Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are a growing concern in glaciated regions. An array of technoscientific, behavioral, and governance strategies have been deployed to study and respond to this hazard, with mixed results. The historical tendency within the geosciences to narrowly frame these events as singularly driven by climate change conceals the socio-political drivers of risk and vulnerability which, in turn, curtails the scope of responses and adaptations. This interdisciplinary research presents findings from the Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia and engages with critical physical geography to contextualize GLOF hazards within the longer histories of land governance and development. It argues for a shift towards a broader recognition of the socio-political drivers of vulnerability that are specific to mountainous regions in order to construct place-based policy and more effective approaches to disaster risk and reduction.