Alpine Diamond

Alpine Diamond Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Alpine Diamond, Outdoor & Sporting Goods Company, Srinagar.

Winter 25/26, Part 1For most, this seemed like the winter that wasn't. But I definitely turned on my heated socks on mor...
11/04/2026

Winter 25/26, Part 1

For most, this seemed like the winter that wasn't. But I definitely turned on my heated socks on more than one occasion. There was still plenty of snow, ice, and core shots to be found.

This winter was also incredibly hard for me on a personal level. Motivation to train hit all time lows, Finances tanked, emotional distress sky rocketed plans canceled, and many, many days were spent just trying to get out of bed; often failing.

This winter coupled with a rough summer and fall leading into it, have made me really take a stark look at my life, direction, and priorities. Questioning if this is what I still want? If I can even do this? Or is it time to take a step back from the dreams and find more stability?

I haven't come to any conclusions. Decisions like this don't come easily or quickly. The slow burn is both needed and wanted.

I'm also not one for sharing these pieces of my life on social media. But I think an honest look at life behind the smiles and pretty pictures is important to keep in mind. As social media feels incrediblely less social these days, I don't want anyone thinking this dream I'm in is golden. There's lots behind the scenes not being shared, on purpose.

Thanks to those who reached out. Who kept poking me. Gave me reason to get out of bed. Stayed with me through my stumbles and silence. Those that checked in with nothing but hugs, food and belays. It was immensely appreciated.

Here's to trying to grow from the pile of rubble.

Got lost in the desert for a few weeks, had some great company along the way.
17/11/2025

Got lost in the desert for a few weeks, had some great company along the way.

Scenes from work this summer in the Cascades. A brutal place to work, one that i find to be ultimately unsustainable as...
15/08/2024

Scenes from work this summer in the Cascades.
A brutal place to work, one that i find to be ultimately unsustainable as a guide, the cascade range is one of infinite potential, raw beauty, and for now, great memories.
Thanks to all that made another season possible.
From post-holing in snowshoes, to ice climbing in the rain.
From splitter weather days on alpine rock, to exploring the depths of glaciers.
From seeing natures fireworks on the fourth of July, to not seeing 10ft in front of me.

I'm excited to start planning for next season, going on my own terms and seeing what i can do with a new lens and appreciation for the terrain.

Until then, who knows.

This one took work. It took sacrifice. It took loss. And still, there's so much doubt. Becoming an AMGA Certified Alpine...
12/08/2024

This one took work. It took sacrifice. It took loss.
And still, there's so much doubt.

Becoming an AMGA Certified Alpine Guide has thus far been the hardest thing I've had to do in my guiding career. I've watched friends die. I've come close to dying numerous times. I watched friends leave because they broke their body in pursuit of this discipline. I picked up my life and moved to whole new areas in the quest to understand more, see more, do more, and maybe, be more.

It wasn't easy. But, if it was, it wouldn't mean as much as it does. I worked hard for this little blue circle. And now that I'm here, it's just the beginning. There's still so much work to be done, things to learn, skills to refine, lines to climb.

If you recall my feelings from my Rock Guide Certification, the alpine was much more different. I was actually accepted into each program, and ready (mostly) for each. Though I was still nervous as hell for each course, I found my footing at each step.

The alpine has been my sanctuary in climbing. A place where rules are more like guidelines. Where the "best" option is ever open to interpretation with a million factors being at play. It's a place where time seems to not matter as nights melt into day, and sometimes back again.

The alpine is a special place that i am fortunate to work and play in. With this certification, I'm excited to take to new heights, new destinations, new friends, and new experiences.

Imposter syndrome"the condition of feeling anxious and not experiencing success internally, despite being high-performin...
08/08/2024

Imposter syndrome
"the condition of feeling anxious and not experiencing success internally, despite being high-performing in external, objective ways."

Another season of growth, another shift in perspective. I feel so strong and accomplished coming out of the cascade season, but i also feel a deep, deep hole. For the first time, i feel like i kind of know, what i do not know. I have done so much in the mountains, but, I still have so much i want to do, and should do.

I feel like I'm just failing forward, stumbling with recognition and....so far, so good. But at some point, the luck has to run out, right?

