DESCENTS
FIRST DESCENT, “STOMPING RHINO FALLS,” THE MARKARFLJÓTSGLJÚFUR, ICELAND
On September 15th, 2018 Adrian Mattern and Evan Garcia were the first to descend the 60-70-foot waterfall that marks the beginning of the Markarfljótsgljúfur canyon section in southern Iceland. The canyon is believed to have been created in a single disaster flood following an eruption of the famous Katla volcano, which lies beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. The canyon itself was first and only paddled 15 years ago. No one had gone back until this year when Anup Gurung, a legendary Nepalese kayaker and owner of Vikingrafting, rediscovered this remarkable stretch of river. The Markarfljótsgljúfur is class III-IV locked in an absolutely mind-blowing gorge. Anup saw the waterfall, which marks the beginning of the gorge section and realized that there might be a line down it. Adrian and Evan were in Iceland doing a photo shoot on Aldeyjarfoss when they learned about the Markarfljótsgljúfur waterfall and the possibility of a first descent. Both were super happy to go with Anup and check it out on their last day in Iceland. At first sight, it looked like a fairly straightforward big drop, but quickly some uncertainties and dangers became apparent. Things to consider were a tricky lip, a big and very dangerous cave/ undercut on the right side, and uncertainty over the depth of the pool below. After weighing up the risk vs. reward, they concluded that the opportunity was worth it and decided to give it a go. Adrian went first and came off flying the falls with a big boof. He managed to bring his bow down enough to have a soft landing but not go too deep, avoiding the possible shallow landing. He reappeared on the left and safe side of the boil, happy to claim a successful first descent. Evan followed after with a similar line and good outcome. Both gazed up at the mighty falls, stoked with their accomplishment. They celebrated by paddling down the beautiful canyon to the takeout where their ride to the airport was waiting. Bottom line: as much as Iceland is already known to be
