Solar Slab Descent - Best Options?

Since everyone was so very helpful with the best descent suggestions for my previous post about Johnny Vegas, now I'd like to ask about Solar Slab!

So in all my research with the Handren guide, MP, comments, etc etc... I am now looking for the best option for descending Solar Slab.  My partner and I intend to do this route with a single rope as we do not want to bring up two.  I see in the Handren guide that some of the rappel stations are intermediate and not always the same as the belay stations that you use on the way up, but there is no information on whether or not a single rope will safely clear all of these rappel stations.  We have an 80m rope, so does anyone know if an 80m will suffice?

That being said, I am also aware that even if a single 80m rope did clear all of the higher rappels, it's very apparent that the first pitch of Solar Slab is impossible to get down with one rope.  We do have a tagline that we'd be willing to bring up for rappelling down this first pitch, but is that just asking for rope snags since a tagline would require pulling down a carabiner as part of the system, or is that pitch relatively safe to pull down on without snags since half of it is runout slab?

And lastly... if rappelling down the actual route just does not sound doable with a single 80m rope (and tagline for the first pitch), then how does going down the Painted Bowl sound instead?  I have read equal amounts of both praise and complaints about how easy it is to do as well as how horrible it is because it is a longer descent and easy to get lost despite cairns.  I'm also not sure based on the Handren guide where it spits you out at the base and how easy or hard it would be to get back the main trail that leads to the Oak Creek lots?

Any thoughts or previous experiences welcome!  Everyone has been super helpful on these boards, thank you in advance!

I have done both, you will definitely need 2 ropes to rap down the route. I also believe that there aren't rap anchors above a certain point, so you can't finish the route if you want to go back down. You can get by with just a single if going into the painted bowl. The first rap into the bowl, if doing single rope raps, requires going climbers left on the way down to a small ledge, then traverse that ledge further left to another anchor. As far as the bowl, it's fairly easy to navigate but does include some exposed slabs that some people don't love.  Another thing to consider is that Solar Slab is incredibly popular, particularly with novice climbers and the chance of getting stuck behind a slow group (or being that slow group yourselves) is high and so the need to bail before reaching the top is a possibility. Having another rope leaves your options open.

I walked off with no beta, so I think the walk-off with beta will be the fastest and most enjoyable way to get down. There were a couple cairns when I did it a while ago. I believe there was a rap station into the bowl that bypasses a sketchy traverse and down climb.

Suzie Weis wrote:

I'm also not sure based on the Handren guide where it spits you out at the base and how easy or hard it would be to get back the main trail that leads to the Oak Creek lots?

The descent from the painted bowl meets the wash around 36.10165, -115.49591.  The final section immediately before the wash can be very slick and an ankle breaker.  I've done the rappels and walk-off and much prefer the walk-off (I like the slower pace and lower stakes of walk-offs in general and hate rappeling through other parties).

Walk off is the way

Suzie Weis wrote:

 My partner and I intend to do this route with a single rope as we do not want to bring up two.    We have an 80m rope, so does anyone know if an 80m will suffice?

Here are my thoughts:  I'm not sure what experience you've had that has you opposed to carrying a second rope, but if it's weight concerns, it's interesting to do the math.

Let's take a BD 9.2 mm 80M rope.  That weighs 10.4 lbs and the leader will have the hassle of pulling up all that extra rope in most multipitch circumstances in RR that you do. If you have a hanging belay and have to stack rope thats 20M more rope you will be stacking than if you took a 60M. What a hassle and way more time consuming. For these easy multipitch routes in RR where I want to rap, I use a Mammut Serenity 60 M triple rated 8.7mm that weighs 6.7 lbs, and I carry a 5.8 lb 8mm 1/2 rope in my small climbing pack, and break it out at the end of the route. That's only 2.1 lbs more weight with 2 ropes than the single 80, I barely notice it. Sometimes if the climbing is harder I trail it for leading, or the second trails it.  And you can certainly find a lighter 1/2 rope than what I have.

