Sunkist, El Capitan A3 5.8

    
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Yosemite Valley, California USA

  • Currently 4.0/5
Avg time to climb route: 5 days
Approach time: 20 minutes
Descent time: 4 hours
Number of pitches: 31
Height of route: 2900'
Overview
Sunkist climbs some of the most beautiful and steep sections of the Southwest Face of El Capitan. It only climbs 11 independent pitches but the other routes it starts and finishes on are classic. It is the lesser known sibling of The Shield route. It climbs through similarly spectacular steep and gold rock but has less crowds and pin scars and more rivets and fixed heads. Unlike the Shield it only has a pitch and a half of mega classic crack but the other climbing is fun and less scarred. The climbing is sustained but never too hard. There are a lot of hooking boulder problems between rivets and fixed heads.
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Strategy
Sunkist doesn't officially start until pitch 5 on the topo which is halfway up El Cap. How you choose to start that first half affects the overall character of your climb. The most common and easy start from the ground to Mammoth Terraces is Salathe Wall/Freeblast. However, you can make the whole ascent more interesting by starting on Muir Wall, Heart Route, Magic Mushroom, or Jolly Rodger. From Mammoth Terraces, most teams go up Magic Mushroom to get to Gray Ledges but you can ...   [full history for SuperTopo members only!]

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Source: SuperTopo Guidebook Staff Last update: February 15, 2011
El Capitan - Sunkist A3 5.8 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click to Enlarge
Photo: Chris McNamara
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1800' of fantastic climbing.
El Capitan - Salathe Wall 5.13b or 5.9 C2 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click for details.
Salathe Wall, 5.13b or 5.9 C2
El Capitan
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The Salathé Wall ascends the most natural line up El Cap.
El Capitan - Lurking Fear C2F 5.7 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click for details.
Lurking Fear, C2F 5.7
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Lurking Fear is route number 1.
El Capitan - The Shield A3 5.8 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click for details.
The Shield, A3 5.8
El Capitan
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The Shield is route number 7.
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