Miscellaneous comments:
Re. a Casual Route FAQ -
"Good move. It'll clean up the route and encourage people
to do the 'Cattle Route' rather than one of the better routes."
- Malcolm Daly
"I have mixed feelings about a FAQ on the Diamond. The
place is crowded as it is although it might cut down on the number
of unprepared folks. There are already 3 guidebooks that have
the Diamond in it (Gillette, Clay Wadman's poster & Rossiter)."
- George Bell
Re. approaches -
"N. Chimney is waaaay better. Stay on the slabs to the
left of the chimney proper for the lower half. The slabs intersect
the N Chimney at the big chockstone/narrows. If you don't feel
comfortable soloing them you should reconsider climbing the Diamond."
- Malcolm Daly
"..be at the North Chimney by dawn, solo it if you can
(I know this is very controversial beta, but if you screw around
there you'll be on the route in the afternoon)" - Paul Wolf
"I did it once very casually with a bivy at Chasm View.
This seemed much better than approaching direct from the base,
since you could stash all your gear at the bivy, and then pick
it up on the descent, without a detour back to the base. I don't
think there was enough in our pack to warrant hauling it."
- Clint Cummins
Advice -
"There is no place comparable to the Diamond. It is high,
cold, steep, a long way from the parking lot, and most of all,
intimidating. Chasm View, or the Flying Buttress can get you acclimated,
but nothing can prepare you for the Diamond but the Diamond."
- Malcolm Daly
Pack Hauling - "This slows everything down and you should
figure out how to go light enough to carry everything in a small,
light pack you can climb with. The only place you'll really need
to haul is the crux pitch where you can actually drag a small
pack up underneath you on a 48" sling." - Malcolm Daly
"I don't own a helmet, but (North Chimney is) the one
place I wanted one. A lot of stuff falls off that cliff."
- Paul Wolf