I own a 70 and an 80 and a thicker 60 and there are plenty of uses for them, but I pick the rope for the objective.  Sometimes the two ropes give you some versatility and a safety margin that the 80 won't afford you.

Thank you everyone for your responses!  We did not realize that not all the final pitches have rap anchors so if we want to go to the very end of the climb (which we do), then we'll pretty much have to do the Painted Bowl descent no matter what.  It sounds beautiful though and we greatly look forward to it.

Yeah, walk off is the way to go and is faster than raps. The slick section at the bottom is easily butt scooted. 

I have done the painted bowl “walk off” (3 raps from the stations NW from the top out of Black Orpheus) with a single 70m. It is scenic and longer but pretty. Route founding didn’t seem difficult to me.

I have also descended solar slab with a single 80m rope twice. Even from the top up above the last pitch with no rap anchors you can walk back down (2nd class, some 3rd) weaving your way skiers left around the top pitch and then back skiers right. One set of chains leads to a slung block. Rap skiers left off route to a chain anchor off to the side. Swing back skiers right for the next anchor. Then a short rappel back to the nice ledge above pitch 5 of solar. If your 80 is long you can link the previous two raps but with a sterling rope ~7’ of easy  downclimbing was required. The Beal rope reached.

Next follow the route back down perhaps linking rappels of pitch 3 and 2 if desired or not. The pitch 1, with an 80M rope will get you down to some 3rd class slabs to downclimb. No tag line needed. From here either follow the gulley for 2 or 3 raps or go to the Boulder above Johnny Vegas and go off the skiers left behind the Boulder into the gulley. One 80m gets you onto a short step down into the large ledge above pitch 3 of the gulley. From there, straight down skiers right is 2 raps (one from a slung bush to the ground) or skiers left down the gulley for 3 raps on bolted anchors.

This descent is incredibly fast if done correctly. Would probably save 2+ hours over going into the painted bowl. 

Reviving this thread to ask - we were on SS last weekend and couldn't find the rap route described in Handren v2 that bypasses part of the route. There were some hangerless studs. Has this been chopped? Others were rapping the route, which works with a 70 but can get crowded.

An anchor has been added to the rap line behind the Johnny Vegas boulder. That can now be done with a single 60.

Last year I noticed anchors had been both removed and added, altering the solar slab route rappel to make it go with a 70.

Unfortunately these alterations have made rappelling with double 60’s worse and the rappelling party is now more in the way of those climbing up.

I still believe that rappelling the route is the fastest option rather than the painted bowl descent. 

Forget fastest, the painted bowl is one of the most beautiful places you could ever be in, why would you pass that up?

Jiggs Casey wrote:

Forget fastest, the painted bowl is one of the most beautiful places you could ever be in, why would you pass that up?

The scrambling in the Oak Creek canyon is superb. If Solar Slab etc are on you to-do list, take a "rest" day to find the decent--a perfect thing to do the day after it rains and the wet-rock police are ticketing. If you know the descent, you'll be better able to answer the question of what ropes to bring, and you'll have a much more viable escape plan B if the rappel plan A evaporates.

Jiggs Casey wrote:

Forget fastest, the painted bowl is one of the most beautiful places you could ever be in, why would you pass that up?

Knee issues.

Still, I find descending the wash after the painted bowl to feel magical. Granted, at that point, having some endurance helps. 

Dave’s suggestion to preview the descent is a good one. Scramble up and into the painted bowl.

Ashort wrote:

Yeah, walk off is the way to go and is faster than raps. The slick section at the bottom is easily butt scooted. 

I found bare feet work well, and were more secure than the sticky rubber on my approach shoes at that particular spot. Could easily walk down the short (15-20’) smooth and slick part at the bottom of the Painted Bowl exit into the wash.

If you really wanna experience all that oak creek canyon has to offer then go climb catwalk. 

Ashort wrote:

If you really wanna experience all that oak creek canyon has to offer then go climb catwalk. 

Agree. Pretty quiet and remote that far up. And different from where the descent from painted bowl meets the creek / wash going down.  Weird deposits from water flow, slabby too. Maybe bring some water treatment so to not carry up so much? Then again,I’m slow.  :)