Longs Peak, a new route on The Diamond. On August 14, Robert Boucher, his wife, a five-man support party and I strolled up to Chasm Lake on Longs Peak. After lunch, we climbed the North Chimney to Broadway, the great ledge at the base of the 1000-foot Diamond. After a good bivouac on Broadway, dawn saw us nail the vertical and overhanging wall in four long, beautiful leads (mixed free and aid) to the Ramp, a sloping ledge at the base of a mighty inside corner. Two dark leads up this corner led us to a slender ledge where we stopped for the night. In one long pitch next morning we reached Table Ledge, a horizontal crack that spans the wall three-quarters of the way up. At this time, Bob made a difficult traverse 90 feet to the right across Table Ledge using pitons that varied from rurps to bong bongs. Suddenly the temperature dropped sharply and snow began to fall as the wind swept across in frightening updrafts. Soon the fog blocked the outside world. After two long aid-leads up a 200-foot overhanging headwall, and a 35-foot leader fall, we were hanging in slings just forty feet below our goal. Nightfall soon overtook us and the snow became worse, but with the aid of a headlamp, we struggled to the summit. The "Grand Traverse” rates as NCCS V, F8, A4.

Pat Ament, Unattached