Climbing Denali's Slovak Direct w/ BD athlete Andy Houseman and Nick Bullock
Climbed Denali's Slovak Direct route in 84 hours, battling epic spindrift, difficult ice and mixed climbing and challenging weather.
by
Backcountry Planet
October 7, 2014
Black Diamond athlete Andy Houseman, along with his partner Nick Bullock, made a trip to the Alaska Range this past spring where they made the sixth ascent of the massive and infamous Slovak Direct route on the south face of Denali. The route, put up in 1986 using fixed lines over the course of 11 days, is over 9,000 feet tall—making it one of the biggest, most committing lines in the range. The pair climbed the route in 84 hours, battling epic spindrift, difficult ice and mixed climbing and challenging weather. The video below provides a first-hand look at the sheer scale of the route and what it takes to climb such a massive, remote face.