On August 4th, 2020 Wade Morris and his partner Stefan Griebel broke the speed record on

The Diamond (Longs Peak) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The duo went car to

car in three hours and fifty four minutes, breaking the previous record of three hours fifty nine

minutes set by Dean Potter some twenty years ago.

 

For Morris and Griebel, the speed record comes as a testament to their personal

determination, countless hours on the wall and learning the intricacies of each pitch in order to

climb fast on simul.

Here we catch up with Wade and Stefan in order to learn more about the experience.

 

Wild Country

Tell us about the history of the route and some of it’s notable climbs.

 

Wade

The Casual Route (5.10) was originally called the Integral route and was first climbed in 1977 by

Colorado Legends Duncan Ferguson and Chris Reveley. A year later in 1978 Charlie Fowler

boldly soloed the route, calling the climb “a casual day in the mountains”. After that historic solo

it has been known ever since as the Casual Route.

It was hard to find information about Dean Potter’s solo but a friend of mine, Bill Wright, has kept

informal records on Colorado climbs going back several decades. From his account, Dean

teamed up with a partner for an approximately five hour round trip climb and then shortly

thereafter completed it solo in 3 hours and 59 minutes, back in 1999. Since 99’ Deans record

has stood as the fastest known time.

 

 

Wild Country

Tell us about the style in which you climbed the route in order to achieve the speed record.

 

Wade

Dean soloed the route so he did not need any ropes or gear, whereas we decided to simul-climb

the route. We knew that Dean was faster than two climbers who were belaying, so a really fast

simul was the only way to beat his record. Stefan and I always had at least two pieces of gear

between us during the climb. Others would normally climb The Diamond in seven or eight

pitches, but we climb it in one.

 

Stefan

We jokingly call The Casual route the best single pitch on The Diamond.

 

Wild Country

Tell us about the day of the climb. How were you feeling that morning?

 

Wade

A week before we went for the speed attempt Stefan and I completed the route in just over four

hours, so we knew the record was attainable the morning we set out. All we needed to do was to

try a little harder and clean up our transitions. Already in our harnesses, we left the trailhead at

8 AM.

Starting off well balanced is crucial, as the approach is steep and long. It’s very easy to spike

your heart rate too quickly and then be done for the day. During the running portion I am

constantly checking in with my body.

Once we get to the wall begins the easy part, which might come as a surprise to some. The

climbing on The Casual route is pretty straight forward for experienced climbers, and offers a

relief from the running. We were only roped up on the rock for forty five minutes.

The hardest part is arguably the last one hundred feet or so to the summit, where you really feel

the elevation effect on your body. We reached the summit in two hours and fifty seven minutes

and we knew we can descend the mountain in under an hour.

 

 

Wild Country

What makes this speed record different from others?

 

Stefan

For starters, we count the round trip time from “car-to-car” as it’s called here in Colorado. For

whatever reason, in Yosemite for example, speed records are just from the bottom of the route

to the top of the route. This makes speed records in Colorado more of a multi-sport adventure

and benefits those who are both fast runners and strong climbers.

 

Wade

We didn’t really seek out this speed record, and the time progression just came with finding

something that we have fun climbing and get to climb a lot. I wouldn’t consider myself a super

fast runner or a super elite climber, but through getting to know one route really well we were

able to work towards the speed record. I think the biggest takeaway from this record is that

anyone can beat a record if they are willing to give enough time into a project.

 

Written by Wade Morris

Photo by Brian Szymanski 

 

Wild Country

What makes climbing on The Diamond so special to you personally?

 

Wade

The Diamond is definitely a proving ground for any serious alpinist in North America, and

because of this there is great allure to climbing any of the various routes. It is really only

climbable from the end of June to the beginning of August, so you need to show up in shape

and ready to climb during this short window. Furthermore, the long approach and high elevation

make climbing even more difficult and the area is notorious for nasty weather. All these factors

combined make any successful climb on The Diamond very rewarding.

 

Wild Country

When did you start thinking about setting the speed record on the route?

 

Wade

Ironically, the speed record wasn’t really planned for. In the beginning of summer I ruptured a

pulley in my finger and my doctor told me to practice climbing on moderate routes, so I started

climbing The Casual route quite often with various friends. As I became more acquainted with

the route and as my finger started feeling better my time on the route started getting faster and

faster. On my 6th lap of the summer I climbed the route with Stefan Griebel in just over 4 hours

and that’s when we sort of decided that the speed record was easily within reach. After this

climb we decided to officially go for the record.

 

Here we catch up with Wade and Stefan in order to learn more about the experience.