I am going up The Thumb for the first time this weekend, and remembered reading different accounts about new descent options.

I know the standard descent goes to the east and then down climbs and rappels into the Plumb Line Gully, but is there now a direct rappel option?

Thanks for the help.

He placed a bit of info on Thumbing to Bogota

I rapped the direct line last weekend and most of the stations have had bolts replaced or added recently. Bring two ropes. I still remember the downclimb of plumline gully over 15 years ago. It was very loose, very long with lots of bushwacking = not much fun.

I did the walk off descent of the Thumb yesterday. Contrary to the many posted opinions I found it easy and fairly straight forward. It took us 1.5 hours. I posted a picture here:

http://www.mountainproject.com/images/30/58/106593058_large_>>>>>

If someone has rapped all the way from the summit down the face I would love to see a topo. However, it wasn't obvious to me how the rappels connected and so the walk off seemed much safer and faster. Plus you only need a single 60m rope.

Save yourself the trouble and enjoy the walk off. This walk off is tame compared to many ones at Red Rock or even Yosemite.

I rappeled the Thumb a few years ago after an ascent of Thumbing to Bogota. I had two ropes so figured I would give it a try.

This is what I thought of it. Comment

Thanks for the comment Craig. It sounds like your experience was about what I would have expected. It reaffirms my belief that the walk off is the way to go.

I think it would be a great service for someone, with a lot of experience rapping on this wall, to draw up a detailed topo on how to get off of it safely.

We came up Indecent Exposure and then went up S-Direct. I poked around on the Lunch Ledge looking for anchors, but never found any except a bunch of slings on a horn at the bottom of Nob Job.

We did it with double 70's and got down really fast. I will never walk off again.

I walked off last weekend and swore I'd rappel it from here on out.

You end up having to rappel almost as many times as you would if you just rapped down the face. . . except you have a bunch of walking in loose sand/rocks in between. On a high note, I did manage to avoid filing my shoes with granite sand until the very bottom this time.

If you are going to walk down, leave your packs near plumbline to avoid having to walk back up to the base of the route.

Has anybody tried the paragliding descent? That has got to be the best way down.

Bus Driver, it sounds like your expericence was very different from mine. I only did two single rope raps. One off the summit, and one half way down. I suppose I could have done three more, but those were very easy and obvious to bypass. I can't imagine that going down the face is less than seven two rope rappels.

It would be a great service is someone could mark up one of the images of the Thumb found on this site with the actual rappel route and an accurate description.

Don't be a sap, take two ropes and rap.

Not quite sure why this is even a point of discussion. Rapping From the two bolt chain anchor from the summit block and connecting the various lower bolted stations on very long established lines will become obvious and straight forward once you do it. Walking down is hideous compared to the easy pulls and pleasant raps. In fact, the lower bit can be accomplished in a number of different variations. We used two ropes, with one being a 7mm tag line and it seems like a painless enough way to get two ropes up there. All Thumb routes have much to offer, the approach trails up and down seem to be the one main distraction and annoying aspect of climbing on the Thumb. But if you haven't climbed to the top, make it your next destination!

I really never felt like the descent was that bad. Just hiking down a gully with occasional raps. Gotta leave the 'cragging' sometime.

or maybe I have just spent too many Tuesdays on the No-Stars...

What about a Seed Flying descent on roller blades? Now that would be something to see.

boissal,
You crack me up. I have yet to have a legitimate rappelling epic in the Wasatch...Alps, yes, Alaska, yes, Wyoming, yes...but I just don't seem to suffer from bad luck I suppose, like you obviously do...better get up there and start chopping. Make us all walk down....on the otherhand, I do know a few people who have suffered ankle injuries descending loose unstable scree slabs...me being one of them.

edited to spare everyone a new dong-show

James, thanks for the your clarification on the rappel route. I heard you could do it and I definitely will next time. regular rapping and especially simul-rapping would have gotten our party of four down in no time. . . right to the packs. our party stopped numerous times on the gully descent when loose rocks started rolling.

For the record, I would be carrying shoes up that thing even I were rapping. Guide tennies are a comfortable way to climb the first half of the route!

The first rap after getting off the thumb is the most fun part of climbing the thumb ;) who doesn't enjoy looking at the ziton as it flexes

Let the dong-show commence.

For the record, I (not boissal) pulled the ropes. At dusk I pulled on our static line and watched as the lead line came slithering down the face, was grabbed by the evil chickenhead on knob job and then it swung all the up and around to firmly jam over itself. Upon retrieval the next day the end was found to have wrapped under after the swing.

Had we threaded the shorter static line we would have then had our 70 meter dynamic line to fix and retrieve, or at least a dynamic cord to complete the last pitch.

James, despite your insinuations, I can assure you that boissal is not a bolt-chopper. Anchor criticizer perhaps........

It was actually impossible for me to *not* post that.

back on subject. I have successfully rappelled the entire route from the summit block walked down to the anchors above the 5.8 OW above the S-direct, down the s-direct to lunch ledge and then down the s-crack face. 7 raps straight to our bags 70 feet below the first pitch.