training for the diamond on longs peak

Well i think i have decided that for one of my big goals, i would like to climb the Diamond. Oh i havent picked a date for this yyet it could be two years from now even.

What kinda training program should i follow for this? would a 4-3-2-1 cycle be good for this. Along with general cardio and light weight lifting.

or should i stick to lots of climbing inside and out, cardio and bodyweight excercises, like pushups and pullups etc. I know there is more to it then this i'm in a hurry to head out the door.

hope you all can help.

Climb a lot of Granite....5.9- 5.10

Skip the cutesy weight training. Go climb. Lots of trad 5.10/11 at Eldo, Turkey rocks, etc. Have fun, its a classic!

Don't forget about the altitude. It might be advantages to climb a few 14ers before you head up on the Diamond.

Will you be leading some of the pitches?

There's only one way to train for climbing... lots of climbing in the same style you hope to excel in. That and Bachar ladders.

training should just be climbing a lot, and be solid at the grade before you attempt any committing alpine climbs. Dial in your systems so you lightning quick up there, and not fooling around at belays.

I know that many of these posts sounds like silly advice; climb to train to climb the Diamond. I think it is good advice. You will want to be comfortable on the terrain and feel confident of what is going on. Multi-pitch is very useful. The 4-3-2-1 program is not going to be very useful. Be sure that your are confident in your gear placements and that you can move fast. Cardio is also a good idea.

Definitely get your multi-pitch skills down; gear placements, building belays, transitions in and out of belays, etc. are all essential.

You need to move efficiently on any alpine route in the Park as weather is a typical threat. With that being said, start climbing routes in the Park if you have not already done so. Doing this gives you a feel for weather patterns, approaches, the fitness needed to feel strong the entire day, and the rock types.

Do some of the multi-pitch routes at Lumpy and build from there. Routes in the Park that are good for getting accustomed to the Park are N. Ridge of Spearhead, Sykes Sickle on Spearhead, Culp Bossier on Hallets, S. Ridge of Notchtop, Spiral Gully on Notchtop, Zowie, S. Ridge Sharkstooth, and the Petit. These are all here on Mountain Project so you can read up and plan your attack.

The unique thing about the Diamond is the time/commitment it takes to get just to Broadway, do not underestimate this. Once you are there you are on one of the premiere alpine walls in this country. Another caveat is that the weather usually builds to the west of Long's and that is hidden from you until it is on you:)

Enjoy your preparations and hope it goes well whenever you make your attempt.

The big thing for me for the Diamond was you are at 13,000, so it made me extremely exhausted easily during the climb. So really hit the cardio before you go and perhaps do some altitude training or sleep high the night before.

Just climb lots of routes at Lumpy Ridge. Link 2-3 routes on the Sundance buttress in a day. You get altitude training, a long approach and similar climbing, and you'll have to move fast. Moving fast on 5.8-5.10 terrain and dealing with altitude is what you should probably be focusing on.

I agree with big days at Lumpy. You'll get accustomed to the rock, and the local weather patterns. Also, Longs will be staring at you the whole time.

Climb Wolf's Tooth and Tiger's Tooth on Twin Owls. There isn't much OW on the Casual, but that squeeze chimney on the crux pitch is much more comfortable after practicing on the squeeze chimney at the end of both of those routes.

I also really like Zach's suggestion, a long day at Sundance can feel like an alpine day :p

Finally, bivy up there the night before if possible; a night of acclimation goes a long way.

Especially agree with the comments regarding cardio. For me, everything on the Diamond feels harder than its grade because of the altitude. In addition to climbing, build a good cardio base.

Good advice for training in Lumpy, climb all the classic 9's on the Sundance keep grinding them out every weekend. Then hit the awesome linkups on the book, don't exit via the cave get comfortable on Cheap Date and Outlander. If you are comfortable with that you'll cruise the CR. Also, might be a good idea to find our way up with North Chimney and Kieners prior to climbing the route. We were the first people in the NC but got beat to the top since we didn't know where we were going. If you're solid on 9/10- the climbing is pretty straight forward with no real suprises. Also, I worried alot about the protection on the traverse pitch, don't worry about that pitch there is way more gear than expected and the climbing is really easy and fun.

i would love it if i was able to climb there every weekend. living in the Chicago area thats not possible. I will make do with whatever training i can think of.

On rainy days here in boulder, I've gotten a great alpine workout from climbing every 5.10 in the gym. 15-20 routes in the gym is great stamina training. Climb two pitches back to back to simulate one long pitch.

Match that with some extended cardio, like a long bike ride.

mike526 wrote:i would love it if i was able to climb there every weekend. living in the Chicago area thats not possible. I will make do with whatever training i can think of.

Chicago ?

In that case, expect every pitch on the Diamond to feel at least 1 1/2 to 2 grades harder than rated.

My best advise would be to head to Devils Lake mid week so you're not in too many peoples way and get to the point you can lead "Sometimes", "Birch Tree", and "Upper Diagonal" consecutively with minimal breaks a minimum of 10 times each in 6-7 hrs or less.

That should give you a rough approximation of the length and difficulty of the Diamond, not counting altitude effects.

Then plan on getting to CO at least 7-10 days before your Diamond climb, and spend as much time as you can, running as many pitches as you can manage in a day at Lumpy Ridge, to get a minimal acclimatization going, as well as get used to 180-200' pitches instead of 50', setting belay anchors, switching gear, etc. and exposure, since climbing the John Hancock tower is frowned upon.

The "Casual Route" is not terribly difficult, but speed climbing at altitude is mandatory to get up and down before the daily mega- thunderstorms roll through.

Stich wrote:[...] sleep high the night before.

helps me calm my nerves...

Look up a guy named J F Sebastian. Hes hardcore. Im sure he would run the Diamond with you.

look I never said i wanted to do it tommorrow or even in 3 years for that matter. I'm just saying its something i would like to add to my lifelong list of goals. I know its along way away before i'm ready for anything like this but i see no harm in asking how one would train for it.

I am originally from Chicago and I sympathize with the challenges of training for high peaks living in the Midwest. I would plan on a two week trip out here if you can. Among my friends who have done the Diamond I would estimate that 2 out of 3 attempts are aborted due to conditions. A two week trip would give you some time to acclimate and maybe give you a couple of different shots at the Diamond. There is plenty else in the Park and elsewhere to keep you busy and give you some practice moving efficiently that aren't so committing. Speed and efficiency are crucial to getting up the route. Good luck!

if you can lead a 5.8 at devil's lake you can lead the entire casual route. if you can lead 5.9 at DL it won't even be exciting as far as the climbing goes. Anyways, cardio fitness will help! Success will depend on luck in regard to the weather and how many parties are ahead of you.