MANSO GORGE A PIECE OF PATAGONIAN PARADISE

I was never the same after my first kayaking trip to South America. The rivers of wild Patagonia had a lasting impression on me, and I’ve returned to this remote territory over and over again. After many kayaking missions and finally buying a piece of land, this place has become home.

Last season I launched a kayak performance program in Futaleufu to help paddlers step up their game and feel comfortable running all of the whitewater gems in the area. In between clinics, I was able to organize a short escapade to the Manso River, a little piece of Northern Patagonia that has gained worldwide recognition for the beauty of the landscape and the top quality of its rapids and waterfalls.

My first expedition to the Manso Gorge was back in the summer of 2009 with Evan Garcia, Isaac Levinson, and local Argentinian paddlers Matias Nuñez and Martin Xasky. It was a big adventure; we had pretty high flows, some injuries and a few run-ins with the rangers. We were all blown away with the