A GORP Content Partner Adapted from Rock Climbing Colorado by Stewart M. Green

Climbing the Diamond Rocky Mountain's Epic Challenge

Climbing The Diamond is serious business. Don't expect a stroll up a sport climbing route, but rather a climbing adventure or a possible epic. The approach is long, circuitous, loose, and somewhat dangerous. The routes are vertical, exposed, and subject to severe weather. The descent via the North Face or Keyhole Route is hard to find in the dark, bordered by dangerous snow fields, and covered with loose gravel and boulders. Use your best judgment, and consider retreat an honorable option. The northeast-facing Diamond receives only morning sun, and shadows steal over the wall by 12:30 p.m. on the longest days of the year.

Approach The Diamond by driving 7 miles south from Estes Park on Colorado 7 to the Longs Peak Ranger Station and Longs Peak Campground at 9,500 feet on the west side of the highway. Park here and hike west through forest on the Longs Peak Trail. A major fork in the trail is reached after about 3 miles. The left fork continues up the valley to Chasm Lake, while the right fork swings around Mount Lady Washington to Chasm View and the Keyhole Route up Longs Peak. The Diamond can be reached via either trail.

[Go to map showing approaches to the base of the Diamond.]

The other trail approaches The Diamond from the north. Follow the trail for several miles around Mount Lady Washington and across the boulder field to Chasm View. Chasm View is an airy overlook that perches directly north of The Diamond and above Chasm View Wall. Make three double-rope rappels from fixed anchors to Broadway. A quick party can reach the base of The Diamond in two to three hours from the parking lot. Allow a few hours extra if you're carrying heavy packs.

All of The Diamond's routes begin on Broadway, a large sloping ledge that slices across the East Face below the Diamond. Use caution when traversing Broadway above North Chimney. Several fatalities and accidents have occurred to unroped climbers on this exposed traverse. There are a limited number of excellent bivouac sites on Broadway, with a limit on the number of climbers permitted to stay overnight. A free bivy permit is obtained at the Longs Peak Ranger Station. No water, other than snowmelt, is found on Broadway.

Descent: All of the routes described here, except The Yellow Wall, end on Table Ledge, a prominent horizontal crack/ledge system that slices across the upper quarter of the wall. Exit off the routes by traversing left on Table Ledge to Kiener's Route. Scramble up 3rd class rock, gullies, boulders, and ledges on Kiener's to the summit of Longs Peak. A quick but dangerous descent route goes down the peak's North Face along the old Cables Route. Prudently descend scree slopes, boulder fields, and snow fields on the North Face above The Diamond's north flank. Be extremely careful. People have slipped and plummeted over the wall here. At the cliff-band, locate large eye-bolts that once anchored the cables and make two single-rope rappels down some wet, slabby dihedrals to the boulder field above Chasm View.

Besides the few Diamond routes detailed here, numerous other excellent lines ascend The Diamond, The Lower East Face left of North Chimney, and Chasm View Wall below Chasm View on the north side of the face. Other fine Diamond routes are The Obelisk (5.11a), Black Dagger (5.10c), Eroica (5.12b), and King of Swords (5.12a). The best Lower East Face routes include Stettner's Ledges (111 5.7), Diagonal Direct (V 5.11d R), and The Diagonal (V 5.11b AO). The Diagonal routes, following the prominent left-diagonaling crack system that slashes across the wall, can be combined with a Diamond route for a Grade VI ascent. The Chasm View Walls hosts two very good Grade IIIs—Red Wall (5.10a) and Directissima (5.10a). Detailed topos and descriptions of these and other routes are found in area guides.

[Go to diagram for routes 1 through 4, which are discussed below.]

2  Ariana (V 5.12a)
This stunning 6-pitch route, The Diamond's first 5.12, was freed by Roger and Bill Briggs in 1985. It was first ascended by George Hurley and R. Bliss in 1975. The line follows a crack system just right of the left edge of the Obelisk Column. Begin down and right of the snow patch on a ledge above the south end of Broadway. Pitch 1 climbs the 5. 11 a face above past 3 bolts, ascends a narrow corner to the bottom right-hand side of the Mitten, and finishes up the right-facing corner to the thumb of the Mitten. Pitches 2 and 3 ascend PERVERTICAL SANCTUARY (5.9) to the belay stance opposite the Obelisk's base. Pitch 4 is directly above-a 1" crack that lies a scant 5' from the left edge of The Diamond. Jam the well-protected, sustained finger crack (5.12a and continuous 5. 11) to a hanging belay stance. Pitch 5 continues up the steep 5.11 crack to a large belay platform. Pitch 6 finishes up PERVERTICAL SANCTUARY'S last 5.9 lead to Table Ledge. Rack: Bring plenty of wired stoppers and pro to 3.

