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Will the Diamond be climbable in early June?

Original Post
Ben Pontecorvo · · Eugene, OR · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 155

I was hoping to climb the Diamond for the 1st time on the 4th of July.. As a Pacific NW native, I admittedly don't fully understand the continental snow pack here and considering that this has been a weird year I was wondering if people think that it will still be seeping, snowcovered, etc? Our plan is to go the day before and bivy on Broadway to increase chances of success.

A friend told me that the casual route might be seeping, but that P.V. is the first to dry? any advice is welcome.

Moritz B. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 185

There is usually a RMNP Conditions thread once alpine season is coming. People post their observations there. Keep an eye out for it.
This year might be a very late alpine season, beware of that and have a "plan-b" objective on hand.
Routes like D7 will definitely dry faster than casual.
Best of luck!

Charles Vernon · · Colorado megalopolis · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 2,655

In my experience PV has been dry when everything to the right was soaking wet. However, I think D7 actually stays wet pretty late into the year and has some sections that are always wet.

If it's a high snow year/late alpine season, Casual Route will probably still be soaking and maybe have some snow on July 4, but PV *might* be dry. But this should cut down on the crowds!

John Byrnes · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 392

Looking out my window, and comparing it to the view over the last 27 years, I'd bet it's going to be a very late season on the Diamond. It's completely white up there right now. That said, I've lived here too long to predict the weather. It might dry out enough by the Fourth.

I'd suggest you not bivy up high. Even people who live in Estes don't sleep well without drugs at 13K, so what's he point of hauling in all that gear to lie awake all night? Do it in a day from the trail head. Personally, I've had more success rapping in from Chasm View. The N. Chimney is heinous.

Ben Pontecorvo · · Eugene, OR · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 155

EDIT: I meant P.S. as in Pervertical Sanctuary not PV.

Also, we realize that we may not sleep up there, but we want the full experience. Also we firgure it will help us get an earlier start and be slightly more acclimated.

Thanks for the advice everyone, as with many climbs there is usually one way to find out- go up there and go for it. I will report when it happens

Jeff G · · Colorado · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,098

Broadway isn't a good place to bivy and getting all your gear up there would be hell. I would bivy at Chasm View if you're going to rap in or, better yet, bivy at the nice spots above Chasm Lake. If you bivy at Chasm View you have to summit then make it down the N. Face to get back to your stuff. Just FYI

Paul Hunnicutt · · Boulder, CO · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 325

I have enjoyed heading up the night before and sleeping at Chasm Lake. A bit of acclimatization and always nice to be relaxing up in the mountains. You can always try the wall with Directtisma on it (Chasm View wall I think) to the west if the Diamond is a no go.

Long Ranger · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 619

It'd be a gamble to think it's going to be dry by July 4th. There's currently snow on the ledges on the Diamond, and I bet the chimney is going to be soaked for a good part of the year.

Dave Bohn aka "Old Fart" · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined May 2002 · Points: 285

The weather pattern could change and give us a strung of 90-100F days to melt off the 210% above normal snowpack blanketing the Front Range, but we are still getting pounding by huge storms daily,freak tornadoes, and no let up in sight in the long range forecast.

This was Long's 2 weeks ago



This was Longs 4 days ago



And the Mummy Range the same day



It's most likely going to depend on what type of experience you want. A high and dry rock climb , or a traditional "Alpine" condition climb.
Greg D · · Here · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 883

Fortunately the planet stopped warming around 2000. In the late nineties people climbed the diamond in shorts and the frequent rockfall was off the charts from the deep thaw. Late start diamond season Is more normal and has returned.

PS. Take Jeff's advice. Or chasm view wall if it still wet. Red wall is quite a zinger for the grade.

JPVallone · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2004 · Points: 195

"Will the Diamond be climbable in early June?"

The simple answer is Yes. The Diamond is always climbable 365 days a year 24/7

John Byrnes · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 392
Jeff G. wrote: If you bivy at Chasm View you have to summit then make it down the N. Face to get back to your stuff. Just FYI
Actually, there is a way back if you have to retreat. I got stormed-off one year and we did a thing called the Chasm Cutoff. I don't remember the details, but if you go to the end of Broadway and continue right and up, following the line of least resistance, you can make it back to Chasm View at about 5.6. We did it in about 3 traversing pitches and soaking wet/snowy conditions.
Ben Pontecorvo · · Eugene, OR · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 155

If anyone was curious how our trip went- we did not send.

We slept at a bivy above the lake, and at about 6 am were simuling up the N Chimney. After about 45 min of climbing, my partner yells down " this feels harder than 5.6, can I bring you up?"

He sets an anchor I come up and then I start leading to what I hope would be Broadway, but encounter 5.9 dirty but mostly good cracks. It turns out we completely missed the exit from the North Chimney. I find a BUNCH of good booty at the top of this pitch (we think p1 of Hearts and Arrows or Full House), but have to leave a lot of it to rap back to Broadway. This took us a while, and by the time we were back it was too late in the day to realistically start PS, and the Casual route was under a waterfall after p3 or so. We rapped under what appeared to be building clouds, but it never stormed.

We MIGHT be back on a weekday in August to try again :)

Conditions notes: There is still a ton of snow up there, but you can get to N Chimney w/o crampons, lots of snow on Broadway as well. The casual route is a waterfall, don't think it would be much fun right now.

Scotty Nelson · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 830

Did the left side (D7/Yellow Wall etc) look dry?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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