-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
The cables on Half Dome
- Thread starter lambertiana
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 6,105
Yowza, that's a steep mutha. Gotta agree with Magnussen on that one.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2009
- Messages
- 71
It is not as bad as it looks. Especially if it is crowded because if you fall, there are people right behind you to stop you. Unless you did what I did and got tired of waiting for people and go down or up on the outside of the cables. Then there would not be anyone to catch you.
The first time I did it I was 11. I got part of the way up and told my dad that I couldn't do it so I turned around to go back down. As I was going down I decided that I could so I turned around and went back up. He was very surprised to see me on the top!
The first time I did it I was 11. I got part of the way up and told my dad that I couldn't do it so I turned around to go back down. As I was going down I decided that I could so I turned around and went back up. He was very surprised to see me on the top!
lambertiana
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2000
- Messages
- 9,295
I kept careful track of the kid, and when he went out to the edge he was crawling on his stomach. I told his parents about the conditions before we went.
Another time I went up there with my research group when I was in grad school (they shut down the fume hoods in the chem building one day each year for maintenance, and we vacated the building) and two of the people in my group sat on the edge of the cliff with their legs hanging over, swinging, like you would on a chair, while they ate lunch. That was a little more than I was interested in doing.
The only issue I had was the huge crowd on the cables. On the way up, it was moving really slowly, and I was wondering why, until I heard someone just ahead of me talking to a girl in their group who had frozen up. He kept telling her "Go ahead, put your foot there, yeah, there, go ahead, you can do it, put your foot there. Good, good. Now put your other foot there, yeah there, go ahead, you can do it......"
And you can't count on the crowds being of any help if you slip. The year before last, a guy was halfway up the cables and dropped his water bottle. It must have stopped against his foot. Anyway, he let go of the cables to reach for it, and slipped. As he slid down, he hit one of the cable posts, and swung out from the cables and then went down. He didn't survive the trip. The other two fatalities that year happened when the cables were down (they take the posts out mid-October each year, and the cables lay flat on the rock). Both times it had been raining, so the rock was slick.
The rock under the cables has been worn pretty smooth by the hundreds of climbers who go up it each day during the summer, so it is a bit on the slick side. Even when dry, with regular boots you start slipping if you stop moving and try to just stand in place.
It is a classic hike that everyone should do, in spite of the crowds. And you will see a lot of people on that trail with only a small 8 oz water bottle (or sometimes no water at all) and no food, jacket, in sneakers. They hear about hiking Half Dome and the weekend warrior mentality kicks in. It is a long hike to try with no food or water.
Another time I went up there with my research group when I was in grad school (they shut down the fume hoods in the chem building one day each year for maintenance, and we vacated the building) and two of the people in my group sat on the edge of the cliff with their legs hanging over, swinging, like you would on a chair, while they ate lunch. That was a little more than I was interested in doing.
The only issue I had was the huge crowd on the cables. On the way up, it was moving really slowly, and I was wondering why, until I heard someone just ahead of me talking to a girl in their group who had frozen up. He kept telling her "Go ahead, put your foot there, yeah, there, go ahead, you can do it, put your foot there. Good, good. Now put your other foot there, yeah there, go ahead, you can do it......"
And you can't count on the crowds being of any help if you slip. The year before last, a guy was halfway up the cables and dropped his water bottle. It must have stopped against his foot. Anyway, he let go of the cables to reach for it, and slipped. As he slid down, he hit one of the cable posts, and swung out from the cables and then went down. He didn't survive the trip. The other two fatalities that year happened when the cables were down (they take the posts out mid-October each year, and the cables lay flat on the rock). Both times it had been raining, so the rock was slick.
The rock under the cables has been worn pretty smooth by the hundreds of climbers who go up it each day during the summer, so it is a bit on the slick side. Even when dry, with regular boots you start slipping if you stop moving and try to just stand in place.
It is a classic hike that everyone should do, in spite of the crowds. And you will see a lot of people on that trail with only a small 8 oz water bottle (or sometimes no water at all) and no food, jacket, in sneakers. They hear about hiking Half Dome and the weekend warrior mentality kicks in. It is a long hike to try with no food or water.
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2007
- Messages
- 6,346
They just don't consider it a cable climb (AKA "via ferrata"). I have done a couple of them. I went with a climbing partner and we had a lot of fun. Not something to do every weekend since it gets kind of boring unless you go look for the most difficult ones. We did that and didn't find it that difficult, but vertical and overhanging passages have a point of risk nowadays. I think I even posted a few pictures here.
