Mt. Kenya, Diamond Couloir, ascent. The Diamond Couloir is an ...

Kenya M t. Kenya, D iam ond Couloir, ascent. T he D iam o n d C o u lo ir is an A frican classic, an elegant ice couloir on the south face o f 5,199m M t. Kenya th a t was first clim bed in O cto b er 1973 by T h u m b i M athenge an d Peter Snyder. At th a t tim e th e steep headw all leading to th e D iam ond G lacier was n o t w ell-form ed, an d the clim bers logically cut o u t left below it to reach the h an g ­ ing glacier. A direct line up the headw all was clim bed in January 1975 by Yvon C h o u in ard and M ichael C ovington, an d m ost p arties rep eatin g th e ro u te have followed this line. T he recent and generally increasing desiccation o f Africa’s high m o u n ta in s has led visitors to believe the clim b now im possible because the steep e n try pitch has failed to form . In A ugust Kitty C alhoun an d Jay Sm ith clim bed the full D iam o n d C ouloir, startin g w ith 10m o f difficult M 7 d ry -to o lin g on overhanging volcanic rock, followed by 50m o f th in W I5 ice [not long before their ascent an Italian p arty had retreated after the first 15m o f scary mixed clim bing— Ed.]. This long pitch gained the easier-angled an d u n d u latin g m iddle section o f the couloir, w here several pitches o f m o d erate ice led to th e base o f th e headw all. Two pitches o f W I 4+ led them o nto to the hanging glacier. The following day, Jim D onini and Brad M cM illon repeated the route. D ougald M ac D onald , AAC