Patagonia Rules

Nov 22, 2015
by Mata Riveros  
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

It took us 4 months of planning for this unforgettable journey to become a reality, but we quickly learned that we'd need to be able to improvise as we went along. This all contributed to an even more spectacular adventure. We discovered new trails, met new people, experienced some unexpected sun in these surreal landscapes all while reuniting ourselves with the essence of our journey.

I invite you to enjoy the Chilean Patagonia.

Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

We arrived at the Balmaceda airport at 12 PM and from there we took a shuttle to the Coyhaique Hostel. We set up our bikes (which were healthy and intact), and headed off to the Reserve, which is a good place to ride within 5 minutes of downtown.


Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

Lenga forests, logging roads and the perfect grip dominate the Reserve trail system.


Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
  This was our view from the terrace of our hostel at the end of day 1 in Patagonia.

Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

On day 2 we had the pleasure of riding Panguilemo, another hill near Coyhaique. The trails here were amazing too - perfect traction as they weave through the Lenga forests.


Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
  The perfect moment, the perfect light.

Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

On day 3 we visited the Reserve's two lagoons just east of Coyhaique. More beautiful trails wound through forests and with spectacular viewpoints. We spent a lot of time guessing about routes on this day, but tomorrow, our fourth day was going to be a surprise of a trail.


Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

The 4th day was by far my best day as a mountain biker. We spent close to 7 hours on our bikes riding incredible trails, overlooking lakes, valleys and even had the fortune to see a Huemul (South Andean deer) beside the trail. Today exhausted us, but we still had to get through our final day, which reportedly had a 3-hour hike a bike in it.


Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.
Images for Patagonia Rules article.

And so our journey through Patagonia ends, with our fifth day on local trails. These trails were great on all accounts - fast through the forest with rock gardens, roots, sand, and mud. But that 15 minutes of glory did result in the forewarned, nearly three hours of climbing.

This was by far the best bike trip I'd done and with the best people, #lomejordelobest

Thanks for the support Andrés Martinez, Juan Luis Ibarra Montt, Jonathan Klawer, Claudio Vergara, Leticia Bravo, Juan Zamorano, and Daniel Rojas.

P.S. - Never deny a mate in the Patagonia.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below or reach out here.

MENTIONS: @matariveros


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Member since Nov 10, 2015
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52 Comments
  • 42 2
 I wonder how these expeditions to exotic destinations would look with a not so good photographer. Because I think the epicness is multiplied a thousand fold with these pictures.
  • 10 0
 Yes, I was wondering if a quick ride round my local woods would look this epic if I had a professional photographer in tow, probably not!
  • 5 0
 A good photographer can take sweet pictures at any trail but having an amazing background such as Patagonia and a good photographer creates epic photos like these
  • 4 0
 I've been to this Part of Patagonia and I gotta say... it would look epic through a flip-phone camera. That place is so mind-blowingly incredible that you can't take a bad photo.
  • 2 0
 @bikekrieg challenge accepted, also great excuse to go to patagonia
  • 3 1
 amazing photos, but am I the only one annoyed by this HDR overshooting trend in mtb photography? please, you have such beautiful sceneries, let them speak for themselves! no need to turn them into unnatural glowing scifi landscapes.
  • 1 1
 Most of the shots don't use hdr? Some of them have a lot of post processing but most of the scenery shots have practically no HDR imaging. Take the shot of the rider descending with the river in the background. Obviously heavily edited in post. However that's the only thing that allows for a nice blue river on an overcast day. I get what you mean but to me the use of post processing allows the photographer to capture the "feeling" better. Cause I don't that rider was feeling like his environment was flat and overcast
  • 2 1
 @riding406 the more annoying are the "deer shot" and the following "rider in sandy trail" and the "sun through the trees" a couple of photos before. I'm all for editing, and post processing, especially on overcast days, but IMHO the hdr doesn't capture any feeling, it just makes for more catchy photos for the uneducated viewers. Anyways, I was not talking about this whole set, but more about a general trend you see in mtb photos, especially on pinkbike photo epics.
  • 43 5
 I am so jealous. Chile is definitely one of the most amazing places on this planet. So diverse. And south Patagonia is just surreal.
  • 5 0
 Slip of the finger mate, that was supposed to be an upvote. I couldn't agree with you more!
  • 5 0
 Nightmare, I've just done the same. My apologies.
  • 11 1
 don't worry - I played the typical Canadian and fixed your mistakes and up-voted him for you.
  • 7 1
 I did as well, we got your back.
  • 4 0
 Cheers you guys
  • 4 0
 And you're all welcome anytime! Thanks for the kind words!
  • 11 1
 WOW! Amazing journey to the end of the world, and the best photos of Chile. We have the best places on earth to mountain biking. Cheers!
  • 7 1
 What an amazing photo epic, as a Chilean I can only recommend everybody to add us to your bucket list and remember, buy experiences, not only material things!!!

