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Chris Spelius Biography


1984 US Olympic team kayaker Chris Spelius is the founder of Expediciones Chile and your proud host. He was a pioneer on the Futaleufu River. Awed by its beauty, challenge and playfulness Chris decided he had to live here. He was the first to run commercial trips on the Futaleufu in 1986 and has been running safe trips here ever since. Chris is now a resident of Chile, married and with a young daughter. Several of the locals that Chris met on his first visit to Futaleufu and since then they have and continue to work with Expediciones Chile. In 1985 there was no electricity, no phones and the area was accessed by ferries not bridges.




The philosophy of Chris as well as Expediciones Chile has always been of blending the diverse cultures, working and playing together in this unspoiled corner of the world. This dream still continues on.

Chris’s history

Chris’s own words on river philosophy

Paddling Clinics & Classes

Kayak School: Paddling Instruction

Chris's Paddling Biography

Chris kayaked and guided rafts on the Colorado River while attending the University of Utah in the mid 70's. He moved east to the Nantahala Outdoor Center where he was a paddling instructor and trained hard for kayak competitions.

Besides kayaking on the U.S. Olympic Team in the 1984 Olympics, he has won several national championships and was a medalist in the '91 World Playboating Championships. He was the first kayaker to descend the Niagara Gorge, beneath Niagara Falls, and has various first descents in Chile.

He has been featured in Outside, Men's Journal, Discovery, TV's Extremists, Team Timex's PaddleQuest, and ABC's American Sportsman. He was selected as one of the legends in paddling and as one of the most notable paddlers of the century by Paddler magazine. He has taught paddling clinics around the world and has been featured in numerous paddling instruction videos: Retendo, Kayaker's Edge, etc. He hosted 'Kayaking 101' on cable TV and worked as a boat designer and consultant for Dagger Canoe Company.



Chris Spelius Blog



Chris Spelius Channel

He first visited Chile in 1980. He later coached on a grant from the International Olympic Committee to help develop kayaking as an Olympic sport in Chile. He is now a resident of Chile. He is married and has a young daughter. His family lives 6 months of the year on the Futaleufu and the other 6 months in the USA. Chris is dedicated to protecting free flowing rivers, he is active in international river conservation and is currently presenting videos and slide shows world wide.

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Spe's own words on river philosophy

When I was seven, my mother (author,Carol Spelius) took my brother, two sisters, (Christine and Susan)and I on a boat trip following the Lewis & Clark trail. Our craft was a nineteen foot fiberglass cruiser with two outboard motors. I've always been fascinated by moving water, where it's coming from and where it's going. This was my first experience and was not to be my last.

We traveled down the Missouri from Fort Benton, Montana through North Dakota, South Dakota and down to St. Joseph, Missouri where we entered the Mississippi River for a few hundred miles finally reaching the confluence at the Ohio. From here we went up river for the first time, picking up our dad at Evansville, Indiana and on to Cincinnati, Ohio where we lived.

We had spent two and a half months on this passage, traveling 3400 miles, learning the geography, history and river lore of the Midwest, all taking part in boating chores, and thoroughly enjoying the life of the ‘river rats’. Our one cardinal rule was life-jackets on at all times, day and night.

That trip also introduced to me for the first time to Dams. The backwaters of Ft. Peck Reservoir in Montana had to be one of the trips most sorrowful and scary moments for me as a young boy. I can still remember the grotesque silhouettes of drowned trees slinking by. We idled along, fearful of the trees beneath the water that we couldn't see. We all kept looking for warning riffles.

Just before Pierre, South Dakota, a huge dam construction project had dumped massive amounts of rock in the Missouri River, pinching the river down to a narrow section causing a choked white-water rapid. We were the last boat to pass through before the Army Corp of Engineers blocked the river completely creating the Oahe Dam. We lost control of our boat and spun around twice in the narrow cataract before we bounced through. My mother and brother sighed with relief that we'd made it, but I was laughing with glee. My first 360.





Next year, I read a memorable book that has since stuck with me. We had just recently moved to Illinois and I noticed a book on the coffee table from the Sierra Club on the Glenn Canyon, by Elliot Porter. Mostly pictures, but pictures documenting the stunning beauty now lost because of the damming of the canyon. Later my dad brought home a film from the Sierra Club, based on this book. The film captured the beauty and subsequently the destruction of Glen Canyon. I wished I could have visited that place before the damming. I took that film to my fifth grade class for my first river conservation presentation.

My father, who worked for a big crane and hoist company, showed me that one could be involved in the growth and development of our country but still be aggressive about the stewardship and protection of our natural world. His law for our family while camping and/or boating was the same as the National Parks' slogan: "Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures."

While at college at the University of Utah my sister Christine introduced me to white water kayaking. Immediately, I was hooked on the sport but it was not until I was paddling on the Colorado when a raftsman offered me a job raft guiding and that is when it became something more to me. I learned about the powerful and spiritual impact the experience gave to people from "the real world." Our guests were often renewed and refreshed like a sandy beach after a spring run-off washes the beach clean of debris and replenishes the sand.

One particular summer I worked for Martin Litton, I was impressed with the statement he made by naming each one of his Dories after a lost natural wonder. He was involved with the Sierra Club and I admired his aggressive efforts in protecting our national resources. A friend and I later started the Wasatch Whitewater Association and became involved with environmental groups working on protecting the Karpairowits Plateau. I am so thankful for the protected rivers that we have in the world. They are very special places. I feel that it is time for our and the next generations to aggressively accept the role as stewards so that we leave the remaining rivers full for the next generation, satisfy their thirst for beauty, nature and play. The demand for wild rivers is growing off the scale. The waiting list for to paddle the Grand Canyon is over 22 years.

