The Dirty

It's crazy how time flies when you're having fun. I was planning on updating egcreekin more frequently this season, but as you all know life is busy!

The Bombflow videos and a lot of dream living has slowed my writing down! I have a stack of photos sitting on my hard drive and a bunch of great stories to share! So I will start by saying this season has just been another great year in Pucon! I arrived fresh off the couch injured and not able to get around very well on my right foot, but I didn't let that slow me down.

Starting off getting back into shape with endless boofs on the Puesco and Nevados I got back in the groove of things and set my sights high! Getting comfy free falling again is always a fun time. Your first stout in a few months feels like the first time all over again! Demshitz drop and Middle Palguin laps had me on fire and looking for more.

Anton Immler stomping "Stout 10" this is the entry rapid to the 70 foot tall Middle Palguin falls. It's way trickier than it look I promise!

Anton lining up the Middle for his first time of this season!

Myself running the Demshitz Drop at high water on the Rio Nevado. This is the most complete best run in the Pucon area when the levels are right!

Anton and I getting busy on the Rio Puesco near the border of Argentina. Which is only 45 minuets from Pucon!

Brown Chicken and treats on the Upper Nevado!

Aniol and I decided that it was time to get "Dirty" and went to the Middle Llancahue for "The Dirty Gerd"! This drop had been on my mind for some time now...I have almost run this drop so many different times. 2008-2009-2010-and finally I got there, saw the line, and laced up! This is not just a sick stout that you go and take a picture of yourself running and put it up on Facebook...this waterfall is one of pure terror and mystery. Upon arriving at this drop no matter if you've seen the video or picture a thousand times, it makes you cringe! The entry is fast, pushy, and manky. The lip is boily, unpredictable, and blind. The falls is cracked out, rocky, and tall! Everything about this drop tells me walk away, but that's what has drawn me to come back every year.

It was an amazing experience to decide to get in my kayak and commit to such a powerful piece of whitewater! Truly a mental battle. I knew I was good enough to make the moves and stick the line, but fear and the unknown-ness of the drop gets in the way. In the end the power of the water almost bested me. A slight bobble at the crux of the rapid sent me only feet off line connecting with a rock wall 20 feet down...

Coming down the entry rapid, into the actual entrance! This drop has two separate entries!

Here is the crux stroke I took while leaning away from the wall. Without this "Plan B" move I would have taken rock to the head/body and things could have turned out way worse.

I always say that with years of experience on drops like these, comes the ability to style "Plan B". The older I get and better I get, I notice that when I fall offline I'm way more calm and in control. This comes not from arrogance or stupidity, but from running countless big drops and not always having them go the way I plan.

Back to it, getting swept left, I pulled a huge boof stroke bringing my bow up and having my bow hit the wall and not my body. I saw this same line New Years Eve of 2008 by my brother Ian. He...did not get his bow up! The end result was me hitting the Mesa Falls-esque ledge half way down and bouncing sideways and upside down in to the pool below. Crazy feeling no doubt! The hit was soft due to the high water level and I rolled up insanely adrenalized and happy to be at the bottom. I had done it! The Dirty Gerd was no longer a mystery, I unlocked that box and saw what laid inside. Aniol was next!

A shot from the bottom take by Mathias Fossum. You can see the size of the Dirty from this angle.

Aniol, being the stud he is, still decided to run it after watching me. Head Strong!!!! He dropped in with the same plan and line in mind. Upon reaching the true entry he clipped a manky rock flake and flipped extremely fast. With a clutch roll he was upright and looking to be online. I can't imagine what was going through his head? Surfing a curler hole he made his way right, but maybe a bit too far right. There is a perfect flake on the lip that you want to send. Aniol looked like he was on line and then fell into the crack on the right. This looked sketchy from scouting, but after watching the video you see, that aside from it being manky it sets you up well for the free fall. Aniol went roosting off the beast and rolled up at the bottom.

Aniol getting kick flipped by the manky flake! :O

From this angle you can see the flake you want to be on, and the crack to the right of it where he is heading.

Aniol Serassolses! La Cobra! Not much else to say...

On this kind of rapid you accept "Plan B". Aniol is one of the most skilled and amazing paddlers I have ever met. Watching him go after me really gave me a perspective and respect for how gnarly this drop really is. We both celebrated and hugged, talked shit about going back to the top and running it agian, and then went down stream to run the cleanest 30 footer in the country of Chile as a dessert.

This drop is only 200 feet from the base of the Dirty Gerd. Such a pleasure to run this after stressing all morning! We call it the "Suavamente" or if you're from Montana "The Purtty Thurty"

Another amazing day in the country of Chile. This was my sixth season in Chile and I'm still stepping it up and running new things every year. I don't think that in my lifetime I will ever get sick of this place. Call it what you want...but this is my paradise!

Check out the video of us running this epic water fall in Bomb Flow TV's Episode 6...The Rise of Blue Balls here.



Later E.G.