Skiers complete first descent of Half Dome to Yosemite Valley

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

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At first light on Sunday, in subfreezing temperatures, two men crested the top of Half Dome, clicked into their skis and started down the northeast face. They slowly scraped along the icy crust at terrifyingly steep gradients toward their destination: Yosemite Valley, 4,000 feet below...

https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/article/Daring-skiers-complete-first-descent-of-Half-Dome-15980947.php

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Leave No Trace

The article is behind a paywall so I couldn't read it. I assume they skied down the route that's normally used for hikers climbing HD?

if you google something like "skiiers half dome" you'll get a ton of different news outlets covering the story. Here's just one that's not behind a paywall: https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/2-skiers-defy-death-in-descent-of-yosemites-half-dome/

Fresno Bee also has a video up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peKB2CepKQc&ab_channel=FresnoBee

From the pictures and videos, they clearly came down the cable route to the shoulder. It looks like they probably went down the granite steps on the shoulder (or near there) after that and then went down (one of) the climbers route beneath the face. Note that they did not ski the entire route (e.g., they rappelled past the "death slabs" but in any case, it's one way to beat the crowds!

I wonder how many other people will try this before someone dies and the park service prohibits further attempts...

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balzaccom
I wonder how many other people will try this before someone dies and the park service prohibits further attempts...

Takes a lot of effort to get to the top of HD in the snow, including some facility with climbing on ice. One of the guys who did this has lived in Yosemite since he was a little kid - even worked there as a ranger - and only tried this now. If you can make it to the top in winter, you're probably smart enough to know whether or not skiing down is a realistic option for you. So I don't see this becoming a big thing. And if the NPS prohibits it - are they going to post a ranger up there to prevent people from climbing up and skiing down?

If a person wants to kill himself while thrill-seeking in Yosemite, there are lots of ways to go, whether or not the NPS permits it. Seems like every year we read about someone who fell over Nevada Falls taking a selfie.

Yes, but they do outlaw BASE jumping, for example...

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fearless-skiers-descend-v_n_2562027

Guess that style of descent is Torlano's thing.