Fall from 1/2 Dome Cables

[telemarker]

Borrowed from Supertopo...

 

Half Dome Cables Fatality

 

Having descended the cables this spring, I was gripped, and I had my climbing shoes on and the weather was perfect. Like some of the people said, I'm really surprised more people don't die or get hurt going down the cables.

[rob]

[mountainmatt]

Sad for sure

[matt_warfield]

Note that the cables had been laid down for the season and that it was raining and so represents a bigger adventure than normal. But I also am surprised that there aren't more accidents as the better conditions in summer are compensated by hordes and some sketchy folks.

 

I was there this year in summer and won't soon forget the irony of being in such a beautiful place and yet being put off by the ant trail of people going up the cables.

[Adventureboy]

I always hate hearing about needless accidents, The entire situation could have been prevented.

It also bums me out when i see posts by other folks on super topo that say we all should have an orientation to see who is fit to travel in the backcountry.

Though.. I guess i have taken an avalanche course, and a high angle recue course.

Which both have come in handy.

Hmmmmmmmm.

Maybe so?

[ashw_justin]

They simply need to tear that out. It is a great wrongness.

 

[Dechristo]

from talkingleaves.org:

 

Emily Sandall grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and just received an elementary education degree at the University of Montana. One of Sandall's greatest passions is issues concerning street and working children, and she hopes to use literature as a means to communicate the connection between the lives of the children and choices of comfort we make here in the United States. Sandall loves to write, explore the outdoors, run, dance, and work towards a more just and sustainable world. She wrote this poem in August, while working at three separate organic farms in Dixon, a small town in Northwest Montana.

 

She was 25 years old

[Rad]

Very sad. RIP

 

The first time I climbed Snake Dike was in late October, after the cables had been put to bed for the season: they lay flat on the rock with no posts to hold them up or stairs to stand on.

 

Between glaciers and millions of footsteps that sucker is polished and slick! What to do? Lift the cable, tuck my thigh underneath, and walk down facing downhill. The extra weight/friction gave peace of mind. Just like the Snake Dike runouts, it's easy ground but if you fall you're f$%^$d.

 

Dry is bad enough, but wet? I'd probably say and find a way to rap or throw a crude prussik on the cable or something.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Rad

[ashw_justin]

Just get rid of the cables, then rapping is mandatory (like everywhere else)

[kevbone]

Just get rid of the cables, then rapping is mandatory (like everywhere else)

 

Get rid of the cable? You are a dork. The cables represent the first accent in Yosemite and one of the first accents in all of North America.

 

I came down the cables for the first time 2 summers ago. We climbed Snake Dike and if I would have known what I was getting into. I would have put my harness back on. Scary as shit.

Edited November 17, 2006 by kevbone

[ashw_justin]

It's obsolete. The common climber has evolved, and can easily develop the proper skills and equipment to climb and descend without the aid of cables. If you scrap the cables, the zoo is gone as the non-climbers go find somewhere else to be dangerous to themselves and others.

 

That stuff just doesn't belong there, history is a poor excuse for the eyesore and the insult to nature (not to mention the apparent invitation for people who have no business being on the side of that rock face).

[kevbone]

The common climber

 

What about the common hiker? There are alot more of them, then climbers in yosy!

[ashw_justin]

I think there is plenty of hiking in Yosemite? Steep rock faces are for climbing! Having cables there invites hikers into a place where they really shouldn't be.

[bigwalling]

Even with a 80 pound haulbag this isn't steep. If there would have been a few less people running out of control down the outside of the cables, I wouldn't have even stayed between them. The rock is way more grippy on the outside. There was enough cute girls saying I was their hero for climbing it that I wasn't in much of a hurry though. It took me about an hour to get down the cables, more crowded than that picture for sure! I will never top halfdome out on a weekend again... knock on wood...

 

edit-wet this thing would suck and I would definetly be far more cautious! Winter ascents of half dome would be gnarl... snow snow and more snow.

 

RIP and I wish friends and family the best in these sad days.

[tradclimbguy]

Get your head out of your ass ashw and take your disrespect and crap to another spray thread. This thread is NOT the place to discuss the validity of the HD cables.

 

Emily Sandall had a horrible unfortunate accident and I was really sad to hear about this. I recently spoke with a friend who knew her from work and was having trouble dealing with this. She sounded like a very wonderful person. She was just beginning a career with Aspen, a wilderness Therapy program that helps kids out. Anyone devoting their life to helping kids out is A1 in my book and its very sad we lost her. I was told she was a very experienced hiker and her love for the mountains was one thing which brought her to the program. Accidents happen irregarless of how or where they occur. I hope this reminds everyone how careful you need to be and how wonderful it is to be able to get out into the mountains.

