174:. The Slovak Direct, as it is formally called, is the toughest route on Denali, and one of the hardest routes that has ever been climbed. Scott came out of climbing retirement at age 43 to try this route with his friends Mark Twight and Steve House in the year 2000. With minimal gear, including no tent or sleeping bags, they climbed the route in a 60-hour continuous push.
205:
146:. This was a 72-hour blitz of a new route that halved the previous fastest time of any ascent of the North Buttress of Mt. Hunter, which is more-or-less a 4000ft big wall capped by 2000ft of ice climbing and requires an extremely complex descent down the West Ridge. Mark Twight was his climbing partner.
219:
155:
East Face. Scott Backes, Barry
Blanchard, and Steve House completed "One of the more difficult alpine climbs in the Canadian Rockies" and named it M16 as a response to the bolted mixed climbing that had been coming into vogue because it was "Twice as hard as "M8" in the Canadian
165:. On this route, Scott Backes and Mark Twight climbed 19,000 ft. Pico del Norte without ropes or packs. This was a difficult climb, and they carried minimal gear.
183:, France. There, they forged a partnership that would last for over 12 years. The routes done in the Alps included many in and around Chamonix, including a
79:. Backes has been called "one of the leading alpine mountain climbers in the United States." He was born in 1957 and has lived most of his life in
528:
407:
373:
340:
305:
260:
559:
494:
210:
427:
322:
287:
518:
393:
242:
162:
126:
482:
469:
445:
432:
332:
297:
252:
554:
139:
118:
549:
486:
449:
399:
215:
365:
524:
490:
403:
369:
336:
301:
256:
441:
122:
358:
171:
76:
543:
91:
56:
184:
143:
110:
87:
90:, light and fast. Through the years Backes has done many extreme climbs including
464:
423:
283:
187:
of "There Goes The
Neighborhood" on the northwest face of the Aiguille Sans Nom.
114:
152:
99:
80:
180:
478:
395:
Where the
Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure
328:
293:
248:
103:
324:
Ways to the sky: a historical guide to North
American mountaineering
113:. His climbing partners include many notable mountaineers, such as
106:
95:
360:
Pushing the limits: the story of
Canadian mountaineering
86:
Backes started climbing in 1975. He climbs in the
161:"Fuck Em, They're all Posers Anyway" in Bolivia on
62:
52:
47:
39:
31:
26:
357:
289:Kiss Or Kill: Confessions of a Serial Climber
8:
520:Cascate. Alpi Centrali. Lombardia e Svizzera
19:
18:
278:
276:
274:
272:
179:Scott Backes met Mark Twight in 1989 in
206:"Inner drive pushes climber to THE TOP"
196:
7:
364:. Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. p.
523:. Italy: BLU Edizioni. p. 51.
428:"Cordillera Real, Various Ascents"
14:
211:Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
204:Fallesen, Gary (Nov 6, 2003).
133:Mountaineering accomplishments
1:
465:"Mt. McKinley's Slovak Route"
244:Mountaineering in Patagonia
576:
560:American mountain climbers
321:Selters, Andrew (2004).
170:" The Slovak Direct" on
517:Sertori, Mario (2004).
470:American Alpine Journal
433:American Alpine Journal
483:The Mountaineers Books
463:Backes, Scott (2001).
446:The Mountaineers Books
392:Coffey, Maria (2005).
333:The Mountaineers Books
298:The Mountaineers Books
253:The Mountaineers Books
241:Kearney, Alan (1993).
487:American Alpine Club
450:American Alpine Club
400:Macmillan Publishers
356:Scott, Chic (2000).
