Better Lock Next Time

This excellent route climbs through the left side of the South Face of The Sun in 4 great pitches. To locate the start of the route, look for a clean crack rising up and left from the ground with a wide spot about 15' up. The upper pitches are hard to spot from the ground, but it is fairly obvious where the only weakness through the sheer face could possibly be. The route can be broken up several different ways and climbed in three to five pitches depending on how you choose to do it. This is the way we did it:

Pitch 1. 220 feet. 5.8+. Locate the clean crack that begins on the left side of the formation and angles up and left. Pass a wide spot early on (5.8s without a Bigbro), and continue on via a nice finger crack that leads to a long, arching, corner system that sweeps up and left. Either belay at the top of the finger crack or continue up for another 150' to a good stance atop a large flake just before you are forced to step left into another crack system. It is intense for 5.8.

Pitch 2. 85 feet. 5.9-. Make a slab move left into the next crack system and follow the low angle crack for about 40 feet to a steep corner formed by an enormous block. Move around right via good hands, pass a bush, and power up the corner either by offwidthing or liebacking and belay on a large, flat ledge atop the huge block. This is better than it looks.

Pitch 3. 75 feet. 5.10b. Climb the obvious overhanging hand crack above you via jams and liebacking. Either continue to the top or belay at a very unique rock "saddle" that makes for a comfortable seat with a great view of the next pitch. It is strenuous.

Pitch 4. 85 feet. 5.9. Climb the beautiful corner crack up and right with perfect hand jams, good crystals and knobs for the feet, and great pro to the top of the rock. This is pure fun!

Walk off either side.

Stoppers and cams up to a #4 Camalot, extra #1 through #3.