The main problem I can notice in that route is that people is walking one over the other... If someone happens to fall up there, he may drag a lot of people with him. If the line didn't climb straight up it wouldn't be so risky.
Mikel
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2005
- Messages
- 9,680
I would think it to be way more dangerous if the line was at an angle to the slope. One slip and you are past ANY chance of help. With the cables in line, at least you are still in the path of potential "road blocks" should you fall.
Rick
Looking at this from the side of the potential road block... I asure you I don't want to be there. Being somewhat familliar with fall arrest while in the mountains (snow slopes, ice climbing, etc) I can tell you that chances are you woný be able so stop someone that suddenly slipped a meter away from you. I think it is way easier to get somehow tangled on the wires while falling than being stopped by someone.
Anyway and back to the topic... They all should be wearing a harness with shock absorver safety lines and climbing while leaving a fairly big distance between each other.
Mikel
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2005
- Messages
- 9,680
I agree with you on several points... but I'll bet the fact that the cables are inline has saved more lives than taken them.
But that is purely speculation on my part.
Rick
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 664
I will be out in California this summer and this just got added to my list of things to do.
Just curious, if someone chickens out and wants to come down, do they have to climb around everyone? Sounds kind of dangerous and slow. Also is there a seperate route to get down?
Just curious, if someone chickens out and wants to come down, do they have to climb around everyone? Sounds kind of dangerous and slow. Also is there a seperate route to get down?
I did this route a couple of years ago. Yeah when there is a slower person in front of you, or someone coming down you basically have to figure how to go around them. My grip was a little tighter when I had to pass someone. I think the only time they have injuries/fatalities is either when it's wet or when someone decides not to use the cables. There were a couple of showoffs going up without holding on to the cables simply because they didn't want to wait... Darwin candidates.
I did carry a sling and carabiner to lock into the cables so I could take a few pictures.
I did carry a sling and carabiner to lock into the cables so I could take a few pictures.
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2008
- Messages
- 1,928
I think I'm gonna be sick. :barf:
Definitely gotta agree with Rick, though.
Definitely gotta agree with Rick, though.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 7,702
Would it be ineffective or obtrusive if some kind of webbing net were put in place between the cables and rock face? That way, if someone slips (even if they aren't behaving stupidly, people can have accidents), wouldn't the person would have a better chance of grabbing onto something before spinning out into the big nothing?
I'm guessing more fatalities happen when the cables are down, but how many fatalities (due to stupidity or accidents) have occurred when the cables are up?
I'm guessing more fatalities happen when the cables are down, but how many fatalities (due to stupidity or accidents) have occurred when the cables are up?
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2008
- Messages
- 596
I bet if a bigger person lost their footing and went tumbling down the isle they'd take out quite a few people. How are you supposed to stop 200lb rolling down at your knees when youre on such a steep slope? It'd probably just take you out like a bowling pin!
Awesome pic's, I'd love to check that out, but not with so many people.
Awesome pic's, I'd love to check that out, but not with so many people.
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2009
- Messages
- 71
If the person who falls is far ahead of you, then I would probably get out of the way so that he wouldn't take me down too.
But the two times I climbed it there were lots of people on it, you were usually only a couple feet behind the person in front of you. If they were to slip and fall then they probably wouldn't get enough momentum to make it difficult to stop. But I think that there are a lot more factors that come into play.
I remember coming down and someone way above us accidentally dropped a water bottle. It fell down about 20 feet to the side of the cables, bouncing as it went down. We tried to not imaging that bottle being one of us.
But the two times I climbed it there were lots of people on it, you were usually only a couple feet behind the person in front of you. If they were to slip and fall then they probably wouldn't get enough momentum to make it difficult to stop. But I think that there are a lot more factors that come into play.
I remember coming down and someone way above us accidentally dropped a water bottle. It fell down about 20 feet to the side of the cables, bouncing as it went down. We tried to not imaging that bottle being one of us.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 7,702
We should get a trip together sometime later this summer or fall Boomer
I could convince my GF to go and Stingray could convince his.
- Joined
- May 28, 2005
- Messages
- 5,081
Come on, there are sidewalks in San Francisco steeper then that.
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2008
- Messages
- 7,702
Come on, there are sidewalks in San Francisco steeper then that.
Haha, might be true
But at least if you go rolling down one you will survive...unless you get ran over by a crazy SF motorist in the process....:grumpy: