Published August 5, 2003 09:05AM
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Topher Donahue and Tommy Caldwell climbed five routes in one day on the Diamond, the 900-foot granite wall on Longs Peak, Colorado. Starting at sunrise on Broadway ledge, the two climbed Yellow Wall (5.11a), Pervertical Sanctuary (5.11a), D-7 (5.11c), Curving Vine (5.11a) and the Casual Route (5.10a)—about 32 guidebook pitches of 5.9 to 5.11, all above 13,200 feet. By linking pitches and simulclimbing, they cut the pitch count to around 18, but the day still added up to more than 4,000 vertical feet, including the North Chimney approach. The two rapped from Table Ledge to Broadway after each route, never actually tagging the summit of Longs. Donahue said they passed one party three times during the day—a somewhat confusing and demoralizing sight, to be sure. Donahue had never previously climbed more than one Diamond route in a day, and he said that this marathon day doubled the number of routes Caldwell had done on the Diamond. They might have done even more, he added. “We weren’t going for all-out speed,” Donahue said. “We stopped to eat after each climb, and we didn’t do any simul-rappelling or anything like that.”