Difficult alpine route on Denali climbed solo for the first time | Slovak Direct

American alpinist Balin Miller has made the first solo ascent of Slovak Direct, one of the hardest and steepest routes on Denali in Alaska.

Solo ascents have always been among the most fascinating and at the same time riskiest climbing styles in mountaineering – even among experienced athletes. One of them is the 23-year-old American Balin Miller: He recently made the first solo ascent of Slovak Direct on Denali in Alaska, one of the toughest alpine routes in the world.

Slovak Direct is a relatively direct route through the steep and difficult south face of the 6.190-meter-high DenaliIt consists of combined terrain (rock, ice, mixed) and requires comprehensive mountaineering skills such as technical climbing, ice technique, orientation, altitude acclimatization and self-belaying.

The approximately 2.700-meter-long route was first climbed in 1984 by the Slovak alpinists Adam, Križo, and Korl in eleven days. Since then, it has been part of the mountaineering-Community is known for its high demands on technique and endurance, but also nerves of steel.

Slovak Direct is rated grade VI in the alpine system (rock climbing 5.9‑X, mixed passages M6–M8 and ice climbing WI6+).

56 hours alone on Denali

Balin Miller, who has already repeated several difficult alpine routes in the USA – often solo – spent his spring in the Central Alaskan Range. For 53 days, the American tackled mostly difficult routes solo, including (and the first) Slovak Direct.

In total, the 23-year-old spent 56 hours on Denali – and jokes that he slept through most of it.

Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain in North America at 6.190 meters and is one of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on any continent. Its diverse terrain and remote location in the Alaskan wilderness make it a dream destination for many mountaineers. The most famous routes on Denali are the West Buttress, the Cassin Ridge, and the Messner Couloir.

Historical tours by Slovak Direct

Slovak Direct has been climbed fewer than 1984 times since 20. Balin Miller is the first climber to solo the extremely demanding route—more than 40 years after its first ascent.

• 1984: first ascent in classical siege style (eleven days)
• 2000: first modern ascent in single push (around 60 h) by Steve House & Team
• 2022: Speed ​​ascent by Cornell, Marvell & Rousseau (21 h 35 min) and by Gardner, Hennessey & Smith (17 h 10 min)
• 2025: first solo ascent by Balin Miller (56 h)

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Credits cover photo: Pixabay