Death on Half Dome

“Wow, didn't realize a dozen people die on Half Dome EACH YEAR!!!

Hiker falls to his death at Yosemite's Half Dome
The Associated Press
Last Updated 11:12 am PDT Monday, June 18, 2007


YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- A hiker fell to his death while hiking the steep, final stretch up Half Dome.

Hirofumi Nohara, 37, of Japan slipped and fell while ascending the 8,842-foot granite dome in Yosemite National Park on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, said park ranger Adrienne Freeman.

Nohara, who was in the U.S. on a work visa, was making the climb with four friends when he lost his footing about two-thirds of the way up the steepest pitch in which climbers use metal cables and wooden steps to ascend the final 150 feet.

Hikers from a Granite Bay church watched in horror as his leg briefly caught on a pole supporting the cables.

"It spun him around outside the safety cables and he tumbled down the mountainside," said Bayside Church communications director Kerry Shearer.

Nohara did not appear to be doing anything unsafe, according to the initial investigation by the National Park Service.

About 10 to 12 people die in Yosemite each year, and this is third fatality to occur on Half Dome in the last year, Freeman said.”

“Bummer.

I have to say I'm a bit surprised that the "safety at all costs" types haven't forced the park to make the route more "safe".”

“Ten to 12 die in Yosemite, not on Half Dome, each year.

But still...”

“I think if I was up there and saw someone fall like that, I might just fall too...my arms and legs would shake and go weak on me. Seriously...that would be pretty tough to see without losing control emotionally.”

“yep, big time”

“Thanks for clarifying, Fritz!

Agreed on all accounts. It would just freak me out to see someone tumbling to their death.”

“Seeing this thread made my heart skip a beat for a second. My cousin and his wife are in Yosemite right now.”

“What's your cousin doing out there with your..............no, wait........never mind.”

“Thirty people of all ages from my church are climbing Half-Dome this week...

I climbed Half Dome last year...didn't realize there were than many deaths in Yosemite, cables or otherwise.”

“I can understand why, I thought it was way unsafe for just anyone to climb when we went up it last year. I couldn't imagine being at the bottom and seeing that.”

“Its no more 'unsafe' than driving down the road.

Its just very unforgiving of the slightest accident or slip.”

“I am taking a group up there next week to do a full moon hike. Since we will be doing it in the dark there will be less (none) people on the cables. Reading this makes me a little nervous as there is a spot at the top where the angle gets pretty vertical. I have told my friend that we can clip her in if she wants. We will just have to unclip every 6 feet or so to get over the poles. Very sad story.”

“its no more 'unsafe' than driving down the road.

Oh I agree and I'm cool with leaving it as is. I'm just a little surprised it hasn't been targeted for "improvement" yet.”

“Nohara did not appear to be doing anything unsafe, according to the initial investigation by the National Park Service.


...hardly. Climbing is inherently dangerous. I am shocked the NPS made a statement like this and have to wonder if they really did.”

“Yeah, they stated that badly - they "probably" meant that he wasn't taking any undue risk - other than being up there in the first place.”

“I was on the cables about 2/3's down when he went by. My 23-year-old daughter was just below me. It froze everyone. Many people who were starting up turned around. Adults and kids were crying and screaming. If I were to climb it again...which I don't think I ever would, it would be with harness and carabiner. Way too many people without the right mental state go up there. Many freeze or get into poor positions due to fright. Some take huge packs up. I could see some controls being put in place.”

“"Dr. Canady, I presume."

Welcome to TrailTalk. Sorry to hear about your nightmarish experience. Hope you and your daughter are ok.”

“wow, I was thinking about giving it a try this year. BUT I am affraid of hights, so it would've been a brave attempt. I now may change my mind. I could easily see myself freezing out of fear.”

“I could see some controls being put in place.”

Don't we have enough government interference?

How about some strongly worded warnings, or a consent form at the very most.”

“When G-force and I climbed Half Dome, there was a guy forcing his 13 or 14 year old daughter to climb. She was shaking and her voice was cracking in fear. At times she was crying. I spoke to the father questioning his decision, but he insisted it would be good for her. I suspect he was only trying to satisfy some inner emotional need in a very poor way. She survived.

