bulletproof Chasm track re opened

[stealth]

loved the vid!

[curly12]

Fark me, been away from the Coast for 15 years, good way to make me feel homesick!!!!!! Those's tracks were my backyard.

[mike barnett]

great little vid,cant wait to get back in there.as always photos and vids dont really show how good/hard/exciting some off the great tracks can be.big thanks to all the dudes that have kept this track open over the years .

[andrew007]

great video,will have to do a trip their soon

[Bulletproof]

great video,will have to do a trip their soon

Hi Andy
You might have arrange to go through the Chasm with somebody else.

They are not going to do anything with my eye until after April at this point which is a bit of a bummer.

Cheers Richard

[andovr]

We started about 7am and were out before 3 were taking it easy as we were only on 33s managed to rip 2 tyre valves out one each and the other trucks side window had a stick punch through it had to stop and patch up and build a down ramp about halfway through into a big hole and winch out the other side all in all a good trip prob heading back in winter sometime, cheers for the comments about the videos and sounds makes more interesting than the garbage we talk about haha and is sped up to make more interesting, first time i had done Mt Greenland went in at around midnight the washout required about 20 min of spade work to get rid of the bank so we could drive up as was overhanging night trips make new tracks exciting haha i think we got back out a bit before 7am.


Cheers Andy

[hosehustler]

We went around in 4 hrs without too much drama
The track is great fun as always
The farmer at the Clarke end I tried his number listed here in this thread but it wasn't right so we called in and seen him
Boulders in the grey take a bit of avoiding and would suggest if the river is up at all give it a miss
As stated by others that without plenty of bar work you will not be able to go round without damage

[U-BOAT]

Here's some videos of how high the water can get in the Clarke and Grey. These are from when we were opening the track back up after it was flood damaged in mid 2011. I think the Footage of the Grey was September 2011 and the river level on the waipuna guage was running at 2.4 meters. The video of the Clarke was either December 2011 or mid January 2012, can't remember. Was supposed to put these videos on a long time ago.

grey
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504139632968914&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3
clarke
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504345779614966&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504656182917259&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3

[keithal]

Here's some videos of how high the water can get in the Clarke and Grey. These are from when we were opening the track back up after it was flood damaged in mid 2011. I think the Footage of the Grey was September 2011 and the river level on the waipuna guage was running at 2.4 meters. The video of the Clarke was either December 2011 or mid January 2012, can't remember. Was supposed to put these videos on a long time ago.

grey
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504139632968914&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3
clarke
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504345779614966&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=504656182917259&set=vb.100001186466059&type=3

cant see the vids
youll need to change the privacy settings so we can see them

[U-BOAT]

think i've fixed those video links now. ^^

[Bulletproof]

Slow trip through the chasm today with Paul Delis, Andy Jackson and Kerry Smith. Paul Delis had no winch so that mean't double blocking and with a little gardening at the Waipuna end and getting around a huge windfall tree in the bog as well, it took us 7.5 hrs.

The Chasm exit is very steep at the bottom now because it has been washed away again so that would be hard drive with no run up.

The waterfall has also been washed away so there is a steep entry and exit from that as well.

The usual damage. Dents, bent gearbox cross member,pushed out side window, burn't out winch solinoid but apart from that all good.

Cheers Richard

PS
The track up the Waitahu to the Montgomery hut hasn't been driven for a while now because the river has taken it away in many places so today we decided to give it a go and got there by going in and out of the river and removing a few trees .A bit of a challenge in places

Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

3 photos of the chasm track at the end of 2013

The exit from the chasm has been washed away so it is quite steep for the bottom metre



The Waterfall washout is now deeper because the logs have been washed away.



The big tree across the track



Andy Jackson winching a big heap of shit to get around the fallen tree



Nothing has changed for a while heading down to the Grey through the bush

Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

This is what the Waterfall washout looks like now for ones who haven't seen it recently.

4 Small video clips



Here is another clip of Andy Jackson cleaning out the new track beside the fallen tree so hopefully it won't be a problem for the next group



A bit of a rebuild to make the Chasm exit more easily driven even though we didn't try because we didn't want to break anything because of having a Prado without a winch to assist thru. 1 handicap is enough.



It will be interesting to see what happens with the tree in the next flood. Will it lodge behind the big boulder, collect debris and cause a waterfall or spin around and cause the water to chew the chasm side away ???????



Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

In recent times some have said the track is quite easy . It may be for super modified trucks but for ordinary club trucks like mine it is still a tuff track with potential for a lot of damage. Recently a ChCh club had a truck on its side.

I was sucked in by being told it is easy and therefore took a Prado without a winch but that was a mistake as we had another winch burn a solinoid out and all I could think of was the time when I was in there with North Canterbury and we got out at midnight. Things were going fine the other day until the big tree was in our way and with another winch out it was starting to turn to custard. Another tree like that and we could have been stuck in there.

Every trip changes in there so never that it for granted. Normally I do 2 winches but this time it took 5.

So don't get sucked in thinking it will be easy ( It might be ) but go prepared to expect the worst

Cheers Richard

[NJV6]

Organised a tiki tour up from Southland, Took a group of 7 through this track mid last week, led by a local from Clark end. One truck broke engine mount and split oil filter on last winch out of chasm so we left it there. Mike and driver headed through to grey and on to Reefton for a new filter. There is phone reception at chasm but the garage wouldn't do deliveries! I tore a front bash plate off under the diff dropping into chasm at the top part, the bottom part has a nasty big rock. The remaining 5 of us carried on, a little spade work and rock shuffling at the waterfall. Bog was deep but mostly drive able. The VX then bent drag link heading down to the grey so that took a bit, the grey was low and presented no problems. Good trip, trusty warn 9000 pound winch, took about 6 hours and very minimal damage. Left hand sill looking a bit 2nd hand. Mike had by this time returned from Clark end, replaced oil filter and returned out same way and we all arrived home about same time.

P.S. Don't take your wife/partner if they are not keen 4wders! Apparently it's not a scenic run how I described it.....

[Petemcc]

photos or it didn't happen Glen

[Nigel Bannan]

I know of a couple keen guys from ChCh heading in there this weekend. I am sure they will have fun aswell. Sounds like it isn't getting any easier but that's not a bad thing either.

Nigel.

[albundy]

best 4wd track ever. NJV6...my missus said she would divorce me if I ever took her back in there, and we went thru quick when she was with me.

[Bulletproof]

Because this track changes so much, It is good to see trip reports coming in to keep us up to date with current conditions.

The quickest I have done the track is a bit over 2 hrs and the longest is with North Canterbury at around 14 hrs so a person has to be prepared for anything.

PS What other tracks did you do Glen on the West Coast ?

Cheers Richard

[wjw]

best 4wd track ever. NJV6...my missus said she would divorce me if I ever took her back in there, and we went thru quick when she was with me.

Same, Zoe said never again

[on2it]

What didn't the girlies like? Was it too rough, slow or pressure packed?

[wjw]

What didn't the girlies like? Was it too rough, slow or pressure packed?

My fault really, left CHC at 7:30am, headed to coast, did chasm, didn't get to cabin till 8pm. Her and kids were over it by mid afternoon.

[fourby]

I was on coast with chch crew on w.e and decided to do a solo run through chasm track on sunday as the others wernt keen to do too much, was plain sailing most of the way. a new track has been pushed through at grey end to drop into the grey above boulders (didnt notice until was already driving past coming from normal drop in spot). we went from clarke to snowy rd in 4hrs with 1 truck and taking it easy and no free spool

Ryan

[The WEHI]

Your Trucks not classed as one truck ryan its a beast haha

[fourby]

shouldv came over mate was epic trip

[Bulletproof]

I was on coast with chch crew on w.e and decided to do a solo run through chasm track on sunday as the others wernt keen to do too much, was plain sailing most of the way. a new track has been pushed through at grey end to drop into the grey above boulders (didnt notice until was already driving past coming from normal drop in spot). we went from clarke to snowy rd in 4hrs with 1 truck and taking it easy and no free spool

Ryan

Kerry Smith and Barnsy cut the new track into the Grey River in Feb.

Cheers Richard

[fourby]

il have to remember to use it next time, itl save alot of boulder hoping along the edge of the Grey

[85bj71]

wheres some pictures ryan? be good to see my old beast being used the way i intended, pity i never quite got there with her

[fourby]

Almost completly different wagon these days. il have a go at putting up a couple of photos mates took, i didnt get a chance phone was on the blink

[imsohi]

Taking The marlborough club through here on easter weekend aswel as Mt Greenland will keep you all posted