The Diamond

The trip report on this page represents the 24th time I have climbed the Diamond. 

I cannot seem to get enough of this amazing alpine wall of granite, and I keep wanting to come back. I have put together a "Diamond Beta Page" summarizing the main methods of approach and descent as well as summarizing/comparing the time stats of the various approaches and descents I have taken. Check it out by clicking the link above.

Category: Colorado (RMNP)Summit Elev: 14,255 ft (Longs Peak); 13,700 ft (Table Ledge at top of route) Rock Type: Granite
Date: July 18, 2024 (Thu)Trip Report #: 718Partner: Nate Arganbright

Route: Komito Freeway: D7 P1-2  (5.10b, 2-3p) + Yellow Wall P4  (5.10a, 1p) + Forrest Finish P1&1.5.5 + Black Dagger P5  (5.10b, 2-p)

A nice 5.10b link-up of pitches.

Route Overlay

Intro

In 1975, Wayne Goss and Jim Logan made the first free ascent of the Diamond by climbing D7 to Crossover Ledge, taking Yellow Wall for a pitch, climbing a pitch of Forrest Finish, and ending with Black Dagger's final pitch. This link-up of pitches is called "Komito Freeway" . This is a great way to climb the Diamond at 5.10b. The route is steep and sustained. Even though it is the second most moderate route on the Diamond, it is quite a big step up from the Casual Route (5.10a, 8p). (Ironically, the first free ascent of the easier Casual Route was in 1978, three years after the first free ascent of the Diamond via the Komito Freeway. The easiest line isn't always the most obvious line.)

I have trip report pages for D7 (5.11c, 5-6p), Yellow Wall to Forrest Finish (5.10d-5.11b, 6p), and Black Dagger (5.11a, 5-6p) (all of which I have climbed more than once), but since "Komito Freeway" (5.10b, 5-6p) is a nice route in itself and the second most moderate way to get to Table Ledge, I made a separate trip report for it.

Nate and I climbed this as our first Diamond route together in 2024. July had been a strong monsoon month, with afternoon thundershowers most days, but we nabbed a midweek "30% thundershowers" day to climb this route. We had a great day on the Diamond. 

Time Stats

The following table has time stats for all climbs I have done on the Diamond, including the climb of Komito Freeway on this page.

Diamond Time Stats

Photos

Approach

5.4

We approached via the NORTH CHIMNEY to Broadway Ledge. 

We were in the midst of a strong monsoonal weather pattern (sunny mornings and intense afternoon thundershowers). One day this week had a pretty low percentage chance of an afternoon sytem (only 30%, compared to 70% for all other days), so we decided to make it a Diamond Day!
Diamond glowing in the early morning light. Sunrise was at 5:48am.
Snow of Mills Glacier below the North Chimney. It's generally pretty low angle but there is a section towards the rock that is steeper than it looks.
I'd opted for no traction, but the snow was hard, so for once I was happy another party was ahead of us in the North Chimney and had kicked some shallow steps up the snow.
We soloed the lower North Chimney, but opted to rope up for the exit pitch. (I believe I have soloed the entire North Chimney 17 times, but in the last couple of years—especially the first couple of times up the North Chimney for the season—I prefer a rope on the final pitch.)

Pitch 1

5.9


(on previous ascents we have climbed Pitches 1-3 in 2 long pitches)

D7. Climb the left-facing corner to a good ledge. There are lots of fixed pins.

Start of Pitch 1.
There are numerous pitons on D7, mostly on the lower pitches. It would be interesting to do an actual count, but I would put it somewhere around 50. I asked ChatGTP how many pitons there are on D7, but it did not know.

Pitch 2

5.9


(on previous ascents we have climbed Pitches 1-3 in 2 long pitches)

D7. Follow thin corners and cracks upward. There are lots of fixed pins.

Nate starting up Pitch 2. This would be part of Pitch 1 if getting to Crossover Ledge in two long pitches.
Higher on Pitch 2.

Pitch 3

5.10a


(on previous ascents we have climbed Pitches 1-3 in 2 long pitches)

D7. Follow thin corners and cracks upward. There are lots of fixed pins.

Pitch 3. This pitch ends at Crossover Ledge.

Pitch 4

5.10a

YELLOW WALL. Climb a left-facing dihedral above the right end of the ledge, and step right into the Black Dagger crack system. Climb a short ways, then move right again into the Forrest Finish crack and a belay beneath an offwidth section. Or climb up the offwidth, which varies from 12-inch chimney to fingers, and belay above that.

Nate starting up the pitch. After going a short ways up, traverse right.
The offwidth section on this pitch. You can belay below or above this. Nate belayed above.
A garden of King's Crown at the belay at the top of the pitch. Kind of amazing to find a tiny meadow of flowers halfway up the Diamond! Imagine the feat of a seed even getting up here...

Pitch 5

5.10b

FORREST FINISH. Continue straight up the crack system. Belay just down and left from the Yellow Wall Bivouac Ledge.

Looking up the pitch.
Steep handcrack towards the end of the pitch. Fun.

Pitch 6

5.10b

FORREST FINISH. Continue up the same crack, which begins wide then tapers to a beautiful hand crack, and gain the top of a smooth wall. Slightly easier climbing leads to Table Ledge.

Looking up the start of the final pitch.
Midway up the pitch. I had moved left a bit to climb the crack system rather than stay in the corner on the right. I wonder if this is the "move left to climb the finish of Black Dagger" that the first free ascent party did. When I climbed the Black Dagger route in 2021, we may have traversed over to this for our final pitch.

Descent

Table Ledge is the top of the route. From here we rappelled via the DIAMOND RAPPEL ROUTE back to Broadway Ledge (5 raps with double ropes) and then from Broadway Ledge down to the snowfield (4 raps, 1st with single rope and last 3 with double rope). We then hiked out around Chasm Lake. 

On Table Ledge.
A party on the last pitch of the Casual Route. This was a party of three, where the two followers were 12 and 14 years old. They were having a blast.
Marmot on the summit.
Looking back up the Cables Route after descending.
We checked out the bivy locations at Chasm View. Nate and I have a goal to stay at every bivy zone in RMNP, and we still have to stay at Chasm View someday.
Headed down The Camel Gully back towards Chasm Lake. This isn't the quickest way to get back to the car.
Hiking out around Chasm Lake.
A garden of Alpine Columbine.
As we hiked out, a storm brewed to the east. There was lightning and thunder...
....and then hail. We didn't get struck by lightning, so I enjoyed the experience.
The trail became a bit of a stream.

previous and next adventures