I told G-force that if I see any loose boards or broken cables, I am turning around even if I have a few feet to go. There were none.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1480582032053682547QCNbfj

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1480592715053682547VqVYMi
last edited: 6/19/07 2:09:03 PM”

“oh gawd. I know I could make it up...but I am not sure if I could make it down. how you get down? face first?”

“I wonder how many hikers questions from 30 minutes earlier were answered?

"I wonder what it'd be like if you fell?"”

“I went down face first. I was much more comfortable going down. You have the full sole in contact with rock on the way down. Going up, it is often just your toes as you pull up. One pole closer to the top came out of the rock as I grabbeded it which threw me to my left side. That woke me up but I had a death grip with my r hand at the time. Liability waiver or ???? How about a flyer that you sign saying you received it. Subjects: proper shoes, methods, staying inside the cables, safety equipment options. I'm not saying control it. I just watched a bunch of people that looked clueless.”

“gforce or prosecutor.... it looks really late in the day in your pictures, and the lack of people on the cables and the summit is what i would like when i go. did you bivy on top, or can you? when i hike it i'd like to do it when little people are present. i've heard horror stories about the hordes of people, which ruins the wilderness feeling for me.”

“pjbarr - do it at night. Leave Happy Isles at 11:00pm and you will get up there about 5:00am. Light enough to see and only a few other people. Plus the sunrise over Cloud's Rest is worth the effort.”

“Sooooo.........excuse my ignorance but on certain areas of the half dome climb - you slip/lose you're grip -> you fall -> you die, yes?

seems like safety equipment would be a no-brainer, no? I mean these aren't climbers going up. Is it even recommended? Like some areas recomend you wear a helmet b/c of idiots above.

Or am I missing something?”

“One of the interesting phenomena about wilderness is that there are inherent risks built in that must be considered before venturing there. Yosemite is one of those places that does post many warnings throughout the park about those dangers. The signs are very graphic about what happens if you slip and fall into the pools above the falls.

There are also areas along the mist trail that if you slip you are gone.”

“And like I said, I don't know much about Cali. But I wear a seatbelt while driving, I carry bear spray in bear country, first aid supplies, and would wear a helmet if it were recommended.

reduction of fatalities while doing something you know is risky is what I'm talking about.

I want to climb half dome someday but probably wouldn't without a harness. Is this unheard of?
last edited: 6/19/07 3:49:16 PM”

“sandyann,

are you allowed to bivy on the summit? i guess another good question would be, is it possible to, or is there room to do so? or how about around the area just prior to the cables? im most unfamiliar with the area.”

“Harnesses are very effective if... and only if... they are worn correctly, fastened correctly and used correctly. This ia all no brainer stuff for us. But I was certified for a high ropes challenge course at one point and you would not believe how difficult it was to get people to put them things on properly. Plus a harness without a chest wrap can be lethal if you might get turned upside down. You can slip right out of those things. We required the use of chest harnesses on certain parts of the course.

All this is to affirm, the dangers are there. So are the signs in most places. How many of us stop and read the signs posted about going above timberline? How many of you have seen people who shouldn't be allowed to walk in the shopping mall shlepping along above timberline in the Daks?

Some folks just won't heed.”

“the place oughta be left alone. The cables route is a common descent route used by climbers that climb the face. There is some talk on a climber site about maybe replacing the cables with rap anchors every 100 feet or so, which would work, but be sucky in the wintertime when they would ice up.

People have always and will continue to get in over their heads and horrible accidents will happen. If not on Half Dome then somewhere else. This accident doesn't mean the facility needs to change. Some suggestion about safety equip wouldn't hurt, but you can't make average joe touron use it.”

“pjbarr - yes there are areas at the base of the first dome (don't know name) where you can rest/sleep prior to beginning the final push before the cables. That is an area that people have been known to backpack.

I know people who have stayed overnight on the summit. It is forbidden, not that it stops anyone. There is significant danger of lightning strikes later in the day. Also no source of water once the snow melts.”

“More people = greater chance for accident. If I understand correctly, the cables are sort of new as well, relative to how long tourists have been going to Yosemite.

People get tired, don't pay attention and then mistakes happen. I don't think any amount of safety equipment will resolve that. You'll get someone not clipping in right, using a worn out harness, not using a harness because they think it's a pain, etc.

