Congratulations on your summit! I'm glad you did it safely. I really don't like hearing about people not using any protection. All it takes is one or two accidents with the cables down for the rangers to remove a section of the cables completely.
@@buckaroobanzai2551 I think he was responding to someone. In the old days there were no threads for comments so you just see out of context stuff floating around.
Hahaha! Other crazy folk. The first time I saw the cables after having been told they were down. I was like, "oh cool, they're still up." Not realizing that cables laying on the rock meant they were down. It was the second week in November 2005 or 2006. I was late leaving on a hike to Vernal Falls but I figured I'd run and catch up to my friends. I took the old Mule Path by mistake and ended up bypassing my friends. I was at the top of Nevada falls when I got some Cell reception to find out I missed them somehow. It was beautiful so I kept running. Then I saw a sign that said Half Dome this way. The next thing I knew is I was starring at the cables and thinking, oh boy, they are still up. Now I was dressed in some running shoes, shorts and maybe a tank top and water bag. When I started climbing it was already in the shadow in afternoon. I got about 50 yards or so from the top, there is the largest step up where I stopped. From there you still had no idea where the top was, but I figured I was nearly there. I was freezing. The cold rock and cold cable in my bare hands were having an impact on me plus I wasn't running and was getting cold. As much as I didn't want to, I turned around and ran back. I said I would do it another day. That actually turned into my usual Saturday morning run for quite a while. I've had to turn back more than once. Or rather I made the decision to turn back more than once. A little rain on that rock has caused quite a few deaths. Also lightening has taken quite a few people. I once turned around at that exact spot because I saw a Thunder Head approaching. I knew it was going to be bad. I shouted at people to turn around and go back down. I rained so hard the trail back down was like a river. I missed the next weekends run, but the weather didn't and a guy went skittering off the cables to his death.Now you have to have a permit to go. I stopped running there. People are now incentivized to take chances and go in unfavorable conditions because they only get one shot with the permit thing.
Back in the 60's, permits were required to climb Half Dome. I never bothered and climbed it a total of six times...once when the cables were down and had to kind of lift them up as I climbed. Both my younger brother and I did it at the same time. Me thinks the rangers would have been displeased, but in all of the times I climbed this, never saw a ranger above the 'Little Yosemite" valley.
You guys and gals are incredible! I watch this stuff because I could never do it. I would either faint, brown out my shorts, or both. Then in one final act of embarrassment, I would fall off the mountain. It would probably make for great television or PSA "how not to" video!
Daisy chain attached to a carabiner that attached to the cable. When moving between the cable sections, we would attach the carabiner to the higher cable and then transfer the prusik.
3:09 is actually the Visor. The Diving Board"is on the West Side of Half Dome, near the start of Snake Dike. It is the spot that Ansel Adams used to photograph the face of Half Dome.
Did the same last year, but without prusiks -- not sure I'd do it that way again. It's the best time to climb Half Dome and avoid the crowds and the permit, but it's not for the faint of heart.
We have done this hike in the fall after the cables were taken down (around 15 october) and had beautiful weather. We climbed it by just holding on to the cable and I don't recommend that unless you have perfect weather, and even then your feet can slip, and if you don't have good gloves you will loose your grip and bye-bye. We were foolish but lived to tell about it.
Pretty sweet. I did not know that they allowed that. If not, I ain't telling. I did that climb on the cables back in the 80's when I was 12. Great shit! I would love to rappel down just because...
Ynse Schaap whats bad about the summer ? im climbing the half dome cables in june and i plan on starting the hike at 4 -5 am and i was told there would be no crowds if i did that.
I think you will run into crowds on the way down because you'll probably stay to long on the summit enjoying the view, that's what I would do. And it can get very hot in the summer months with risk of thunder storms on the hike out and from what I understand there's no water on the final stretch to the base of the climb
Just got back and yes I did it. Was scary (I hate heights), but it was worth it! People did it without any protection, we used the same protection as Rob. Most people were clipped in one way or another. We had perfect weather, that was important.
I feel like this is safer than doing it the traditional way. I bit more work, but I've taken people up there like 16 times and its always a bit freaky.
