Black Orpheus Amphitheater

Immediately upstream from the Solar Slab is the Black Orpheus Amphitheater. This huge bowl faces generally south and is separated from the main part of the Solar Slab Buttress by the lengthy Sunspot Ridge. The amphitheater itself can be divided into three sub-areas. The tall central section is the site of the Black Orpheus route. This reaches the very top of the Solar Slab Buttress and follows the descent routes described in that section.

The left side of the amphitheater is the Black Arch Wall. The routes here are shorter and end in the Painted Bowl. Most of these routes are best approached from near the upstream end of the Amphitheater, just before the first fork of Oak Creek. Although it would be possible to descend by walking down the Painted Bowl, or continuing up to link with one of the higher routes, the most common descent uses two double rope rappels starting at a bolted anchor right at the top of Plate of Fate. If approaching this anchor from above, go to the area of vegetation at the easternmost part of the Painted Bowl. You need to scramble down for fifteen feet of third class before you can see the bolts.

The right (downstream) side of the Black Orpheus Amphitheater is a southwest-facing alcove with several medium-length routes. These are best approached by starting out of the streambed as for Black Orpheus, then quickly traversing right to a steep gully. The routes end in a low-angle broken area just to the west of the notch on Sunspot Ridge. The obvious descent is to scramble right (east) to the notch, downclimb fifteen feet, rappel from a small bush to ledges at the top of Solar Slab's second pitch, then continue down the Solar Slab rappels. Alternatively, one could climb the last pitches of Sunspot Ridge or work west to the slabby middle section of Black Orpheus and ascend that route.