Life has risks. You can limit those risks by not doing the activities or signing up for an activity that is compeltely micromanaged. I already get irriated when I get ready for a hike and the ranger starts giving me the 20+ questions. "Do you know it's going to be freezing up there?", "Do you know what layering is?", "Do you have enough food for five days?" I mean, I know they are doing their job, but I don't think it used to be that bad. It seems to have gotten worse and I blame accidents and unprepared people.

Again, back the whole 360, more people = greater odds of an accident.”

“"you can't make average joe touron use it.”

The rangers don't even require people to climb between the two cables. All you can do is give good advice for people who don't know any better. Those that know it all won't listen anyway. What happened to Mr. Nohara was an accident. We lost people last year in the Sierra's from lightning strike who did everything right. We lost people fishing. Like most of our outdoor activities Half Dome is At Your Own Risk. Saturday afternoon I measured my strength, grip, lungs and elected to go up. My choice. I do think the park service could be more agressive at providing safe climbing information. What people do with it is their business”

“go early in the morning and miss the crowds going up and down.

I tried going down face first and didn't like it. I felt I had better control going down sideways.

What really gets you is seeing the person walking down on the outside of the cables
last edited: 6/19/07 4:19:16 PM”

“Ewker - to do that you must have very sticky soles. The granite is so slick that I slipped.

My first time coming down, the cables were extremely crowded from the people who left later in morning. There was a woman who was paralyzed with fear. The only way to get past her was to go outside the cables. Sure enough, my feet went right out from under me and I was hanging there by my hands. Fortunately, a friend was there and talked me through it so I could pull myself back up. I plan on never going out side of those cables again.”

“When G-Force and I climbed Half Dome, it was posted that the approach trail was closed for trail maintenance until 6:00 p.m. everyday. Since we were camping within a 1/4 mile of the the approach trail, it was easy to hike up there and back from our campsite before sunset. We could count the other people present on our hand. The usual hordes of people were not present because they would have to hike back to the trailhead in the dark.”

““When G-Force and I climbed Half Dome, it was posted that the approach trail was closed for trail maintenance until 6:00 p.m. everyday. Since we were camping within a 1/4 mile of the the approach trail, it was easy to hike up there and back from our campsite before sunset. We could count the other people present on our hand. The usual hordes of people were not present because they would have to hike back to the trailhead in the dark.”
prosecutor
7:27:41 AM
6/20/07
ignore this user
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If we do it we'll probably use this plan”

“I wonder if we stayed at the same campsite, ours was about 1/4 mile from the trail as well, looked like this:

”

“Just imagine John Muir climbing up that route with no cables, many times.

These are the cables in question, for those who haven't been there. The route starts out very steep, and gets a lot less steep as it rounds out on the top.


last edited: 6/21/07 10:40:08 AM”

“The local paper ran an editorial on this today. I thought it was fine, though really more of an observation. I can't believe that there could be a wrongful death suit out of this. Even if the pole was askew, I am positive the park service does NOT guarantee safety or give illusions that it is safe. I don't think a wait list or "screening" would be a good option.

Editorial: Death on Half Dome
Popular hike can also be treacherous
-
Sacramento Bee. Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 22, 2007

The hike from the floor of Yosemite Valley to the top of one of its signature peaks, Half Dome, is about 8 1/2 miles. But it is the last 400 feet that are the trickiest.

By then the hiker has made it to the steepest part of the dome, an ascent up the side that requires the use of two thick metal cables. They are held in place by metal bars that fit into holes that have been drilled into Half Dome's granite surface.

The final stretch is a heart-pounding, ankle-testing moment that is rewarded with a remarkable view. But tragedy has marked this hike recently, and it is forcing the National Park Service into looking at a series of management choices that all have tradeoffs.

Three hikers have died on Half Dome in the past year. The most recent was a 37-year-old man from Sunnyvale named Hirofumi Nohara. A native of Japan, he had been working in Silicon Valley and decided to come to the Sierra's signature national park.

By the account of numerous witnesses, detailed in the San Francisco Chronicle, Nohara lost his footing while climbing the cables. One of those metal bars had fallen out of its hole at that point in the climb. The cable wasn't waist-high, but lying slack on the slanted surface.

Nohara couldn't reach it. He began to slip slowly down the dome and quickly tumbled to his death.

Anyone can try this climb. There is no permit or training required, just some signs warning of the inherent dangers of the ascent.

