Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25059
WHITEWATER PADDLING IS A CONTRADICTORY SPORT: EATING A 10-FOOT WAVE ON A RUNAWAY RAFT IS A GOOD WAY TO PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO ANYBODY. BUT A TRIP DOWN A WILD RIVER IS ALSO STRANGELY CALMING. THE COMBI NATION OF HUMAN CAMARADERIE AND NATURE IS IMMENSELY SATISFYING. THAT'S PROBABLY WHY KAYAKING AND RAFTING HAVE GROWN SO POPULAR IN RECENT YEARS. Blue interviewed top kayakers, guides and other river experts in search of the 10 best whitewater rivers. We looked for piled riving rapids, scenery, accessibility and long, multi-day runs. Then we discussed the finalists with paddling gurus Eugene Buchanan, editor of Paddler magazine, and Jim Cassady, author of the upcoming World Whitewater. Each river can be boated by kayak or raft by hiring onto a commercial float trip with professional guides. Note: for rivers outside the US, local operators' prices can be a fraction of those charged by American competitors, although quality varies. Bfo-Bfo CHI LE I Class V whitewater once ran free and wild in Bio-Bio's two canyons. Now, a monolithic dam straddles the river. Tons of concrete stand in the path of the gorge known as Royal Flush Canyon. Rapids such as the Jack, the Queen and King are now at the bottom of a new lake. But a solid 35 miles of Class IV i'lnd V whitewater still runs free, tossing rafts and kayaks and their occupants around like so many rag dolls. Under the 1 O,300-foot Volcan Callaqui's steaming crater, the river plunges in a half-circle around the moun tain base, squeezed through a black-rock canyon. "That's where the biggest rapids are," says Chris Spelius, world-renowned kayaker and founder of Expediciones Chile. The Bio's water can be unforgiving, even to the experts. Champion freestyle kayaker Karen Mann split her forehead on a rock when the tricky current flipped her boat. Bleeding profusely, Mann made it to shore where a kayaking doctor stitched her up. Paddling season: December to March.