cheers

ps: me encanto el jersey con el motivo de nuestra bandera, se puede conseguir?
  • 1 0
 Gracias! el jersey era de una tienda llamada Rukacycles de Curicó, la verdad no se donde lo podrías conseguir, saludos!
  • 1 0
 Hagamos una versión "Chile" con la Vane!
  • 1 0
 buena gracias por la info!!!

con mi mujer nos vinimos a vivir a Chiloe (desde SCL) hace 2 años y estamos construyendo senderos de enduro, por si andan por aca, para que pasen a vernos.

Isla Bruja Lodge, pueden buscarnos en facebook, saludos
  • 2 0
 Buena Pancho, ya los estoy siguiendo en Facebook. Cuando puedas, publica fotos de los trails. Saludos!
  • 1 0
 buena @NestorCarrasco !!!

muchas gracias, mira aca te dejo unos videos de los senderos, saludos

youtu.be/W2-NW7NY_kg

youtu.be/nDH_NGkVoAo
  • 4 0
 Cannot say how good the trails are around Coy. Especially if you're privileged enough to ride the private trails at Lago Paloma. I'm guessing you boys weren't but let me tell you.. Maybe my favourite place to ride on Earth...
  • 1 0
 Just came back from 8 days of hiking in the Argentina side of Patagonia (El Chalafate en El Chalten) and it is a truly stunning landscape. The whole time I was just looking at the trails from a mountain biker's perspective, but they were all hiking-only. Plus, the GF is a beginner, so it would have been too overwhelming. Anyhow, the whole place is worth a visit, whether you bike, run or hike the area...just stunning.
  • 2 0
 I'm pretty sure chileans and canadiens share the same mountain biker's perspective all the time, every single day of our lives Smile
  • 4 0
 patagonia que linda sos!!!!! Big Grin
  • 3 0
 Probably one of the coolest photo stories in a long, long time... unbelievable!
  • 1 0
 Wow! thanks! ; )
  • 3 0
 still believe that Chile and New Zealand are no real places! everything looks so good.
  • 1 0
 haha, that's true. I have a chilean friend living in NZ and he told me the same thing.
  • 1 0
 This looks like Lago La Paloma where NZ trail solutions built some the best trails made hahaha. because they were made jsut our of Coihaique
  • 1 0
 Maybe! vimeo.com/6952562
  • 2 0
 That's my country! I'm proud af !! Come to Chile guys!
  • 2 0
 la zorra mata, zamoa, claudio, lety!!!
  • 1 0
 Lago La Paloma has the biggest bike park in the world, mora than 200 km of hand made trails. B side, cost 2.000 USD a day.
  • 1 0
 I never heard about that bikepark before, but now you mention it, I found some pics by Google images. Cool place, but really cost that? what a shame :-/
  • 1 0
 Buena cabros, se pasaron! Me dejare caer por allá este verano! Saludos y excelente trabajo
  • 5 4
 My list of places that I'll never be able to afford the plane ticket to go mountain biking is slowly growing longer.
  • 14 0
 I don't want to sound patronizing but if you can afford to mountain bike, with proper budgeting, you most likely can afford those trips too. Maybe not once a year but if you plan it right, it is possible if you put it high enough on the priority list.
  • 4 1
 Couldn't agree more. I took a hard tail all over South America. Because I would rather ride a hard tail in the most wonderful places and experience them before I get too old, than ride a carbon full-sus in my back yard. Which incidental, now I'm back home I do every day.
  • 2 0
 Ignorant here. What is the final "Thank you" device?
  • 3 0
 its called mate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_
  • 1 0
 It's like a green tea almost, but the straw thing is a spoon with a filter in the bottom and you pour warm water or milk in there and drink it. I've started seeing it in grocery stores as a carbonated energy type drink that's also pretty good. I dig them pre/during/post rides
  • 2 0
 Lago la paloma, best place in the world to ride!
  • 2 0
 at the edge of the world, so sick !!
  • 1 0
 Looks like New Zealand... nah better than New Zealand. Kudos for the report and pics, looking forward to travelling south.
  • 2 0
 Buena Cabro !!!!
  • 2 0
 Gracias!!!!
  • 2 0
 Awesome!
  • 2 0
 Matte
  • 2 0
 Amazing!
  • 1 0
 la cago!







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