Styrżnik is a wild, remote ridge descending from the north-western walls of Długi Giewont towards the Strążyska Valley. It's a place more for the imagination than for hiking boots today - once an important starting point for climbers tackling Giewont's northern walls, now largely forgotten.

The ridge separates two upper branches of the Strążyska Valley: Mała Dolinka to the west and Dolinka do Bani (Wielka Równia Valley) to the east. Almost the entire ridge is covered with dwarf mountain pine forest, regularly damaged by strong winds, with only the highest section just below the walls of Długi Giewont remaining bare scree. Halfway up, above the tree line, stands the solitary rock tower known as Styrżnikowa Skałka - a distinctive feature of this rugged landscape. The atmosphere here is wild and desolate, far from the crowds typically found on Giewont.

• A marked trail once led through the middle section of Styrżnik from Mała Dolinka to Dolinka Wielkiej Równi, described in Chmielowski's 1907 guidebook - today no trace of it remains
• Only occasional animal tracks can be found on the slopes

• The area has long been off-limits to hikers
• Tatra National Park authorities have also banned climbers from the Giewont massif (strict nature reserve Regle Zakopiańskie)
• Four climbing routes lead from Styrżnik, and above Siodełko nad Styrżnikiem lies the Wielkie Zacięcie of the north-western pillar

The name styrżnik comes from the Podhale shepherds' dialect and describes a small but prominent ridge dropping steeply into a valley - exactly what you'll see here, though today only from a distance.