the Diamond in September???

So I've wanted to summit Long's Peak via the Diamond for several years and another opportunity to do so has arrived! I've attempted a few times, mid summer...with no summit-->though some great "learning experiences"

A good friend and I (he's been climbing for several years and so have I) are trying climb the casual route right after Labor Day weekend, but this is close to the time wen the guidebook says to steer clear...soooo

If someone with some experience and safe climbing on the forefront of their Adventure Philosophy could offer help with: conditions of that climb, what weather to expect this time of year, etc. I'd love it! I'm really hoping that it's worth trying...it'd be such a great summit

be well

The guide book as always is 100 percent right. STAY AWAY, It can be very dangerous up there in september.

Or it could be really splitter.

Don't tell anyone I told you, but the weather forcast for all of September is partly cloudy with a chance of afternoon thunder showers.

I know things.

Early September is usually a great time to climb the Diamond....Usually.
The monsoons have started to mellow out, the rock is dryer, and there are less crowds. On the other hand the sun is on the face less and the temps tend to be 5-10 degrees cooler (or more). Lower evening temps mean there is a chance for verglass if a storm blows through and then clears overnight. Somewhere between the first and third week of the month everything changes though and it is no longer a fun place to be.

I should mention that the Casual Route is not the best late season climb as the middle section is shaded and the crux pitch tends to seep down low. So bring some chemical hand warmers and a fleece for your belayer. Good luck!

skiclimber wrote: Or it could be really splitter.

In the future could you please not use the reference of something that is really good or great with the word 'Splitter'. The continuing of the it use will confuse us. 'Splitter' is a crack that splits the face of a cliff. For example Super Crack of the Desert splits the face of it's Buttress.

Last year I climbed the diamond over Labor day weekend with fantastic conditions, then climbed perfect ice on Alexanders chimney on September 24th. September is certainly a transitional period on Longs. If you catch it before the first snowstorm rolls in, you're probably in good shape.

yeah, everything i've found seems to point to the weather channel the entire week before the attempt. By the way, what is "verglass"???

"Lower evening temps mean there is a chance for verglass if a storm blows through and then clears overnight."

Torti wrote:By the way, what is "verglass"?

Basically, ice. For example, if it rains up high and gets below freezing at night, in the morning you can have rock covered in a thin veneer of ice. Very nasty stuff for rock climbing, especially if you don't notice it and step on it (ice, of course, is transparent)!

Verglas is a French word that denotes glassy, almost-transparent ice that forms on rocks. Verre means glass and glas is a modified form of glace, ice.

If you are serious about going up there later in September, be very, very watch full of the weather. September is the month that catches people by surprise. The day can start out bluebird and turn into a blizzard, with you being the popsicles.......

Yea hand warmers would be a good idea, as well as all the other extras....

Just excavating this old thread, with the same question... Seems like the consensus is that the typical break point into more difficult conditions is somewhere in middle of September?

Also: do people have a recommended source of weather info for the Diamond?

Optimistic wrote:Seems like the consensus is that the typical break point into more difficult conditions is somewhere in middle of September?

Using the word "typical" to describe Colorado high country weather is typically not a good idea.
Be optimistic and watch the weather and plan on being cold if you go for it.

I've been on the Diamond a handful of times in September. One time we had absolutely perfect conditions, with the exception of the first 30-40 feet of the Enduro Corner being iced over ;)

have fun!

A good forecast for longs can be found here:

forecast.weather.gov/MapCli…

I went up the Casual Route in late September 2000. Excellent weather, but as soon as the face went into shade (about 11 AM, as I recall) the rock got cold very quickly. My partner and I had numb hands while climbing the hand crack section.

To answer Optimistic's question, yes, the break point into more difficult conditions is probably some time in September. The weather.gov website is excellent, BTW.

Thanks guys!

Steve's point is well-taken...you can get your butt kicked up there any day, for sure.

I should ask, while accepting the caveats about not counting on anything in the high country, what's the ideal Diamond time? Late July to late August kind of thing?

Ideal?

September you are more likely to deal with cold, icey conditions.

July & August, you are playing roulette with the T-Storms.

Pick the lesser of two evils, but sometimes you get both!