Descended this in 1987 after doing Snake Dike and summiting in the dark. Was reticent about spending the night without bivy gear amid drifts of april snow but the cables disappeared into the darkness and we chicked out. Spent an ugly night shivering but had a beautiful sunrise and carefree descent in the sun.
Nice video, thanks for sharing. I am going to be in Yosemite in April and have been trying to understand if this was just plain stupid or not. Seems like a challenging adventure that can be done safely!
I went up H.D. 3 times all with stanchions up and it required a lot of upper body strength. I don't think I can do it with the stanchion down, even with a prusik. #respect
I went in may 2008. Didn't rig myself at all. You made this look a lot harder than it is. Going down is a lot harder than up. My friend just walked down it though. I control slid about half way down it and ripped my pants.
I went to the top of half dome with the cables down back in the late 88. It was enough to make you wet your pants, lol. Of course we had no safety gear, but it was incredible on top!!!
That's the visor not the diving board. The diving board is actually on the cliff section just below the south end of half dome, near the start of the route snake dike. Good thinking about using prussics. We descended the cables once sans boards and posts and just went had over hand. It was fast. But we had some young climbers with us and I regretted not protecting that section.
You are right about the naming, but honestly the "visor" looks more like a diving board than the extremely hard to reach Ansel Adams diving board. Even "Mr. Half Dome" quit. lol hikehalfdome.com/planning-hike-yosemites-dome-diving-board/ ...at least he posted this cool old video of Ansel Adams doing the hike. ua-cam.com/video/C41s5N8_fCc/v-deo.html
Great stuff Rob. Any video recommendation for rock climbing newbies on selecting the gear and basics of using harness and carabiners? I am going in mid May and the cables might not be up by that time. I don't want to miss the half dome.
I understand that no permit is needed when the cables are down, but does anyone know if a wilderness permit is still needed to camp out if you are breaking the hike down into a 2 day excursion? Looking at doing this when I'm out that way in 2 weeks, assuming the cables will be down by then. Thanks!
Thanks Rob Neff This was a good question from Carl Schnitker : How well do the prusiks grip on the steel cable? I assume you'd need to use quite thin cord to get sufficient friction, maybe 6mm?
Yes, we had 6mm prusiks. We did one or two extra wraps around the cable before making the knot. Definitely test your setup a couple times a 1 or 2 feet up.
hi rob! just wanted some advice in regards to climbing up half dome, we're hoping to visit Yosemite in November. I've been advised by more forums that it's best we don't do this hike unless we have mountaineering experience. Is it possible to do a guided hike, and hire equipment to help us utilise those cables safely like you've done there? Any advice will be amazing as we don't want to stumble into this not knowing...thanks! We have hiking experience with treks such as Macchu Picchu in high altitude in Peru, but it didn't involve any climbing. Appreciate any advice, thank you!
+NEON CACTUS One thing I highly advise is to be aware of your water needs. There is plenty of water on the mountain, but it must be filtered or you will get sick with parasites. Another common problem that everyone in our team experienced was extreme knee pain on the way down. We used acetaminophen (with codeine even better) which will take the pain away and allow you hike down the granite rock steps and boulders. If you take the drugs your knees will feel no pain and you will be fine the next day as well. Also take your batteries out of your flashlight until you need them to avoid accidental activation of the light in your pack and consequently you will have NO LIGHT to climb down the mountain, and IT WILL BE PITCH BLACK on the trail even with full moonlight. You will not be able to hike down the mountain without a functioning flashlight. On our first trip with ~10 hikers we had only ONE functioning flashlight to due to this problem. The hike is so long and arduous that even if you start before dawn (in May or October) you will have 1-2 hrs of darkness on the hike down. As for using gear to climb up the cables when the cables are down I would certainly recommend it but plenty of people (the majority) did not use gear to climb up the down-cables when we were there on a good dry day with perfect conditions. You need gloves that will not slip on metal and shoes that will not slip on the rock. If the rock or cables are at all wet, i would not recommend climbing up the top at all!! Also of course if there is any chance of lightning do not climb the cables and do not go anywhere near the top of the mountain!!
I really don't understand the physics of this climb. The second half looks like it's 70-80 degrees but seems like you are all standing and walking up/down with ease...
Dry granite is pretty good for traction. Good rubber on climbing or hiking shoes can grip pretty well. The more you trust your footing and apply pressure to your toes the better it grips. It's when you go slower and don't put your weight down that your slip.
