"After reaching the crossing with Cassin ridge, we slowed down, trying to melt as much snow as possible and save some energy. From this point, you can’t turn back, the only way forward is to push past the summit." In May 2022, Czech Rab athlete, Richard Nemec, and his climbing partner Michal Sabovick made the first free ascent of Slovak Direct on Denali, Alaska. "We spent nine days acclimatising on West Buttress, ahead of our ascent, before settling down at the 7800ft camp to wait for a good weather window. We knew we wanted to do one push and try to climb all pitches free. The ascent began with loose rock sections and bad snow, before turning in to hard ice pitches, which made for excellent climbing. After these sections, we worked our way up the rocky crux pitch with delicate drytool climbing. The climbing was more technical than physically demanding and luckily I climbed it free. We ran in to trouble when our gas stove packed in, putting us at serious risk of dehydration. We mostly melted snow over an open fire, made from white gas poured in an aluminium bowl fashioned from the stove's windshield. After a 40-hour push, we reached the summit and claimed the first free ascent of the route." Check out more epic athlete stories on basecamp. Link in bio 👉 #TheMountainPeople #WeAreRab #RabAthletes