Running or drooping waterfalls?

When I turned 18 years old I started travelling around the world. At the beginning I went to closer countries like Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, countries where kayaking is extraordinary. I fell in love especially of Chile were the rivers around Pucón area are just unbelievably good. Dropped my first waterfalls in Pucón at the Palguín River and experienced one of the best feelings I had ever felt, it became an addiction I couldn’t control, I just had to go flying of waterfalls. Since then I kept going back to Chile every year.

I always thought that I was not going to try anything bigger than the middle Palguín waterfall which was my dream drop. I walked pass it several times thinking that that was going to be a huge impact and it was high enough that if I made a mistake it could be my last drop. After hesitating a couple of times, there I was about to run in the biggest waterfall I’ve ever wanted to try.

I thought my heart was about to jump out of my chest beating harder than ever, decision already made; I was waiting for the signal to seal lunch into it. Once I started paddling towards the edge of the pool above the 70 foot waterfall everything became so calm, in slow-motion, I started falling and it felt like an eternity, I had so much time to get into the right position. There I was jumping off my dream waterfall, just how I planned it. The impact into the water below was really soft, I was impressed because I didn´t expected that. Seconds afterwards I felt the powerful water trying to pull my paddle from me and reminded me that it was not slow-motion and soft anymore, it was the real thing!!! Yes, I did it and just how I planned it, with style. I dropped my biggest waterfall and it was amazing!!! Right away I thought I WANT MORE!!! Haha so I did it several times after that. I practiced in many waterfalls before running the middle Palguín, discovering and learning the techniques on how to run waterfalls with style, being able to control my landing while I’m falling.

I think there is a big difference between dropping a waterfall and running a waterfall. Anyone can have the balls to drop a fall because after all you end up in a big calm pool and most of the time there are no rocks or siphons where you could really get hurt. For me is more important to have the courage to run a waterfall based on my skills, experience and technique, managing the way to control a perfect landing, a landing that if i didn’t felt it I’ll know how good I did it.

There are many things to consider before you take that decision of running a drop, like the crew you are with; they have to be good enough to help you in case you screw things up, people and friends who will be ready to put their lives in danger to safe yours. That’s why it’s important to consider all the risk, danger and difficulty and balance it against the fun and safety. If FUN and SAFETY weights more than the hustle, I will try to run it.

As I say before I thought that the middle Palguín was going to be my biggest fall ever but I was wrong I wanted more and that’s why I just keep charging and looking for bigger and harder falls to run everywhere I go, it is an addiction that I can’t control but it gives pleasure and meaning to my life.