a href="http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/hard_new_route_in_alaskas_hayes_range/">Hard New Route in Alaska's Hayes Range
Samuel Johnson and Matt Klick made the first ascent of the northern ridge on 11,140-foot Mt. Balchen in Alaska’s Hayes Range in a lightweight two-day climb. The pair climbed 14 long pitches to complete the Alchemy Ridge (V AI4 M7), the most technical route to date on rarely climbed Balchen.

After flying to the foot of Mt. Hayes’ northwest ridge, the two men walked seven miles up the Hayes Glacier to a base camp at about 6,500 feet below Balchen. They climbed the ridge during the only two days of semi-decent weather in their two-week trip, and endured high winds throughout the climb. “The fact is that we walked into a sucker hole with eyes open wide because we figured it would probably be our only chance to have any clear weather en route,” Johnson said. “We got [only] five hours of clear, warm weather.”