I know it seems that way, but no it is not. 45 max. Its very difficult to estimate slope angles, and in some cases hard to measure too (if the surface is highly textured). No tourist is making their way up anything north of 50 degrees without a helicopter. search for "degrees" on this page...timberlinetrails.net/YosemiteHalfDome.html.
+Chelsea Zimmerman Personally, I think the best time to go is in May, a week or two before the poles go back up and PERMITS ARE REQUIRED.............far less people and nice run-off in the river/over the falls. But, due to this Winter's El Nino, we might get a pretty heavy snowpack and the poles may not go up 'til later. Check with the Park Service for updates and go in June, if necessary, before school gets out and the place is flooded with families. I've been up (and down) 7-8 times and keep going back (age 59........I'm good for 1-2 more times).
Thank you for the quick reply, the only other question I have is I saw in another video you need a permit to climb? If so how did you get a permit, Thanks again, Royce
Royce Blankenship You don't need a permit if you go when the cables are down. You do need a permit if you go when the cables are up. I'm not sure of the exact process - google will help you. : )
This sure looks like mountain climbing--- yet most people who do this are NOT mountain climbers at all. Which is strange. Its sure looks steep, yet people do it!!
People who.like climbing are funny. 'Don't look down' , 'No time for Vertigo now'. If you had vertigo problems you wouldn't be there, and if by some miracle you found yourself on the top you would feel so trapped you would jump.,
Congratulations on your summit! I'm glad you did it safely. I really don't like hearing about people not using any protection. All it takes is one or two accidents with the cables down for the rangers to remove a section of the cables completely.
I am confused. Are you congratulating yourself with this comment in the 3rd person?
@@buckaroobanzai2551 I think he was responding to someone. In the old days there were no threads for comments so you just see out of context stuff floating around.
Hahaha! Other crazy folk. The first time I saw the cables after having been told they were down. I was like, "oh cool, they're still up." Not realizing that cables laying on the rock meant they were down. It was the second week in November 2005 or 2006. I was late leaving on a hike to Vernal Falls but I figured I'd run and catch up to my friends. I took the old Mule Path by mistake and ended up bypassing my friends. I was at the top of Nevada falls when I got some Cell reception to find out I missed them somehow. It was beautiful so I kept running. Then I saw a sign that said Half Dome this way. The next thing I knew is I was starring at the cables and thinking, oh boy, they are still up.
Now I was dressed in some running shoes, shorts and maybe a tank top and water bag. When I started climbing it was already in the shadow in afternoon. I got about 50 yards or so from the top, there is the largest step up where I stopped. From there you still had no idea where the top was, but I figured I was nearly there. I was freezing. The cold rock and cold cable in my bare hands were having an impact on me plus I wasn't running and was getting cold. As much as I didn't want to, I turned around and ran back. I said I would do it another day.
That actually turned into my usual Saturday morning run for quite a while. I've had to turn back more than once. Or rather I made the decision to turn back more than once. A little rain on that rock has caused quite a few deaths. Also lightening has taken quite a few people. I once turned around at that exact spot because I saw a Thunder Head approaching. I knew it was going to be bad. I shouted at people to turn around and go back down. I rained so hard the trail back down was like a river. I missed the next weekends run, but the weather didn't and a guy went skittering off the cables to his death.Now you have to have a permit to go. I stopped running there. People are now incentivized to take chances and go in unfavorable conditions because they only get one shot with the permit thing.
Lightening. While hanging onto a metal cable near 1 km long. There is no way the lightening is not going to go for that cable.
Back in the 60's, permits were required to climb Half Dome. I never bothered and climbed it a total of six times...once when the cables were down and had to kind of lift them up as I climbed. Both my younger brother and I did it at the same time. Me thinks the rangers would have been displeased, but in all of the times I climbed this, never saw a ranger above the 'Little Yosemite" valley.
I'd be really afraid to make that climb all by myself. I think, when I die, I'll have my pallbearers carry me up there.
Harry Blowfish lmaooo
be considerate. Get cremated to reduce weight!
