The Diamond (Longs Peak)
The Diamond is the sheer and prominent east face of Longs Peak and named for the shape of the cliff. The face has a vertical gain of more than 900 feet (270 m) all above an elevation of 13,000 feet (4,000 m). It is a world-famous alpine climb.[1]
Climbing
In 1954 the first proposal made to the National Park Service to climb The Diamond was met with an official closure, a stance not changed until 1960. The Diamond was first ascended by Dave Rearick and Bob Kamps August 1-3, 1960, by a route that would come to be known simply as D1. This route would later be listed in Allen Steck and Steve Roper's influential book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.[2][3] The easiest route on the face, the Casual Route (5.10-), was first climbed in 1977 and became the most popular route up the wall.
See also
References
- Rock Climbing Colorado, by Stewart M. Green, Chockstone, Falcon, Helena, MO, 1995; ISBN 1-56044-334-0.
- Roper, Steve; Steck, Allen (1979). Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-292-8.
- Climb!: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado By Jeff Achey, Dudley Chelton, Bob Godfrey Published by The Mountaineers Books, 2002, ISBN 0-89886-876-9