UKC

Mt Kenya's Diamond Couloir has received its first ascent for many years by Kenyan climber Julian Wright along with visiting South African mountain guide Trystan Firman. Some strange weather patterns and unusually wet rains produced enough ice to allow for their ascent.

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In reply to UKC News:

Great news! Allthough I'm not sure what unusually wet rain is!

Can anyone hazard a guess at a Scottish or water ice grade?

In reply to ebdon:

For the couloir or for the rain?

In reply to UKC News:

"Unusually wet rain" No comprende?

In reply to J Whittaker:

'Rains' is often used in plural to describe the rainy season/frequent showers. An 'unusually wet rainy season' I think Dan means.

Interesting:

Good to learn that ice has formed again, turned up in 2004 with axe and crampons and bags of hope but, only managed Batian from t’other side in rock boots... (with my awesome 63 year old aunt and friends... neither picking nor picnic with a fab bivvy at the Firmin tower...) Axe and crampons were rather an embarrassing luggage extra in Nairobi !

One thing... my photo has been used as the header for this article... (ed. it would be nice to get a credit) 

; )

Paul Taylor (configureeight)

In reply to ebdon:

For local climbers and independently wealthy jet set alpinists.

 

In reply to DaveHK:

 

 

For the whole climbing community. It’s an iconic climb and it’s great it’s had this recent ascent.

In reply to DaveHK:

Why more so than any other alpine route worldwide?

In reply to Robert Durran:

Because I imagine it probably won't be there for long enough for anyone else to do it!

In reply to Robert Durran:

Also some Alpine routes cost money to access.

In reply to UKC News:

Oh gawd that's all we need, more tedious 'is it in yet?' posts everytime there's a spatter of rain on the serengeti.

In reply to UKC News:

That's good news. It's a route I've always wanted to do. The last ascents of the couloir itself that I knew of were in 2005, one of which was noted here:

https://www.climbing.com/news/diamond-couloir-still-climbable/

Some guiding friends earlier this year reported unusual amounts of snow on Kilimanjaro, so I joined the Mountain Club of Kenya Facebook page and asked about conditions on the DC. One person contacted me and said that in fact the Ice Window route, to the right of the Diamond Couloir, had actually been climbed in recent years and he had done it last year. So I figured this could be a year for the couloir.

In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:

I think this is Trumpian Metereology, as in "one of the wettest we’ve ever seen from the standpoint of water".

In reply to UKC News:

*rubble chute

In reply to UKC News:

"rubble shoot" works just as well. I like "Trumpian meteorology" too.

Anyway, years ago sitting round the campsite, talk turned to which route, worldwide, we would all most like to have done one day. Everyone said either 1938 Route or Diamond Couloir.  That's how significant. None of us gathered that day have done either, by the way  

In reply to UKC News:

Doable but harder? Don’t think anyone used to bivouack before reaching the Howell hut on Nelion summit. 

In reply to UKC News:

Awww, I lived there for a few years back in the mid-2000s and often climbed the mountain, each time wishing the couloir was in condition. Good effort.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Well, its about 4000 feet higher than anything in the Alps for a start.

In reply to Fredt:

Actually only about 1300ft, and lower than many other mountains worldwide with "alpine" (with a small "a") routes on them.

In reply to Robert Durran:

Because it's got a world class line - 'compelling' isn't really sufficient.  Take a line from the col between the twin peaks of the second highest mountain in Africa - that'll do, pig.

In reply to ppchiral:

I thought that strange as well - we did it on Boxing Day 1989 in 16hrs from the bivouac in the cwm below the couloir to the summit then back to our "base camp". That was with the bottom 15 metres of ice missing.

In reply to humptydumpty:

There's so much history on the climb and that headwall. I did it in '94 and was amazed and with good conditions. I also (same trip) did the Heim Glacier route vis the Umbwe glacier route, another of my most treasured trips. What worth is money when you've gone?