You guys and gals are incredible! I watch this stuff because I could never do it. I would either faint, brown out my shorts, or both. Then in one final act of embarrassment, I would fall off the mountain. It would probably make for great television or PSA "how not to" video!
Daisy chain attached to a carabiner that attached to the cable. When moving between the cable sections, we would attach the carabiner to the higher cable and then transfer the prusik.
My hiking poles click for ya!...Im one of the many that will only get to see this through videos as great as yours..Thank u!
3:09 is actually the Visor. The Diving Board"is on the West Side of Half Dome, near the start of Snake Dike. It is the spot that Ansel Adams used to photograph the face of Half Dome.
Thanks for the video! I was looking for one like this that showed half dome with the cables down; looks like you guys had fun and stayed safe!
My palms are sweating immediately watching this.
My god man that like straight up and down and the half way point. That’s scary man well played
Sounds like he is just about to have a heart attack.
I was born and raised in Colorado. The mountains always win. Don't push your limits.
You're all crazy!
Did the same last year, but without prusiks -- not sure I'd do it that way again. It's the best time to climb Half Dome and avoid the crowds and the permit, but it's not for the faint of heart.
We have done this hike in the fall after the cables were taken down (around 15 october) and had beautiful weather. We climbed it by just holding on to the cable and I don't recommend that unless you have perfect weather, and even then your feet can slip, and if you don't have good gloves you will loose your grip and bye-bye. We were foolish but lived to tell about it.
+Johan Markus do you still need a permit?
Whomever laid those cables deserves the men's butts discount.
Pretty sweet. I did not know that they allowed that. If not, I ain't telling.
I did that climb on the cables back in the 80's when I was 12. Great shit!
I would love to rappel down just because...
Went down the cables at night after climbing the regular route, after seeing this I'm glad it was night.
Looks like a lot more fun than in summer
Ynse Schaap whats bad about the summer ? im climbing the half dome cables in june and i plan on starting the hike at 4 -5 am and i was told there would be no crowds if i did that.
I think you will run into crowds on the way down because you'll probably stay to long on the summit enjoying the view, that's what I would do. And it can get very hot in the summer months with risk of thunder storms on the hike out and from what I understand there's no water on the final stretch to the base of the climb
No thanks. I get scared just watching the video.
I have serious doubts that a prusik would hold a fall on a steel cable and if it didn’t catch immediately it would take long for it to burn through.
How well do the prusiks grip on the steel cable? I assume you'd need to use quite thin cord to get sufficient friction, maybe 6mm?
Just got back and yes I did it. Was scary (I hate heights), but it was worth it! People did it without any protection, we used the same protection as Rob. Most people were clipped in one way or another. We had perfect weather, that was important.
I feel like this is safer than doing it the traditional way. I bit more work, but I've taken people up there like 16 times and its always a bit freaky.
Descended this in 1987 after doing Snake Dike and summiting in the dark. Was reticent about spending the night without bivy gear amid drifts of april snow but the cables disappeared into the darkness and we chicked out. Spent an ugly night shivering but had a beautiful sunrise and carefree descent in the sun.
60% grade? That’s crazy I thought the highest incline was 45 degrees ..
The edge of that looks like a bunch of slabs balancing precariously on each other. I imagine not the time you want to feel rocks wobble under you.
Nice video, thanks for sharing. I am going to be in Yosemite in April and have been trying to understand if this was just plain stupid or not. Seems like a challenging adventure that can be done safely!
I went up H.D. 3 times all with stanchions up and it required a lot of upper body strength. I don't think I can do it with the stanchion down, even with a prusik. #respect
this is crazy
that looks so steep. The most i've climbed was 3,000ft in 1 mile.
You people are bold as FUCK. Nice!!!
Little 16-hour hike to get to this place ain't bad
Imagine the first to climb had NO cables!
Insane
Holy Moly!!!
It's NOT the Diving Board!! It's The Visor!!
Great vid!! Thx for sharing...
What's the reason they take the cables down?
terrifying
I went in may 2008. Didn't rig myself at all. You made this look a lot harder than it is. Going down is a lot harder than up. My friend just walked down it though. I control slid about half way down it and ripped my pants.
Me and my friend have been wanting to do it with the cables down. How long did it took you?
The two ladies had so much energy left after climb... but Rob was nearly spent after climb to top.
half a decade later, no winter season upload?
