We are stoked to introduce our newest member of the Palm Groms team – Maite Luz. I have had the pleasure of spending the last 5 months with Maite at World Class Academy and I am super excited to share her story and welcome her to the Palm Groms Mentorship Programme.
About Maite
Maite is originally from Puerto Varas, Chile and spends the majority of her time kayaking on the Petrohue or Futaleufu. She joined World Class Academy in 2024, and has been able to develop her skills on incredible whitewater across the world because of it. Maite has got that “Petro fight” where the local kayakers to the Petrohue are known for holding on no matter what. Maite can put up a serious fight in some monster holes! She is bold, brave and a super positive person – you’ll always find her smiling on the water, with a hint of Latino sass.
What’s your favourite style of kayaking?
I’ve always loved big water, it’s what I’m most used to paddling. But at World Class, I started running more creek-style rivers, and even though it took me a bit to warm up to it, I ended up loving it too.
What other interests do you have?
I love skiing and pilates. I started skiing when I was just four years old, and I haven’t stopped since. It’s one of my favorite things to do, especially with my mom, she’s my ultimate ski buddy. She also introduced me to pilates when I was fourteen, which has become a big part of my routine. I love going in the mornings to stretch and do some strength work; it helps me feel relaxed, grounded, and ready for the day.
Another passion of mine is photography. I’ve always enjoyed capturing moments and trying to take good photos, but I really started getting into it seriously during my second year at World Class. I remember that in my first year, there were some really talented photographers at school, and they totally inspired me. That’s when I started using a proper camera and taking photography more seriously. Since then, I’ve learned a lot from framing and lighting to editing but I still want to keep learning and become even better.
What do you want to do/where do you want to go with your kayaking?
I want to seriously level up my kayaking and rescue skills and be able to run all of my dream runs in Chile such as the Middle Fuy, Nevados, Tomatita, Puelo upper Cañon, Throne room, Rio Claro and many more. I also want to become a waterfall ninja, because honestly, my past attempts at running waterfalls have been pretty goofy, and it’s time to change that, pushing myself and having fun at the same time.
Another big dream of mine is to travel the world kayaking, visiting friends, discovering new rivers and meeting amazing people along the way. I want to get fat kickflips on the blue crystal waves of the Futa and surf massive green waves on the Zambezi.
I also want to start making sick kayaking edits featuring strong, badass female kayakers. I want them to have high-quality footage, powerful moments on the river and music that reflects our energy like Dua lipa, Charlie XCX, Billie Eilish, Princesa Alba or Shakira. Because honestly, there aren’t enough kayaking edits out there that represent women the way we deserve.
In the end, I just want to be known as the chill, cool Chilean female kayaker and photographer. The lady who sometimes travels around the world and across Chile, kayaking with her friends, capturing the magic of the rivers she visits, simply loving life and bringing that Latina stoke to the river.
A dream day in Maite’s world
My dream day would start with waking up on a warm, sunny summer morning. I’d stretch, do a little dance workout to get moving, and sip of mate to start the day right. Then I’d meet up with my friends (Jackie, Magnus and Sharly) to go kayaking on a big water river, the kind of day where the sun is shining, the water’s pumping, and the stoke is high. We’d blast reggaetón in the shuttle, run more than one lap, and I’d have my camera with me to catch moments of my friends charging down the river. We’d get back around 5 pm, eat sushi for dinner, and end the day with a dance party with friends. As the sun sets, I’d lay down to watch the sky turn orange and pink, and when it gets dark, I’d look up at the stars before falling asleep in a cozy bed filled with a thousand pillows.
