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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Climber Beta on Sunkist
  A total of (7) submissions of route beta on Sunkist
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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 also go up Muir Wall and then traverse left on Gray Ledges (however Muir Wall is usually crowded).

Retreat/Storm
The headwall pitches are relatively protected from water but very exposed to wind. Above and below the headwall, many pitches are exposed to run-off and there has been at least one epic storm bivy where the route joins Son of Heart. To retreat, rap the route. You may have trouble getting back to the pitch 5 belay but there are other anchor options below.
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Source: SuperTopo Guidebook Staff Last update: September 28, 2013
El Capitan - Sunkist A3 5.8 - Yosemite Valley, California USA. Click to Enlarge
Photo: Chris McNamara
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The Salathé Wall ascends the most natural line up El Cap.
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Zodiac, A2 5.7
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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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