Three Passes

This is a fantastic run.

A few tips:

West to East is my preference, because even though there is an additional 600m elevation in this direction, you get the more challenging Styx Valley out of the way first, in daylight and if you end up out of daylight then travel after Carrington Hut down the Waimak is relatively straightforward. Route finding on the Styx in the dark would be much more of a challenge.

Although the Styx Route is officially closed, in normal flows it presents no issues. There are a lot of washouts, so just make your way upstream and take advantage of trails on the banks as you come across them. The frequency of these increases further upstream. It is quicker to continue up the river than go via Mid Styx hut. From just before Grassy Flat Hut onwards the trail is easy to follow.

The Styx travel is a bit slow, and aside from some boggy sections around Styx saddle, it is easy going until Harman Hut.

From Harman Hut, it's a grunt up to Browning Pass, but it's mostly poled and easy to follow. The top of Browning Pass down to Park Morpeth is very steep - take care, and when you feel comfortable, just follow the scree down to the Wilberforce and follow it on the true left until you reach Park Morpeth Hut.

The climb up to Whitehorn Pass is very slow going, with lots of big boulders to negotiate. The last section is a grunt. Once at the pass, head down the permanent snow - poles are very useful here. Stay clear of the edges - jump on and off the snow and rocks depending on what is easiest. This section is short, and then the valley opens up to reach the beautiful Harman Pass after lots of negiotiating rocks. From here, there is a bit of slow travel through the gorge before it opens out at the White River. Cross this and after a short section of trail on the true right, you'll reach Carrington Hut. From here, it's straightforward runnable travel on the river flats out to Klondyke Corner.

Daniel Parkinson

January 19, 2022

PLB should be considered compulsory gear for this along with proper Shell's not flimsy lightweight ones. There are no bail out options and support is hours away.

15 Hours would be equivalent of say a 7.30 Kepler for the same distance and climb. When we did this we had to cross the Styx in marginal conditions in the dark using support methods and scrambling on bluffs. I would consider a west/east trip as a safer exit from Carrington in the dark

Matt Bixley

January 19, 2022