Mt. McKinley, Slovak Route, Third Ascent. From June 24-26, Steve House, Scott Backes and Mark Twight climbed the Slovak Route in 60 hours non-stop. They carried no bivouac gear apart from a two-pound jacket each. The trio brought two stoves and 22 ounces of fuel each in order to melt enough snow to stay hydrated. (The fuel ran out at hour 48.) A total of 55 pounds (18 of which was water) was split between two packs, leaving the leader pack-free to move quickly. The team belayed 31 (60m) pitches, simulclimbed some terrain, and soloed the rest. Difficulties ended at 16,800 feet. The original line remains independent, following easy snow slopes crisscrossed by crevasses to the summit. Backes, House, and Twight simulclimbed instead to 17,400 feet, where they joined the Cassin Ridge at hour 56 and unroped. A full account of their ascent appears earlier in this journal.