I recently took an AMGA guide exam, more on that later. But post exam, I find I'm looking inward more than ever. Wondering if i deserve these accolades, if i deserve these titles, if i've earned them, or simply gamed another system and just found myself in a position of "super good enough"

I look around at my peers, what they've done in their personal and professional lives, and feel like my resume pales in comparison. I have to constantly remind myself that we were given very different opportunities in life, and though our paths have crossed for a small amount of time, that doesn't mean either is any more, or any less, than the other. But damn it's hard not to feel that way...a lot.

I won't pretend to have answers, or even a direction for this post, other than to say I still don't really know what I'm doing. I don't know so many things. But i do know i love being in the mountains on my terms, in my style, and at my abilities. I'm excited to return to what I love and experience it with a renewed lens, and hopefully, renewed stoke.

Until then, I think i'll sleep a bit more. Sleep is nice too.

05/08/2024

So often we think of single pitch climbing as the act of climbing from the base of the route up and back down. But often times it's safer and easier to access the climbing area from the top. Knowing how to keep our partners secure in these situations is key.
Here, two climbers are using the Load Strand Direct (L*D) method of defeating the plate to lower a climber in. But there's more to the L*D lower than meets the eye.

What other tools are at work here to keep the climber safe?
What must the belayer do in order to safely bring the climber back up?

01/08/2024

See previous post for more about the banshee bowline.
Great, welcome back. We can now apply the same ideas and concepts with our two strong anchor legs to the ice context! Using a V-thread and tying a bowline around that, we create an unquestionably strong anchor point, one that has tons of room to work with, but is also easy to destroy when cold and with gloves on.

This is also a useful anchor when climbing on glacier ice, where ice screws can often melt out in as little as 30 minutes. Unless we are rocketing up the mountain, we'll probably be at an anchor for more time than that. Taking the risk of multiple screws poping out is beyond my risk tollerance.

But slamming a thread and using that same anchor screw in the anchor makes for an efficient, simple and strong anchor that i don't mind spending more than 30 minutes at. After all, the views from here aren't that bad.

What are your thoughts on this anchor?

29/07/2024

I want to take a moment to talk about a simple and versatile anchor we can build on two bomber pieces (in this case bolts, but more on that in the next post). Often called the banshee belay, it is a bowline on a bight tied to the stronglest leg of our anchor. We then take the tail of the sling and tie a clove hitch to the other leg of the anchor, and finally close the system by clipping the sling loop back to the carabiner with the clove hitch.
Perks of this anchor:
It gives us an extremely high master point. So if you're in an area where the anchor bolts are low, this can help a bit.
We have a large master point to use so if we're climbing with multiple partners, organization is easy.
It allows us to belay the leader off the anchor on the next pitch instead of off our harness
What are some cons to this anchor?

KISS - Keep it Simple Son!Ever made it to camp, only to realize you forgot your camp shoes and all you have are mountain...
25/07/2024

KISS - Keep it Simple Son!
Ever made it to camp, only to realize you forgot your camp shoes and all you have are mountain boots for the next week? In desperate need of happier feet?
Introducing the latest and greatest in ultra-light backpacking technology, the foam pad shoes.
Simply cut off a section of your folding foam pad, cut that in half lengthwise, and add some well placed 2mm cord. Boom, camp shoes.

22/07/2024

The mountains are some of the most beautiful and painful classrooms we can choose to enter. The lessons learned, both literally and metaphorically, can help us to see the world from a perspective few get to have.
There's nothing quite like feeling small in an expanse. But as Chris Warner once said, "don't reach the peak, but miss the point."

18/07/2024

Last week, i got a handful of questions about the rappel exension i was using.
I've found that regardless of material, the bowline rappel exension has been my go to for a while.
Here, i'm using the blue ice alpine runner in the 90cm length. I found this to be the perfect middle ground of long enough, but not too long.

Pros:
easy to tie and untie
easy to modulate the length of the rappel exension
with a double sling, the tether can be modulated with a clove hitch

Cons:
more complicated knot, must be sure to do it right or it collapses on itself
*technicaly* not fully redundant

The world of rappel extensions is a deep dive, with tons of options.
What do you use? Curious about seeing other non-traditional rappel extensions/tethers? other questions? comment below!

Address

Srinagar

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Alpine Diamond posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category