At Expediciones Chile we are working to cultivate a deep respect and accountability within us for our planet's rivers, our guests and the Chilean and Argentinean friends we live and play with. Every time we paddle a beautiful pristine river, we replenish our spirit through play and passion for the natural world. Surfing effortlessly on luminous waves of glass, it is as if everything has evolved to a point of profound simplicity, in harmony with the water. We achieve an exquisite balance with nature, and within ourselves.

With this balance comes responsibility. The practice of good stewardship is vital to serving both the rivers and future generations so that such a balance continues. How do we achieve this? By treating the rivers and our fellow humans with respect and selflessness; by sharing nature's gifts with the same integrity and grace that we find while surfing on a wave. We must be willing to listen to and learn from the river, not struggle against it.

As a company we are leading by example by harnessing solar power at our Campo Tres Monjas and at our remote office in Chile. Expediciones Chile also offers support to FutaFriends, an organization that is helping Chileans secure legal protection for the Rio Futaleufu, our favorite river. We also have donated kayaks and paddling instruction time to local adults and children to assist one of the most vibrant whitewater clubs in Chile: The Futaleufu Kayak Club.

Río Futaleufu is in grave danger and your help isurgently needed. A private utility company has proposed a hydroelectric project that would submerge the river and surrounding farmland of Futaleufu under three massive lakes. This is only one of 70 hydro projects proposed in Chile over the next 30 years. The local community is actively fighting to preserve the river and their homelands. They have proposed an alternative form of development, an alliance with river users to help create a protected river. This would allow the residents to continue their agricultural economy while developing tourism. We are informing Chileans and their elected representatives of the financial value of this river resource they have been blessed with. The Grand Canyon river running industry has a 27 million (1999) a year economic impact and a 22 year waiting list. Chile has a monopoly on a river even more spectacular. I remember as a kid my father telling me about the beauty of the at that time soon-to-be-dammed Glen Canyon on the Colorado River. I deeply regret that I was never able to paddle it before it was flooded. Please join us in making sure that the Futaleufu will be around for countless generations to appreciate.

For more information on how you can help visit the FutaFriends.org web page at:

Email: info@futafriends.com

Url : www.FutaFriends.org

Phone and snail mail address available at web site.

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Paddling Instruction / Paddling Clinics & Classes

Chris Spelius currently teaches the following paddling clinics and classes around the world. Paddling instruction is his passion so please feel free to book him for your paddling school, association or organization.
1.888.488.9082

ACA Instructor Certification Classes
Big Water paddling clinics
Introduction to Playboating
clinics
Getting the most out of Pool Sessions
Teaching the Roll: C to C and Sweep

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Expediciones Chile Contact

Adventure Travel in Chile, Rafting
Patagonia Adventure Travel in Chile. Rafting in Chile & Argentina Rafting .
Torres del Paine and FitzRoy trekking.

Traveling in Chile & Patagonia
Information on traveling in Patagonia Chile. Secrets of Patagonia Tour on our website.

Rafting in Chile
Whitewater rafting in Chile. Rafting from our weatherproof Futaleufu lodge and our whitewater eco camp.
Weather in Patagonia
Information about the weather in Patagonia Climate in Chile & Argentina. Weather forecasts.
Sea Kayaking in Chile
Go Sea Kayaking in Chile from the Andes to the Ocean on Lago Yelcho. Fjords, hotsprings, extinct volcanos, temperate rainforest.

Raft Guide School Thinking about a rafting guide job on the Futaleufu? Check out our whitewater guide school & swiftwater rescue training course.

Fly Fishing in Chile
Go fly fishing in Chile from our ranch or lodge in Chilean Patagonia. Fly fishing trips on Lago Yelcho.
EcoTours in Chile
Custom ecotours in Chile of the Futaleufu valley that include bird watching and nature treks.

Kayak School
Learn the eskimo kayak roll at our kayak school. Receive world class kayak instruction from our paddling school.

University of Futaleufu
Checkout our large group, instructional and corporate team building programs offered every tear..
Futaleufu Information
Information About the Futaleufu River in Patagonia Chile. Futaleufu guidebook of river sections.
Ex Chile Travel Agent Info
Information on traveling in Chile. Travel agent discounts and commisssions.

Patagonia Horseback Riding
Patagonia horseback riding vacations and holidays with with genuine Huasos & Corralero Horses.

Honeymoon Cabin
Our CondorNest Ranchito is the perfect honeymoon cabin located beneath the Tres Monjas towers.
Snow Skiing in Chile Snow skiing in Chile in the spectacular Andes Mountains during the summer months. Office Internship Jobs  
Office internships and employment opportunities in rafting, kayaking and fly fishing & adventure travel offfice.
Canyoning Vacations
Chile canyoning and rappelling vacations.
Chilean Culture Immersion
Experience genuine Chilean Cultural Immersion on our adventure travel horseback riding and trekking vacations.
Kayak Chile Whitewater
Kayak in the spectacular Patagonia
Andes. Kayak Chile whitewater from our spectacular kayak eco camp.
Patagonia Mountain Biking
Experience a genuine Chile Mountain Biking tour through Chilean Patagonia and Argentina.
Rafting en el Río Futaleufú
con las mejores aguas blancas de clase mundial (5,4,3,). Kayak de mar, mountain biking, cabalgatas, sit-on-top kayaking cayoning, caminatas, pesca con mosca y mucho más aventuras podrás encontrar en el corazón de la patagonia Chilena, y desde el comfort de nuestro nativo y caluroso Hotel. Rafting en lel Río Futaleufú en Español.

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