 

Its always hard to lose somebody whom belongs to our small community of people which all love the out doors.

 

She will sorely be missed. My condolences.

[telemarker]

You could freak the tourons out by slacklining the descent.

[rob]

It's obsolete. The common climber has evolved, and can easily develop the proper skills and equipment to climb and descend without the aid of cables. If you scrap the cables, the zoo is gone as the non-climbers go find somewhere else to be dangerous to themselves and others.

 

That stuff just doesn't belong there, history is a poor excuse for the eyesore and the insult to nature (not to mention the apparent invitation for people who have no business being on the side of that rock face).

 

Dude, you suck.

[cj001f]

It's obsolete. The common climber has evolved, and can easily develop the proper skills and equipment to climb and descend without the aid of cables. If you scrap the cables, the zoo is gone as the non-climbers go find somewhere else to be dangerous to themselves and others.

 

That stuff just doesn't belong there, history is a poor excuse for the eyesore and the insult to nature (not to mention the apparent invitation for people who have no business being on the side of that rock face).

 

Pocket Hardman, please go take a look at the cables as they are now. You'd likely crap your pants.

 

As for their being "no need" - the halfdome hike is one of, if not the, most popular long distance hike in Yosemite. It gets more people out into the backcountry. I think that's a good thing.

[ashw_justin]

tradclimbguy, I am also very sad that a beautiful young person had to perish. My condolences.

 

robmcdan, Perhaps you are too emotional to express your thoughts. I'm sorry to offend you.

 

cj001f, this is exactly why they are a hazard (I think this danger is fairly obvious given what happened). Also, Yosemite is huge, with plenty of backcountry besides the top of Half Dome. I would argue that the only reason hikers even consider hiking to the top of half dome is because there are cables there.

 

And how does my criticism of cables related to the tragedy? I feel sad that instead of learning safe climbing techniques and climbing Half Dome safely, this person lost their life due to a false sense of security and underestimation of risk, due precisely to the fact that there are cables strung up the side of a rock face.

 

But it's my turn to be that rational a-hole, so go ahead and take it out on me. I think it is interesting to think about why it is so offensive to some when accidents are rationalized. If you are unable to handle discussion of the tragedy, why do you come to an internet forum? Why do you act as if I am speaking freely at a memorial (which the internet can not and never will be). If it is better that nothing is said at all, then why does this thread even exist?

[rob]

If you scrap the cables, the zoo is gone as the non-climbers go find somewhere else to be dangerous to themselves and others.

 

Yes, I see that you are brimming with concern. My mistake.

[cj001f]

cj001f, this is exactly why they are a hazard (I think this danger is fairly obvious given what happened). Also, Yosemite is huge, with plenty of backcountry besides the top of Half Dome. I would argue that the only reason hikers even consider hiking to the top of half dome is because there are cables there.

 

Justin-

THE CABLES WERE TAKEN DOWN FOR THE SEASON! THERE WERE NO STANCHIONS - IT WAS JUST ONE BIG CABLE LINE! No different than someone jugging elcap.

 

Very few people hike halfdome when the cables are down

[ashw_justin]

I'm just saying that the absence of cables most likely would have prevented the loss of a life.

 

I can't think of what would possess someone to venture onto that face in the rain without rope. The probable answer is that there were cables. I'm sorry to try to make sense of the tradedy, it is a human thing to do.

[kevbone]

I'm just saying that the absence of cables most likely would have prevented the loss of a life.

 

This may be true.

 

The cables are dangerous. I am surprised that 100’s of hikers don’t die every year on them. I was scared silly coming down them. But they are landmark to the climbing community and will never be taken away.

[bigwalling]

Have you done half dome ashw? Have you even been to yosemite? Take a look around you next time and wonder where the fuck the wilderness is! Halfdome isn't far from the valley proper, which is just non stop buildings, roads, tunnels, and they dump old pavement in the woods(this is pathetic!!!)! The more time I spent there the more I realize it is like a disneyland but only way way better... or is it far worse in terms of wilderness destruction?

 

Take a look at fern spring when you go there next. I pretty much assure you there will be trash all around it. This is super disapointing to me as I treasure fern spring and would hate to see it continue to be trashed. You would probably say the fences around it are not natural looking... well they keep the idiots from trampling the vegitation around it and prevents them from pissing or shitting too close to it. blah blah blah... poor yosemite.

[ashw_justin]

No I haven't been on Half Dome... ironically it was my shock at the pictures that I found that led me to post, as I usually know better than that. (It obviously didn't look like that on Nov. 8th.)

 

I want to say that on the contrary to any implicit dishonor, I think Emily must have been extremely brave and adventurous to be up there doing that.