Falls
Back on the Azul
Bottoms Up Kayaking < SLIDESHOW