JK. no one should do that or damn near no one.
I went to the top of half dome with the cables down back in the late 88. It was enough to make you wet your pants, lol. Of course we had no safety gear, but it was incredible on top!!!
That's the visor not the diving board. The diving board is actually on the cliff section just below the south end of half dome, near the start of the route snake dike.
Good thinking about using prussics. We descended the cables once sans boards and posts and just went had over hand. It was fast. But we had some young climbers with us and I regretted not protecting that section.
You are right about the naming, but honestly the "visor" looks more like a diving board than the extremely hard to reach Ansel Adams diving board. Even "Mr. Half Dome" quit. lol hikehalfdome.com/planning-hike-yosemites-dome-diving-board/
...at least he posted this cool old video of Ansel Adams doing the hike.
ua-cam.com/video/C41s5N8_fCc/v-deo.html
Dropped my phone my hands are soo sweaty
Great stuff Rob. Any video recommendation for rock climbing newbies on selecting the gear and basics of using harness and carabiners? I am going in mid May and the cables might not be up by that time. I don't want to miss the half dome.
Of course I didn’t push my wife off you’re honor... I loved her! lol
I'd be really afraid to make that climb all by myself. I think, when I die, I'll have my pallbearers carry me up there.
It would be nice if someone can open up a PizzaHut up there
Nah, there would be a long line of marmots and squirrels that we'll have to compete with.
@@DTOC888 🤣
2:11 the slope is 50 degrees... on camera, it always looks steeper lol. it literally looks vertical in the vid
I understand that no permit is needed when the cables are down, but does anyone know if a wilderness permit is still needed to camp out if you are breaking the hike down into a 2 day excursion? Looking at doing this when I'm out that way in 2 weeks, assuming the cables will be down by then. Thanks!
amazing!
screw that..
Going to attempt with cables down this weekend. Will be using the same safety rigging as you. Any words of wisdom?
Did u die?
si...algun dia no me encuentran , que no me busquen en el Half Dome ,porque ali seguro que no estaré.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
awesome!
Can someone tell me why NPS takes the cables down? Just to discourage use? maintenance?
Clarence Lee snow and ice can damage them
WOW!
did you do winter climb yet :) ?
Thanks
Rob Neff
This was a good question from Carl Schnitker :
How well do the prusiks grip on the steel cable? I assume you'd need to use quite thin cord to get sufficient friction, maybe 6mm?
Yes, we had 6mm prusiks. We did one or two extra wraps around the cable before making the knot. Definitely test your setup a couple times a 1 or 2 feet up.
what kind of hiking shoes did she have?
ive always wanted to do that
hi rob! just wanted some advice in regards to climbing up half dome, we're hoping to visit Yosemite in November. I've been advised by more forums that it's best we don't do this hike unless we have mountaineering experience. Is it possible to do a guided hike, and hire equipment to help us utilise those cables safely like you've done there? Any advice will be amazing as we don't want to stumble into this not knowing...thanks! We have hiking experience with treks such as Macchu Picchu in high altitude in Peru, but it didn't involve any climbing. Appreciate any advice, thank you!
+NEON CACTUS One thing I highly advise is to be aware of your water needs. There is plenty of water on the mountain, but it must be filtered or you will get sick with parasites. Another common problem that everyone in our team experienced was extreme knee pain on the way down. We used acetaminophen (with codeine even better) which will take the pain away and allow you hike down the granite rock steps and boulders. If you take the drugs your knees will feel no pain and you will be fine the next day as well. Also take your batteries out of your flashlight until you need them to avoid accidental activation of the light in your pack and consequently you will have NO LIGHT to climb down the mountain, and IT WILL BE PITCH BLACK on the trail even with full moonlight. You will not be able to hike down the mountain without a functioning flashlight. On our first trip with ~10 hikers we had only ONE functioning flashlight to due to this problem. The hike is so long and arduous that even if you start before dawn (in May or October) you will have 1-2 hrs of darkness on the hike down. As for using gear to climb up the cables when the cables are down I would certainly recommend it but plenty of people (the majority) did not use gear to climb up the down-cables when we were there on a good dry day with perfect conditions. You need gloves that will not slip on metal and shoes that will not slip on the rock. If the rock or cables are at all wet, i would not recommend climbing up the top at all!! Also of course if there is any chance of lightning do not climb the cables and do not go anywhere near the top of the mountain!!
