Thursday, February 24, 2011

Viajecito Al Sur

So first off I would like to say...Thank You all for the love and positivity y'all showed in the comment war about the last post. I'm more than stoked to see all the people fired up to read and check out what I put up. I have been doing this blog for a long time now and sometimes I get lazy. However, if there has ever been a time to step up the amount of effort and media I put up, this is it. Much love to all the people out there that kayak for the love of the game and of course, the love of the river.

Back to the post...About 3 weeks ago Nico Buenaventura, a Santiago boater and long time friend, rallied us out of Pucon and south of go kayaking. Tour de Stout!!!!! So wammy, heading south on Ruta 5...first stop Salto Del Nilahue. Beautiful 60 foot ramping falls. But wait it's not so much just tuck and drop...you got to style this thing and be all intact at the bottom, or else...there is an absolutely hideous undercut that could cause some serious problems for you. With luck we had Nico's beautiful novia there to capture the action, and that she did with some badass photos...Gracias Nacha!

Myself dropping in on the big ramp!!!! Ready to go deep and pop up close to that undercut.

Freddy Gnarquist running the brown...like a demshitz.

After a nice huckfest I took everybody to one of my many secret free camp sites on the road to zion...

Lago Ranco...we stopped for a night at this beach, set up camp, and cooked over the fire and under the stars

The like something strange happen...we went to the Gol Gol, and enjoyed ourselves throughly! That river is truly amazing...6 waterfalls and a bunch of cool rapids.

Then for the main course of the vay cay we went to the Manso Gorge. This river and us demshitz have history together. Two years ago Jared, Ian, and Myself first D'ed the epicly massive Horsecock falls. Last year we went back and ran it almost twice as high as the pervious year. So coming back for a third time is a very interesting feeling. The drop is huge and scary...and after running alerces, getting into a big bee's nest, and scouting in the rain, the crew wasn't feeling the huck. So, we walked! The Manso river is one of the most beautiful wilderness runs down here without question...it reminds me of a mix between the fields of Gondor and how I picture Japan...something like that. Check out some of the shots that Nacha grabbed from the stop there.

One of the many lakes connecting the different parts of the Rio Manso

A big one in the Manso Gorge.

Ian putting his ass in the plastic and going off the shit...

Can some body say mega boof? It's amazing when your plan is to boof the shit out of a 40 footer, but somehow it goes.

So after the full day on the Rio Manso we returned to Bariloche and enjoyed some of the nightlife options available in town...our favorite Irish Pub was spot on and always finding good hospitality with local boater Matias Nunez our stent in Southern Argentina was at an end. Back to Pucon, the Siphon, and home for some of us...

Later E.G.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Zie Siphon!!!!!!

This season in Pucon has been one of the best and most random years to pass. At first, I was staying for just less than a month. 12 weeks have past since the day I arrived in the end of November. This place has just got me sucked in…like a siphon! I would have it no other way…At this point Pucon is more of a home for me than another place in the world. In the past 5 years I have spent a total of 20 months living and paddling in Chile.

Back to this season…The blog has been lacking due to the fact that to be perfectly honest, we haven't done that many new things this season. I have too many Nevado, Palguin, Gol Gol, Desague, Nilahue, Futa, and Manso updates…That's not to say that this year we have run everything higher, more often, and with much more steeze. We have a mountain of footage and photos we plan to put out from free online very soon now. There will not be a Demshitz Movie this year but something more RAD! To be explained...

The crew that we had in December this season was unstoppable. Jared & Graham Seiler, Myself & Ian, Anton Immler, Fred Norquist, Jake Greenbaum, Dave Fussili & Nicole, Erik Johnson, Eric Parker, as always Rodrigo, and so many more close friends that we shared our beloved Chilean stouts with. With all that said I have shot tons of photos and not put them up yet…so here is a taste of the good life here in Pucon. Pura Vida enjoy the photos!

Fred and I ready to..."Tie one off"

The small town of Pucon, Chile. Funny how so much can happen in such a small place.

Camping out after punching a hole in our gas tank...driving too fast on dirt roads not advised.

Just a few silly kids hanging out in Latitude 39...best food in town!

The Pit!!!! All Demshitz grillin' out after a Todo Palguin Christmas day.

We were driving...and drinking...also not advised.

Sunset and kayaks, must have been a good day.

Fred getting one of the billion Horseflies back for torturing us all day on the Rio Gol Gol.

Fred layin' some treats on the Upper Nevados.

Aaaaaa.....eeeeeee Demshitz lika Brownings.