27:Personal information
16:American mountaineer
216:Rochester, New York
23:
530:978-88-87417-95-1
409:978-0-312-33901-2
375:978-0-921102-59-5
342:978-0-930410-83-4
307:978-0-89886-887-6
262:978-0-938567-30-1
138:"Deprivation" on
70:
69:
567:
535:
534:
514:
508:
507:
505:
503:
460:
454:
453:
442:Golden, Colorado
420:
414:
413:
389:
383:
382:
363:
353:
347:
346:
318:
312:
311:
280:
267:
266:
238:
232:
231:
229:
227:
222:on June 29, 2011
218:. Archived from
201:
24:
575:
574:
570:
569:
568:
566:
565:
564:
540:
539:
538:
531:
516:
515:
511:
501:
499:
497:
462:
461:
457:
422:
421:
417:
410:
391:
390:
386:
376:
355:
354:
350:
343:
320:
319:
315:
308:
282:
281:
270:
263:
240:
239:
235:
225:
223:
203:
202:
198:
194:
135:
127:Michael Kennedy
123:Barry Blanchard
75:is an American
22:
17:
12:
11:
5:
573:
571:
563:
562:
557:
552:
542:
541:
537:
536:
529:
509:
495:
455:
415:
408:
384:
374:
348:
341:
313:
306:
268:
261:
255:. p. 42.
233:
195:
193:
190:
189:
188:
176:
175:
167:
166:
163:Pico del Norte
158:
157:
148:
147:
134:
131:
68:
67:
66:Mountaineering
64:
60:
59:
54:
50:
49:
45:
44:
41:
37:
36:
33:
29:
28:
20:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
572:
561:
558:
556:
555:Living people
553:
551:
548:
547:
545:
532:
526:
522:
521:
513:
510:
498:
496:9781933056487
492:
488:
484:
480:
476:
472:
471:
466:
459:
456:
451:
447:
443:
439:
435:
434:
429:
425:
419:
416:
411:
405:
401:
397:
396:
388:
385:
381:
380:Scott Backes.
377:
371:
367:
362:
361:
352:
349:
344:
338:
334:
330:
326:
325:
317:
314:
309:
303:
299:
295:
291:
290:
285:
279:
277:
275:
273:
269:
264:
258:
254:
250:
246:
245:
237:
234:
221:
217:
213:
212:
207:
200:
197:
191:
186:
182:
178:
177:
173:
169:
168:
164:
160:
159:
154:
150:
149:
145:
141:
137:
136:
132:
130:
128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
108:
105:
101:
97:
93:
92:first ascents
89:
84:
82:
78:
74:
65:
61:
58:
57:United States
55:
51:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
25:
519:
512:
500:. Retrieved
474:
468:
458:
437:
431:
424:Twight, Mark
418:
394:
387:
379:
359:
351:
323:
316:
288:
284:Twight, Mark
243:
236:
224:. Retrieved
220:the original
209:
199:
185:first ascent
144:Alaska Range
140:Mount Hunter
111:Alaska Range
88:Alpine style
85:
73:Scott Backes
72:
71:
21:Scott Backes
550:1956 births
119:Steve House
115:Mark Twight
77:mountaineer
32:Nationality
544:Categories
452:: 199–200.
192:References
153:Howse Peak
109:, and the
502:March 12,
489:: 48–57.
226:March 13,
100:Patagonia
81:Minnesota
448:and the
426:(1999).
286:(2002).
181:Chamonix
156:Rockies.
104:Bolivian
35:American
479:Seattle
329:Seattle
294:Seattle
249:Seattle
142:in the
94:in the
53:Country
527:
493:
477:(75).
440:(73).
406:
372:
339:
304:
259:
172:Denali
151:"M16"
125:, and
102:, the
107:Andes
63:Sport
48:Sport
525:ISBN
504:2011
491:ISBN
485:and
404:ISBN
370:ISBN
337:ISBN
302:ISBN
257:ISBN
228:2011
96:Alps
43:1957
40:Born
366:409
546::
481::
475:43
473:.
467:.
444::
438:41
436:.
430:.
402:.
398:.
378:.
368:.
335:.
331::
327:.
300:.
296::
292:.
271:^
251::
247:.
214:.
208:.
129:.
121:,
117:,
98:,
83:.
533:.
506:.
412:.
345:.
310:.
265:.
230:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.