+Johan Markus Taking narcotics while climbing mountains is not advisable. Cool video though!
I really don't understand the physics of this climb. The second half looks like it's 70-80 degrees but seems like you are all standing and walking up/down with ease...
Dry granite is pretty good for traction. Good rubber on climbing or hiking shoes can grip pretty well. The more you trust your footing and apply pressure to your toes the better it grips. It's when you go slower and don't put your weight down that your slip.
it is nowhere near 70 degrees anywhere.
+Erik Turner some parts are 70 to 75 degrees steep.
I know it seems that way, but no it is not. 45 max. Its very difficult to estimate slope angles, and in some cases hard to measure too (if the surface is highly textured). No tourist is making their way up anything north of 50 degrees without a helicopter.
search for "degrees" on this page...timberlinetrails.net/YosemiteHalfDome.html.
How many people die a year doing this?
Hey what did you have to use the daisy chain for?
Are the cables attached to the rock year round? Just not to the poles? I'm planning to do this hike next year and want to consider all possibilites
Yes I think so but if you go before April the chains and rock may have patches of ice and the Quarter Dome just below may be very treacherous.
+Chelsea Zimmerman Personally, I think the best time to go is in May, a week or two before the poles go back up and PERMITS ARE REQUIRED.............far less people and nice run-off in the river/over the falls. But, due to this Winter's El Nino, we might get a pretty heavy snowpack and the poles may not go up 'til later. Check with the Park Service for updates and go in June, if necessary, before school gets out and the place is flooded with families. I've been up (and down) 7-8 times and keep going back (age 59........I'm good for 1-2 more times).
How difficult is it to do the climb up and down?
Dont get me wrong much much respect for summiting .. However.. Title ..no cables.. Video a cable?.. Thought u would be setting your own
Cables are usually up as hand rails to hold onto during summer. But out of season, they are down like the video shows.
Howcome they take the poles out?
What hiking shoes do you recommend?
Use climbing shoes.
If you just wear climbing shoes you can walk up it quite easily without touching anything
There are 2 cable sections, the other one is doable without clinging to the cables. But if you slip , you're dead...
Do you need a permit to hike it when cables are down?
Not at the time I did it.
Hello,
How long does it take about to get from stepping out of the car to the summit and back, thinking about going in summer.
Regards,
Royce
It really depends on your level of fitness. Minimum 8 hours, maximum 16 hrs.
Thank you for the quick reply, the only other question I have is I saw in another video you need a permit to climb? If so how did you get a permit,
Thanks again,
Royce
Royce Blankenship You don't need a permit if you go when the cables are down. You do need a permit if you go when the cables are up. I'm not sure of the exact process - google will help you. : )
All right, thank you for the help.
💥💥💥👏👏👍😝
Seems like the title should be Climbing the Cables on Half Dome not Climbing Half Dome.
Richard M uhhhhh.....
Will Scrudato, well????
This sure looks like mountain climbing--- yet most people who do this are NOT mountain climbers at all. Which is strange. Its sure looks steep, yet people do it!!
Can't a Ranger fine you for this?
Varun Chitnis they fine you if its when the cables are up and you go without a permit
Read Dancing with the gods
nope
helicopter
Title is deceiving, wouldn't call the cable route a climb, more of a hike.
Ah, for the average person it IS a climb.
Why can't u slide down
DO you need a permit when the cables are down?
I'd assume you'd need a permit to climb regardless in Yosemite but I don't know for sure.
Permits are not required to climb
hell no
just climb the face. Cables are too heavy.
So cables down just means cables are there laying on the floor? Not impressed. Next time don’t use the cables.
Macho foolishness.
Hmm nice spot for baseball game on the top
Just kidding😄😄😆
People who.like climbing are funny. 'Don't look down' , 'No time for Vertigo now'. If you had vertigo problems you wouldn't be there, and if by some miracle you found yourself on the top you would feel so trapped you would jump.,
hey, why not just use your hands and feet on the rock, basic-pants
Sorry, you didn't climb Half dome. You hiked it. Many routes on Half Dome that ain't one of them.