Jigsaw

Getting to the Sunkist Face

From the Suicide Rock trail, follow up to near The Weeping Wall. The main trail goes up and right when you get close to the rock. Continue to the right past Rebolting Face. You are now near The Escalator 5.6, and other routes to the right of the Escalator like The Breeze 5.10a, and The Shadow 5.8.

Easiest approach to Sunkist Face is up The Escalator, but one can go up The Shadow or The Breeze to reach a easy class 3 system of ledges and bushes that you move up and right which will take you to a large black featured slab with a big roof above. This is the Godzilla Face. Continue around to the right of the Godzilla face on easy slab until you get to a small clearing, to your left the Sunkist Face is easily seen now.

Continue up class 3 on ledges and broken corners to the base of the Sunkist Face. On the right hand side of the face is a Jigsaw looking flake going up. This is Jigsaw 5.10a R

Route Description

P1- Climb up the beautiful sharp flake up to a nice foot ledge. Pull up on a slabby small, water polished footholds to gain a faint crack above a small bulge, which you friction up and to the right to the only bolt.

From here, the original route follows a faint, featured section to the left, and continues up and on to the crux of the route, a 40+ foot slab finish to a two-bolt anchor. A fall from near the top of the slab would be a ground fall, if you don't hit the Jigsaw flake coming down.

A possible bail option from the bolt is to go right onto a bouldery alcove, and continuing on easier ground (5.8) with gear. Continue up easy slab to the top of the Sunkist Face.

There are some trees that you can use at the top for anchors, as well as a two bolt anchor near the end of the slab on the top right side.

Unless you are a competent 11a leader that doesn't mind huge death runouts, please work this route on Top-Rope. You can scramble up a class 3 gully on the left side of the base of the rock to gain the top of the face.

Essential Gear

-Stoppers thin to #10
-Friends small to fist size, maybe a 3.5 BD size at most
-1 Special Quickdraw, ready to take a big one. Screamer could be useful?
-60m Rope
-Anchor Setup
-Not afraid of large runouts

If toproping, 2 60m ropes, and anchor setup. Long webbing may be nice if you don't want to use the bolted anchor.



Descent- From the top of the face looking back down to the bottom, go right and scramble down the Class 3 gully to the base. Be aware of lots of loose junk in the gully.

Comments Welcome

Please feel free to PM me if you have any comments on this route from your own personal experiences on this route.

Final Disclamer

There is a unbelievable amount of loose garbage on the top of the Sunkist Face, so please be careful walking around and getting around on top.

And again, Jigsaw is a no joke lead. You can die on any route, but this one is very serious and should be rated very R.

First Ascent

In July 1973, Tobin Sorenson, Bill Antel, John Long, Rob Muir, Richard Harrison, and Bruce Foster did the FA.

Comments on the who did the first lead and the climbing on the FA are welcomed.

Images

View Jigsaw Image Gallery - 1 Images