Until this last 400 feet, the hike is like much of trekking through Yosemite. Some, once they make it to the base of the final ascent up Half Dome, look at the cables and decide to call it a climb. But most press on. And the behavior of those at the top of Half Dome is a microcosm of society. Most sit quietly amid the grandeur of it all. Some flirt with danger at its very lip.

A lawyer with one successful wrongful death lawsuit against the National Park Service could conceivably retire the Half Dome cables.

Absent that, the choices get tough, and the process long and plodding.

The Park Service can keep the tradition of allowing anyone to try the climb. (Traffic is up about 30 percent in the last decade.) Or it can somehow ration the experience through a permitting process. How such a process would be fair or accurately identify the potential hikers who might have safety problems is unclear. Nor does it seem practical for the Park Service to dispatch a ranger every morning to hike to Half Dome to ensure that the cables are all perfectly in place.

The deaths are all tragedies. But attempts to close the mountain likely would lead to countless attempts by the truly foolish to climb up Half Dome's side without the cables. Some may make it and live to tell of the experience, but the toll of fatalities would likely rise. As long as there is Half Dome, there will be a challenge in how to manage those who wish to conquer it.


http://www.sacbee.com/110/v-print/story/235425.html
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“They need to replace the cables with glass elevators.”

“A lawyer with one successful wrongful death lawsuit against the National Park Service could conceivably retire the Half Dome cables.

Anybody can file a suit for anything against any one they want. The lawyer has no concern over whether or not he wins the case as long as he gets his fee. Which he will. The government will not choose to litigate this nuisence suit and will settle out of court.

Then the cables will be removed not so much as a safety measure, as the writer said that would not stop people who want to climb it drunk. They will be removed as a legal, liability issue.”

“Then the cables will be removed not so much as a safety measure, as the writer said that would not stop people who want to climb it drunk. They will be removed as a legal, liability issue.”
Ramblinrev
12:19:21 PM
6/22/07

We had that happen here in NY with one of the routes up Gothics. There’s a section of trail that had cables installed along a couple of long stretches of open rock. The cables started to deteriorate and the NYS removed them to avoid the liability issue. When the cables were removed, hikes started making there own paths up the side of the mountain at those sections resulting in the destruction of quite a bit of rare sub-alpine vegetation. In the end the NYS caved and reinstalled new cables to avoid lawsuits for not taking proper percussions to protect a fragile ecosystem.”

“All I have to say is that when my hubby and I went to Zion National Park last year, I took 1 look at the final ascent to Angel's landing and decided that I'd rather buy a post card. I'm terrified of heights and would not put myself in the position of getting "frozen with fear" and risking my life just for a climb to a view. I could just see myself making it to the top and then having to be air-lifted out of the park because I could not get myself back down... so I opted for the beautiful view at a lower elevation...

That being said, I don't think that issuing permits would help unless they had someone standing at the bottom of the climb in a gate house and monitoring 24/7. Also, wouldn't that put the park even more at risk for lawsuit--how would they make a determination as to who was capable of the climb and who wasn't? From my experience, the National parks give adequate warning as to risks that hikers and climbers take when trying to go up a particular trail. It's not something that isn't taken lightly.

It's unfortunate that accidents happen. It's also sad that someone lost their life trying to see a beautiful new place....

Obviously thousands of people do make it up there safely vs. the few that are killed in accidents... Then again, you could get killed driving from your home to the corner store...”

“we should all get feeding tubes installed and never get out of bed again. Then we'd be safe. well, except for bed sores.

then we could sue the mattress people for not warning us and somehow preventing the bed sores.”

“i went on this hike recently. i almost died. x_x. i was climbing the ccables and my foot slipped, i fell on my knees and barely grabbed a pole. it wasnt even a dangerous fall i did its just that i blacked out for a sec from fright of the hight and danger. i got to the top and was sick with fright and threw up.
it is a dangerous hike if you are not careful. i feel very bad for the guy that died i remember looking down that ten thousand foot high drop and thinking that my lifes end was just a footstep away from being ended.”

“I bet you will never look at The Northface logo the same (it was inspired by half dome).

I'm glad you made it.”

“I found the cables to be less scary than they looked, but there is no doubt that one slip and you are dead. Being on top of Half Dome is quite a rush.

I used rubber gloves to climb the cables, while most people seem to use leather gloves...that made a big difference, IMHO.”

“Shouldn't this be in the "Slipped on Half Dome" thread?”