Not sure if I put this up in the last post, but I like it so take a peek. Bariloche, ARG.

Anton with a steeze line down the Nevado slide.

Dulce Amor=Sweet Love! Boofs like this make me feel the love.

Lip of Demshitz Drop on a February afternoon. Nevado needs one day of rain and its on!

The Diablito has a fucked up log in it...you can do it, but damn it's scary.

Dusk in Patagonia. Pucon right before the summer rush hit.

The birthplace of the Rio Manso. So much beautiful.

Our little house here in Pucon...Ian, Erik, Sole, and I all lived under this roof.

One of my favorite pics of the season...Lago Ranco at sunset...not a bad place to go camp.

Jakey Snakey on Alerces.

Ian Garcia drop on the Upper Car...this thing is a dirty little lady.

Erik roosting in to the lip of the Turbio Stout.

I got two tickets to Paradise!

Salto Palguin through the eye of Anton's 7D.

You can have your shiny cars, bustling cities, and high paying jobs...I think I'll stay right here.

Later E.G.

Monday, February 07, 2011

An Anonymous letter...

Funny thing last night I read a very nice "anonymous later to the editor" about egcreekin in The Banks Mag. It said something along the lines of "the words I write on egcreekin are about as deep as the San Joaquin river when it reaches the ocean."

If you know what river that is, you know that it never reaches the ocean. Along with that he called kayakers out as the most egotistical and lame extreme sports athletes. Don't really care, but this guy sat down and spent some serious time on this article. I don't know what we did wrong? Maybe there's people out there that just think I'm a cocky ass hole, but it's not true.

I'm a kayaker...what does that mean? I spend most my time hiking around the woods in terrible smelling gear taking pictures of other stinky guys, to then put on the internet for people to see. Yes it's true! We live an extravagant lifestyle of sleeping in parking lots and eating ham and cheese sandwiches everyday. However, I would have it no other way.

I know what kayaking is about...I started this blog in 2006 when I was a junior in high school. I was just a kid who...looked up to my kayaking father and loved kayaking! I used to sit around and watch kayaking movies all day every day, dreaming about someday going to California or Chile to run a waterfall. I was just stoked to get out on the river and paddle. Ask me a question about an old Scott Lindgren movie I will answer, correctly. I was know as the kayaking nerd :)

What I'm trying to say is that like everybody else I just want to go boating. This website is meant to be a fun archive of the places I go and what I do, it became popular and really has boosted my career as a boater. In no way shape or form and I trying to come off as cocky with what I put up. I want to showcase the rivers we are paddling and promote myself as a kayaker...I know there is very little future in being a "Pro" kayaker, but for the time being, I'm young and I'm going to kayak.

I normally don't care about what people say, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I read the article and I felt like it was about me. No hate, just love, stop the crap talk and let's go boat.

Some parting shots
Ian Bonito!

Later E.G.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Eye of the Ass

One of the best runs in the world lies in the eastern Andes mountains just south of Bariloche. Coming from huge glaciers and pristine lakes the Rio Ojo de Culo (Eye of the Ass) is one of the cleanest and most sought after runs in South America. With a bit of luck and motivation we got to rally down south away from the Pucon siphon and enjoy this river for the 4th year in a row. Meeting up with local boaters Matias Nunez and Diego Rodriguez we had a sick crew out and about to get on this epic classic. Enjoy the shot from myself and Diego.

Bariloche, Rio Negro Argentina.

"We just exited the ojo of the culo." -Evan Garcia. Quoted from this awesome old video Chile/ARG 2008!

The local boys in too deep! Look at that water, fully drinkable.

Fred, Jake, and I stoked on the hike to the put-in.

Jake stomping out Brennan Guth's falls on the Ojo.

Me coming hot into the Cali drop...the Argentinian boaters call this one "Heaven or Hell."

Matias, Jake, Fred, and I above the crux of the Ojo de Culo.

A new angle of the Cali drop...really cool sliding falls.

Matias, the local charging down some of the steep manky at the end of the goods.

There are waterfalls like this that do exist in the real life...they are in south america come enjoy them.

Matias running the brown, and avoiding the brown wall.

Our crew enjoying a beautiful sunset coming out of a glorious of valley.

Hands down this is one of my top 10 favorite rivers in the world...and I have done a lot of rivers, so that's saying something. Can't wait until the next time I get lucky and go back to the Ojo...Next time I am doing what I did last year and camping out for days, doing laps, and kicking it in one of the most amazing places down here.

Later E.G.