The first annual freestyle kayaking competition at the Hatless Hole on the Jatunyacu River took place on October 26th near the tourism hub of Tena, Ecuador. Organized by local paddlers David Baquero and Jaime Dalgo, the event aimed to kick off the winter paddling season in Ecuador, promote the Jatunyacu as the leading paddlesports destination in the country, and raise awareness about the devastating impacts of informal and illegal alluvial gold mining. The Jatunyacu originates from the world’s highest active volcano in the Andean Cordillera, with the glacial sediments giving the river a grey color. Overnight rains brought the river up slightly to 0.6 decimeters on the Serena gauge, and helped bring the Hatless Hole into form. The feature is in play most of the time, but at extremely low…
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Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2025