Guest Blog - Diego from Chile kayaking in Austria
Diego came to stay with us for a couple of months to gain some life skills, practice his English and of course to go kayaking! Here is his experience of Austria…..
Diego just about to catch some air boofing on the River Sanna in Austria.
Kayaking the Rio Fuy in Chile
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (almost 2 years ago, at the Fuy river base-camp) I met Steve Brooks and Ute Heppke, I was asked to kayak with them down the bridge to bridge section. A fun piece of Chilean whitewater with plenty of waves to surf and hit with some of the most stunning water colour on the planet!
We were there with my sister helping in the rafting company and we had been paddling that section everyday for one month, we knew by memory every wave, every rock, almost every move possible and still we enjoyed every lap down the Rio Fuy. The people, the wildlife, the mountains and the colours makes the Fuy valley a magical place.
Kayaking on the stunning Rio Fuy in Chile.
Back to the story… We had great fun, surfing, boofing and just admiring. We made it to the take-out and Steve went on for another lap.
At that time I was looking for somewhere to spend my vacations “practicing my english” (my native language is spanish and my dad wanted me to go abroad to practice my english but the only thing I wanted was to go paddling) and it happens that Steve and Ute own a kayak school in Austria, that receives people from all around the world, so when Steve came back we talked with my Dad and in a blink of an eye it was all arranged, I was going to Austria! One of the best kayaking destinations in the world. It was all so quick I couldn’t believe it!
I had to wait 6 reeeaally long months, it was my first time traveling alone, and my first time paddling outside of Chile, I was quite nervous to be honest.
Just getting there was a total adventure, I took two flights, from Santiago to Madrid to Munich (20 hrs approx.), in Munich I had to take a train from the central train station to Innsbruck (I had bought my train tickets about 4 months before) and from Innsbruck finally to Landeck where Ute would pick me up. Turns out the railway was closed due to something they explained to me in German, that I didn’t understand, so we all got out in somewhere named something I can’t pronounce nor remember, there I took a bus, then the bus stopped, then I took another bus to somewhere lost in the mountains where the driver told us to get out, it was like a ghost town, I saw no one other than the people that were on the bus. Luckily a couple that was with me in the bus also needed to get to Innsbruck and somehow we managed to call a taxi, that was the most expensive taxi I’ve ever taken, but it got me to Innsbruck, in Innsbruck I took the final train to Landeck, and after almost two complete days of traveling I met with Ute.
Diego kayaking the Pians Rapid on the River Sanna in Austria.
The next few days there were no courses so it gave me time to rest and get to know the place, the Austrian alps are awesome! And Steve and Ute are even more, they received with such warmth I felt like home. They have stories about descents all over the world, about adventures in Nepal, South America, Africa, skiing, paddling, traveling… They are an amazing couple living in an amazing place and doing an amazing job at running the school, a school that creates stories and brings more people into this beautiful sport.
I stayed around two months helping with the equipment, safety, loading, unloading… in exchange for a place to stay and amazing experiences. We paddled almost everyday, from going to the lake with the ‘Zero to Hero’ courses to class V rapids down the Lech gorge, I got to paddle the best the valley had to offer. Unlike in Chile (If you’re not in Pucón) we spent more time paddling than driving, the most time we spent in the car was 40 minutes, everything is surprisingly close in Europe.
Kayaking in Austria
Besides all the amazing paddling, I think the best this sport has to offer is the opportunity to meet new people and get to know beautiful places. I met people from all over the globe… locals (obviously) Spanish, British, Australians, Germans and even some guys from Israel.
One day we were paddling with clients, the next day I was watching the whole valley from Valluga mountain, the next day we were eating in a restaurant owned by Australians. It was a total adventure.
It was an amazing experience, the alps are unforgettable. I couldn't be more happy, I learnt, paddled, met new people, heard stories and I stayed with the best people I could’ve stayed with.
It couldn’t last forever but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Thank you, Steve, Ute, for making me feel like home, for sharing your story with me and for helping me grow personally.
¡Un abrazo, buenas líneas!
Diego.
P.S. I will never forget when Steve found out I was 16 when he asked me to help with the shuttle.
P.P.S. If you ever stay with Steve, ask for his curry. Real flavour!
Steve, Diego and Ute with one last photo before Diego headed back home to Chile.
We had a great time showing Diego our home rivers, it was certainly a bit of a shock to realise we had a 16 year old lad in our house as we both thought he was 18!! Still, Steve did not lead him astray too much and it was great to see how Diego’s style of kayaking changed while he was here with us in Austria. He also quickly learnt to eat spicy food!!
Steve caught up with him just briefly last season in Chile but we still have an invitation to stay with him and his parents, we just need to work out when we have some free time to have a classic Chilean asado, drink some wine and of course let Diego show us some of his home rivers!!