Re: In wake of Half Dome tragedy, should cables come down?

One post and 99+ to go.

Jim

Anyone have the address for mail to Acting Superintendent Dave Uberuaga?
Letters on this issue may be the most effective action. I would hope that most would be in favor of leaving the cable up.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

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eeek
Then there were those who strongly suggested the laddered cable system should come down, or argued that the cables should remain in place.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2009/06/in-wake-of-half-dome-tragedy-should-cables-come-down-.html

The answer is simple.

NO. Teach people the risks and let them decide for themselves. If 55,000 people a year climb the monolith and only about one becomes a casualty, and almost uniformly in bad conditions, that's a mighty good record, and speaks for itself.

Bruce Jensen

The Yosemite NP web site has extensive advice on Half Dome, bears, etc.

The answer is NO! No! No! No!

For another thread: Angel Island should be a National Historic Site not a state park.

I say leave the cables up for the elitist daredevils. It will at least keep that type out of the valley for some of the time.

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abenebbish
I say leave the cables up for the elitist daredevils. It will at least keep that type out of the valley for some of the time.

Elitist? Thousands of people do the cables every year. How could that be elitist?

Every year millions of people visit the valley floor. Only a few do this egocentric type of activity.

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abenebbish
Every year millions of people visit the valley floor. Only a few do this egocentric type of activity.

Sounds like you have an axe to grind for some reason. Whatever the reason Yosemite is not just the Valley and is not just for the hoards that roll by in their cars, buses and RVs.

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eeek

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abenebbish
Every year millions of people visit the valley floor. Only a few do this egocentric type of activity.

Sounds like you have an axe to grind for some reason. Whatever the reason Yosemite is not just the Valley and is not just for the hoards that roll by in their cars, buses and RVs.

Isn't Yosemite Valley an epicenter for world-class rock climbing? If you want to discuss "elitist daredevils", the rock climbers (and maybe the BASE jumpers) are it.

The large majority of Half Dome hikers enter and/or exit in the Valley anyways. It's hardly anything that a reasonably fit person couldn't attempt. There's more danger in driving an RV on Tioga Road than getting up the cables at Half Dome. The only difference is that the dangers are more apparent going up/down Half Dome than the seemingly innocuous road only mere feet from driving off a cliff.

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abenebbish
Every year millions of people visit the valley floor. Only a few do this egocentric type of activity.

I guess I'm egocentric because I did the Half Dome hike?

Give me a break...


Some people do it for the view, some people do it for the personal accomplishment, some do it because they've been dragged along by friends/family, etc. You're speaking out of ignorance, not to mention flat-out rudeness, insisting that the people who climb/hike Half Dome are egocentric.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2009 09:27PM by dqniel.

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dqniel

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abenebbish
Every year millions of people visit the valley floor. Only a few do this egocentric type of activity.

I guess I'm egocentric because I did the Half Dome hike?

Give me a break...


Some people do it for the view, some people do it for the personal accomplishment, some do it because they've been dragged along by friends/family, etc. You're speaking out of ignorance, not to mention flat-out rudeness, insisting that the people who climb/hike Half Dome are egocentric.

Do not feed the trolls, etc...

I was thinking about it, and one of the things that occurred to me was that one of the primary difficulties is that the granite between the rock is slippery now, making the ascent and descent rather perilous. If one slips from the cables, the feet aren't likely to hold to the granite (save maybe wearing climbing shoes). If ones' feet slip first, that will make holding onto the cables critical (I remember that happening a few times to me).

So the thinking I have was that the wooden planks seem to be the most stable place to be along the cable route. In fact, that's where many people compose themselves. What about maybe a series of planks held together like a rope ladder hung from each pair of stanchions.

I have been wanting to suggest this for a while, but I am sure that it will rankle the purists: Can't they "rough up" the feet-polished granite along the cable route(which created an "unatural" condition in the first place) thereby giving a better surface for traction?



PS

So, Abe, are you, like, suggesting -- hoping -- that some sort of attrition via Half Dome fatalities will help cull the Valley Herd??

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Bee
Can't they "rough up" the feet-polished granite along the cable route(which created an "unatural" condition in the first place) thereby giving a better surface for traction?

That might happen in the end. But I'm sure it would engender a lot of debate if the suggestion started being taken seriously by NPS.

Is anyone working on that address for the Superintendent?
I know that if you want to report or comment on the function of the park there is a specific PO box send written comments to.

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The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan

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Frank Furter
Is anyone working on that address for the Superintendent?
I know that if you want to report or comment on the function of the park there is a specific PO box send written comments to.

Superintendent
Yosemite National Park
P.O. Box 577
Yosemite CA 95389

no one has to have permission or any training etc to climb El Capitan, it's all up to the person to decided if they're ready for it or not. why should Half Dome be any different?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2009 06:41PM by forrestranger.

btw, i'm surprised no one has made it law that it (Half Dome) become handicap assessable.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2009 06:42PM by forrestranger.

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forrestranger
btw, i'm surprised no one has made it law that it (Half Dome) become handicap assessable.

It already is: http://www.nolimitstahoe.com/adventures/halfdome.htm

2nd time about to go up for me, but first time for my lil brother. This guy is coming down face first, sliippppppp slllliiiippp and he's on the outside of the cables and wearing tennies. And there's no crowd, he just decided to do it that way. Idiot.

Meanwhile, me and lil bro made it up and down OK with no chances taken.

A lot of people prefer decending on the outside of the cables; When there was a log jam, I switched to the outside and found the footing to be a lot better (less worn down) and I had more control over when I could start and stop. I did not go down facing forward, but I did use one cable, as eeek has mentioned he does, too. I don't believe that the boards offer that much protection if you are going to fall, so I felt no less protected on the outside of the cables than on the inside.

Turning Half Dome into Disneyland won't stop people getting killed either:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQkSBcJYEealqbWm6v_FoKe1gknAD998GGV00

How about a second set of cables...one way up and one way down.....The crowds are going to come anyways, might as well turn the one way street into a two way street.

25 posts, 75+ to go!

Jim