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Styx / Grassy Flats Hut to Styx Bridge (Upper Styx), IV+-V

Mon, 2007-10-15 19:30 — Guido
0
Alternate Name: 
Upper Styx
Styx
Info
Portage?: 
No
Class: 
IV+-V
Level: 
If the lower Styx is at medium or higher.
Gauge: 
visual
Length: 
12.5km
Gradient: 
40m/km
Time: 
3-5hours
Put in: 
Grassy Flats Hut
Take out: 
At the cars or continue 300 m to the top Styx bridge.
Shuttle: 
Helicopter section 7B
Maps: 
J33
Character: 
Very tight, steep, even gradient.
Hot tip: 
Surprisingly good fun.
Upstream of: 
Styx / Tyndall Stream to Styx bridge, IV+

The Upper Styx makes for a great day out and can handle quite a lot of water. Recent seasons and increasing fuel costs have seen it become one of the more popular runs because the helicopter shuttle is so short.

As you float away from Grassy Flats Hut and falsely bid farewell to any trampers (they’ll be traveling downriver at about the same speed) and float across the shingle fan you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. At the end of the flats is a horizon line and you’ll be chasing it for the rest of the day. This run doesn’t stop. Fun and very tight boulder gardens, with very few eddies big enough for more than two people, keep you more than occupied and the tail end of your team will be out of sight around the last bend most of the time. It feels steep - and it is and just as you are getting to enjoy it you arrive at ‘the steep section’. This is the crux of the run and has about 600m of technical drops before it eases again. Many people just climb onto the track on the right and walk to the bottom of it. But there are some great moves to be had.

Below this it just carries on easing very slightly just above the normal Styx put in except for one junky rock jumble/drop about 200 metres above. All of a sudden you’ll drop into the normal put in and it will all feel quite normal.

Fill: 
80%
NZ Whitewater 4th Edition 2006: 
p180
Credits: 
Graham Charles

This section appears in New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006 on p180.

New Zealand Whitewater, 4th edition, 2006
No incidents reported.

Disclaimer

Canoeing and kayaking are activities with inherent risks. Whitewater NZ takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this guide, nor for any risks or dangers that canoeists or kayakers may encounter. Any users should fully research the current river conditions and ensure they are fully equipped and have the appropriate skills, before embarking on any river trip, per Whitewater NZ Code of Practice. While every effort is made to ensure that details are correct, it is possible that this information is no longer accurate. If you find discrepancies or errors, please let us know at guide@rivers.org.nz.