Salto Río Blanco Sur

BOOM!! Goes the waterfall! If you’re feeling gravity friendly, then this waterfall is for you. It’s easily accessible and the closest road puts you within a 10min walk from this one-drop wonder. And what better way to enjoy the waterfall than to run it in a kayak! I went with my Pucón Kayak Retreat group and it was within the top 3 highlights of the week if it wasn’t the highlight itself. This 35ft drop is by far the tallest waterfall I’ve ever run and it might be the tallest I’ll ever go. Only time will tell but I generally don’t like waterfalls over 20ft because I like my spine and my ability to walk. There’s a lot of risk with running waterfalls like this where there’s significant freefall. I can visually remember the feeling of having the opportunity of correction as I ran this waterfall. One person in my group opted out of this drop because a few years prior he over-rotated, suffering severe injuries to his legs. This definitely didn’t help my anxiety as I was staring down this massive drop, hoping that I wouldn’t suffer the same fate. As far as I could gather, the drop is relatively safe for 35ft because the pillow, or cushion, at the bottom is large and there’s no serious rapids or drops after. The waterfall opens up into a giant pool water, making it safe to swim in.

I ran the waterfall twice and this made the experience even more special and fulfilling as my personal confidence was at an all-time high. My first attempt was not executed so well because I didn’t tuck as well as I should’ve, but in general I wasn’t hurt. It felt like my body both didn’t want to tuck and I froze up as I realized I was falling from a waterfall. Although I wasn’t seriously hurt by any means, it felt like a golfcart hit me as I became instantly winded and I had a little whiplash from the impact. My second attempt was much better and it’s what the photos showcase. One of the group members (@twoelfing on Instagram) brought his high-definition camera with him and took some crazy good photos of everyone. The photos show how I had a straight forward line with a good tuck and on this attempt I released my paddle for extra landing comfort. Although it’s completely fine to keep your paddle, the tucking technique is a little different and can potentially cause a risk to your face or shoulders if done incorrectly. I wanted to release my paddle both because it’s the only opportunity I’ve had to practice this and because I wanted to see if I could hand-roll at the bottom. Unfortunately I couldn’t complete the roll at the bottom and ended up pulling my skirt and swimming out at the bottom of the falls. No big consequences and I had a great crew helping with the rescue. I made a video of this run if you’d like to see my POV and the film I gathered on my Instagram @butler.reece, as well as other cool content from my time in South America.