Sunshine Daydream 

We linked the first three pitches of the Snaz (helps to shorten the rope). 4th pitch traverse is hair raising but the pro shows up as you keep traversing. Pitch 5 is serious! The machine head bolt doesn't inspire much confidence as you look up at the blank slab above. Keep long runners on the gear off the belay lest you get rope drag at the top of the pitch. The crux of the slab is at the bolt but you get a tricky move a ways out. Fear not though, if you stay on the feet you'll make it to the gear. The 10+ crux higher on this pitch is easy since you have pro now. Pitch 6 is easy, belay higher than the start of the finger crack. Pitch 7, is 5.11 fingers to tight hands. Study the pro and moves prior to hopping on. It isn't as easy as it looks off the start. Bring some big gear for higher on the pitch. The last 5.10 pitch is spectacular although a little scary due to rock quality in spots. Excellent jamming. The 5.8ow at the end is wide! #5-6? We didn't have anything that fit and there's nothing else. Climb the face to the right before diving in.

Try a set of nuts including some larger micros, a double set of tcus, and a single set to a #5 or 6 camalot. Maybe doubles in the hand sizes.

P1-3: Same as for the Snaz

P4: Traverse directly out right from the bolts at the base of the Snaz’s 4th pitch. Follow horizontal holds and get gear where you can, because there’s not much. There was a fixed #4 stopper about halfway through as of 7/07. When the holds begin to peter out to the right, they appear above you. Climb up when you see a small right facing corner/overlap system. Continue up the corner/overlaps and belay on top of them at a stance beneath the bolt. 5.8, 120’.

P5: Outstanding! Pull some hard moves at the ¼’’ bolt and move right for a .1 camalot/gray TCU placement when the bolt is just below your feet. Contrary to popular opinion, this section is not “slab” climbing, in the friction sense. It’s slabby face climbing. Holds abound. It felt like 5.9 to me, for what it’s worth. Bust up and slightly left toward a bulge. This is the crux of the pitch at .10+ and involves big holds and big reaches. Felt like .10c to me. Continue up easier ground to the base of the crux thin crack. 5.10+, 180’.

P6: The crux, and quite memorable. A classic Teton crack, with varying sizes and moves. Climb up to a fixed nut, clip it, and hang on! Never too technical, but slightly overhanging with some shallow fingerlocks. After topping out the crack, continue straight up, aiming for a 4.5” crack laced with jugs. Climb it, saving your #4 for higher up. After passing a short break, continue up for another 30’, climbing in the wide crack or using large faceholds surrounding it. Belay on a grassy ledge beneath the “coffin” flake. 5.11b, 170’.

P7: Another classic! Rad jamming with a few faceholds and an emphasis on great hands. I honestly don’t know what Ryan was talking about. I didn’t encounter any suspect rock, and would rank this pitch as one of the most classic in Death Canyon. After the handcrack ends, pull out an alcove to the right. Keep going up a slabby face and belay in another small nook. NOTE: going right at the alcove bypassed the 5.8 offwidth that’s part of the original route. We didn’t mind! 5.10, 190’.

P8: Easy fifth to the top of the buttress. End where a large chimney/gash separates the part of the buttress you’re on from a steeper wall above. 5.5, 150’.

Descent: follow the top of the buttress beneath the overhanging wall to the left for a few hundred feet, downclimbing to avoid harder terrain when necessary and joining the Snaz descent.

Rack: We brought a set of nuts, one .1 camalot, doubles from blue TCUs to #3 camalots, and one #4. This was about perfect, though you only need one 3. Pitches 5-7 are LONG and pretty sustained. We brought 13 slings and ran out on each of these pitches.

ESCAPE NOTE: Instead of climbing the 5.11 crack, you can climb the chimney/gully that's pretty much directly above where you belay for the crack. Traverse easily left underneath a roof (the first obvious spot)through some dirty rock, passing over an arete that requires an easy fifth class downclimbing move or two. Continue left until you're back in the Snaz dihedral at a point near the top of pitch 7, the first 5.7 pitch after the crux. Either belay here off a #3 camalot & other stuff or, if drag's not an issue, pull it and continue another 20' or so to the bolted anchor. From here, with 70 M ropes, it is 4 double rope rappels to the ground. Good choice if the weather looks iffy, as retreat from above this pitch on Sunshine isn't possible without leaving gear.

Awesome route, some of the best pitches on Cathedral Rock!