3  D7 (V 5.11d)
This route, first climbed in 1966 by Larry Dalke, Wayne Goss, and George Hurley, was the easiest and busiest route on the wall for years. Traffic slacked off after Bill Westbay and John Bacher's 1977 free ascent. D7, however, is still a superb clean aid line (5.7 C2) and is unmatched as an excellent but very difficult freeclimb. Begin down and right of ARIANA on a ledge/ramp (4th class) below an obvious, thin left-facing corner. This corner is 150' left or south of the bivvy cave on Broadway. Pitch 1 climbs the 5.9 corner 70' to a good ledge on the right; continue up the crack above to a belay ledge. Pitch 2 ascends a left-facing corner 40' and follows corners and cracks above to a belay ledge. Pitch 3 follows the system up widening cracks. The wide crack is often wet and can be face-climbed to the left at 5.10a. Belay on a sloping ledge on the right. Pay attention to the start of Pitch 4 to avoid taking the wrong crack system. Don't go straight up the obvious crack above. This is D MINOR 7. Pitch 4 properly begins 5' right of D MINOR 7 and the belay ledge in a shallow right-facing corner. Climb and stem up the steep corner to a belay stance below 2 thin, left-leaning cracks. Pitch 5, the route crux, climbs the exposed, parallel cracks for about 130' to a small stance. Pitch 6 continues up a thin 5.11 crack, which widens and leads to easier rock and spacious Almost Table Ledge. Pitch 7 goes up and left for about 40' on 5.8 rock to Table Ledge. Follow Table Ledge left to KIENER'S ROUTE and continue on to the peak's summit. Rack: Bring a standard rack with extra stoppers for the upper thin pitches as well as a #4 Friend.

4  Yellow Wall (V 5.11a)
This is the classic route up The Diamond. It was first climbed by Layton Kor and Charlie Roskosz in 1962 as the second ascent of The Diamond. Roger Briggs and Rob Candelaria freed it in 1976, while-,,! Charlie Fowler and Dan Stone free-climbed the original 1st pitch in 1978.

The 8-pitch route offers fine, sustained climbing with lots of solid holds on a steep, exposed face. Begin about 60' south of the Bivouac Cave on Broadway on a 3rd class ramp below a narrow, left-facing corner. The origin start aided up this corner (A3 or 5.11 a). Pitch 1 climbs 5.7 flakes for 70" right of the corner and works left to a ledge atop the corner. Continue up thin 5.9 finger crack for another 60' to a belay stance. Pitch 2 goes up and left along a thin crack (5.9+) for another 130' or so to a small ledge. Pitch 3 continues up the thin 5.10a crack to a hard 5.10a corner that is often wet. Belay on a narrow ledge on the left that the route shares with neighboring D7. Pitch 4 laybacks a shallow left-facing corner above the right side of the ledge. Continue up and right under the obvious BLACK DAGGER off width crack system, past the FORREST FINISH system, and into a thin, right-facing 5.9 red dihedral. Set a sling belay above. Pitch 5 is the route's free and aid crux. An airy, hard-to-protect 5. 11 a traverse leads up and right on flakes to a thin 5. 10 corner. Climb the corner to its intersection with the CASUAL ROUTE'S large dihedral. Belay here or continue 40' up the dihedral (5.6) to the spacious 4' x 20' Yellow Wall Bivvy Ledge. This is a sustained, exciting pitch with good exposure, and requires creative use of RPs and small wires for pro. To avoid this pitch, climb 2 pitches up the FORREST FINISH to the bivvy ledge. First is a 5.10a off-width, second is more 5.10 off-width to a steep hand crack. Pitch 6 is shared with the CASUAL ROUTE. Stem up between two opposing corners (5.9+) above the right side of the ledge and enter a 5.8 chimney. Climb up and left past a fixed piton in a thin crack, over a 5.10a bulge, and belay at Table Ledge crack. Exit left here to avoid the upper 2 pitches. Pitch 7 traverses right on Table Ledge crack for 15' and then climbs very exposed cracks to the foot of a large, obvious right-facing dihedral. Belay on a small ledge on the right side of the large, blocky overhang. This 5.10c pitch is adequately protected but very airy and scary. Pitch 8 climbs the 5.9 chimney up the dihedral to a good belay. Scramble on easy rock to the top of the wall just below the peak's summit. Rack: Bring a generous rack with sets of RPs, wired nuts, and Friends to #3.5 along with a few hexes and TCUs.

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5  Casual Route (IV 5.10a)

[Go to diagram for Casual Route.]

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