January 2015 - there are storms on the tropical island Reunion every day. The conditions for canyoning are absolutely inappropriate. To traverse a difficult canyon usually takes two or three days. The weather forecast is not optimistic. However, do we try it?
The canyon Bras Magasin is more difficult as Trou de Fer. Are we strong enough for it? Let´s see right at the place. During the last night before the start we sleep in the bivaque under the mountain. It is raining the whole night. Our backpacks are fully loaded with the equipment for three days.
Right at the beginning of our ascent we are absorbed by the green vegetation all around us. Hard climbing through the tropical jungle is exhausting. After 5 hours of drudgery we find the stream that forms Bras Magasin. At least we hope it is the one. We start. It´s raining…
After 40 hours the team managed the traverse through the canyon Bras Magasin on the Reunion Island. With its 1200m altitude it belongs to the most beautiful canyons in the world. Its traverse is possible by ideal conditions only. It took three days with bivaques. One expedition is successful here, yearly. Expedition members: Miroslav Dušek (SR), Oldřich Štos (ČR), Jaroslav Holeček (ČR), Tomáš Lukačovič (SR) and Pavol Barabáš (SR).
„Bras Magasin – steep walls covered by vegetation and hundreds of water cascades. Everything is wet, slippery, dangerous and amazing at the same time. To return by the same route is absolutely impossible. There is no escape from the canyon. Strong rain would cause huge amount of water that takes everything with.” says Oldřich Štos.
„The jungle was so deep that the ascent to the edge of the waterfall meant to crawl in the mud with heavy backpacks. It was very hard start of the traverse.” adds Miroslav Dušek.
The members of the expedition were surprised by the weather. The forecast stated three days of nice weather. The reality was very different.
„50 percent of the time was raining. Even during the night in bivaque. The time we were supposed to relax, we tried to rescue our camp before floating. But our worst problem was the rising water in canyon,“ Jaroslav Holeček.
„Due to rain everything in the canyon was slippery. We had to be very careful to avoid an injury with fatal consequences. We were afraid of the river Bras Cabot that we reached after 30 hours of the vertical descent. We had to swim a lot, to master water siphons and slides, wild water and danger stones. Accompanied by the tropical rain all the time.“ comments Miroslav Dušek.
The guru of the Reunion canyoning Emeric Boucheron, who opened the most famous canyons on the island, rate the canyon Bras Magasin the most physically and mentally difficult. It was challenge for the director Pavol Barabáš as well, who made the first documentary about canyoning called Trou de Fer – The Iron Hole.
„By descending the canyon Trou de Fer in 2010 I promised to myself that if I survive it, I will never join any other expedition again. But strong emotions and experiences made me to forget this promise. However, as I stood at the edge of the Bras Magasin I had strange feeling. Is it possible to abseil it in those hard conditions in the rain? Unfortunately, my cameras didn´t made it through the canyon.“ , says Pavol Barabáš.
„We were perfectly ready for this canyon, technically and physically. But Bras Magasin was mentally hard, primarily. There were still new surprises and unexpected situations. Good cooperation in the team and mental wellbeing was fundamental. The traverse of Bras Magasin wasn´t easy at all, but we have enjoyed it fully,“ comments Tomáš Lukačovič.
5.1.2015, Reunion: Miroslav Dušek (SR), Oldřich Štos (ČR), Jaroslav Holeček (ČR), Tomáš Lukačovič (SR) a Pavol Barabáš (SR)
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