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bearbnz
Trad climber
East Side, California
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 14, 2009 - 12:13am PT
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Anyone know more about this?
A male hiker fell to his death on Saturday while climbing Yosemite's famed Half Dome, park rangers said.
The man fell from the granite monolith at 3:40 p.m. on Saturday, said Yosemite National Ranger Scott Gediman.
Gediman said there are indications the hiker was using the cable handrails that help climbers make the 17-mile round-trip, which begins in the Yosemite Valley and ascends nearly 5,000 feet.
The weather on Saturday made for dangerous conditions, and some 30 other Half Dome climbers were being escorted down by rangers on Saturday evening.
"Right now the weather is cold and cloudy, hail has been reported on Half Dome today and the granite gets very slippery," he said.
It was not immediately clear if the unidentified hiker was with a group or alone.
The last death at Half Dome was Japanese hiker Hirofumi Nohara, 37, who slipped off of cables on June 16, 2007 as other hikers watched in horror.
Saturday's death was also witnessed by a number of other hikers, Gediman said, and an investigation has been launched.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 14, 2009 - 09:49am PT
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It's always amazed me that the NPS, given it's penchant for saftey, has allowed "Joe Tourist" access to something so sketchy.
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tinker b
climber
the commonwealth
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Jun 14, 2009 - 10:19am PT
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i love that people make the "dangerous trip" our natural instinct to hang on to life is pretty powerful. it seems that the wet conditions are scetchy, but i have seen soo many people up there. i love seeing all of the people going for it prepared or not. that is a huge journey, and i bet there are people who push themselves harder going to the top of half dome then they ever have, or ever will again. it is pretty bad ass.
my sympathies to the guy who slid.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jun 14, 2009 - 10:24am PT
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f*#k....
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Levy
Big Wall climber
So Cal
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Jun 14, 2009 - 12:04pm PT
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I found this: Very sad :(
Yosemite hiker dies in fall from Half Dome
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, June 14, 2009
As many as 30 horrified onlookers saw a male hiker plunge hundreds of feet to his death Saturday as he was climbing Yosemite's world-famous Half Dome, park rangers said.
The man, who was not identified pending notification of relatives, fell at 3:40 p.m. as he climbed the granite edifice in the midst of a hail storm. The hiker fell to a shoulder of the dome about 1,800 feet from the top.
It's not known whether he was climbing alone or in a group.
Park Ranger Kari Cobb said the 30 witnesses were escorted down after the man fell and were being interviewed about what happened in an investigation expected to take weeks.
Cobb said is not known whether the man was climbing the 400-feet cabled handrails up the back to reach the top of the monolith at the time he fell or had reached the 8,842-foot summit.
The hiker's body is expected to be removed sometime today by authorities, who were working to notify his family.
"It had been raining and hailing," Cobb said. "We are not sure if he was actually on the cables or somewhere on the dome and slipped." Cobb noted that the base where the cables start have signs stating the risks of using the handrails in bad weather.
"We do have warnings posted at the base, saying if it is raining we advise not to go up. We can only do so much."
Ranger Scott Gediman said that on average, 50,000 hikers annually use the cable handrails to climb Half Dome. The last fatal plunge from Half Dome occurred on June 16, 2007, when Hirofumi Nohara, a 37-year-old Japanese citizen, lost his footing three-quarters of the way up the summit cables, slid off the side of Half Dome and tumbled 300 feet to a ledge.
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Jun 14, 2009 - 12:25pm PT
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Okay, so lets be morbid. Here's the song I'm grooving to right now:
"I am here, right here
Where god puts none asunder
And you, in black dress and black shoe
You do invite me under
Go on, go there
You can see me aging
Stars turn, balls burn
Coming kids are raging
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
La la la ...
Every terrible thing is a relief
Even months on end buried in grief
Are easy light times which have to end
With the coming of your death friend
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
La la la ...
So strap me on and raise me high
Cause buddy I'm not afraid to die
But life is long and it's tremendous
And we're glad that you're here with us
And since we know an end will come
It makes our living fun
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun
Death to me and death to you
Tell me what else can we do die do
Death to all and death to each
Our own god-bottle's within reach
Death to everyone is gonna come
And it makes hosing much more fun"
Moral of the story: without death, our lives would be pretty damn boring. Get used to it.
Bonus points if you can name the artist.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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Jun 14, 2009 - 12:57pm PT
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they could put a couple of nets up there, but where?
you get banged up in a hurry once you start rollin and tumblin.
the mist trail, i have often wondered why more people don't launch into the river and die, they really need a hand rail on that hike.
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jstan
climber
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Jun 14, 2009 - 01:56pm PT
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When warmer humid air mixes with colder air above and the water condenses into rain it gives up its heat of vaporization. The air that is warm then rises and the cold air falls. So you would expect to have a cooling trend after a rain. If the cooling is strong enough and the rock has not been sun warmed, verglas can form on the rock. When that happens you may not even be able to stand on horizontal rock. If the cables are coated with ice, worst case, you won't be able to hold on to them either.
Going up HD with a mob of people in a rain or hail storm unprepared for that which you may meet is pushing the envelope, big time.
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Terry
climber
Spokane
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Jun 14, 2009 - 01:58pm PT
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My sincere condolences to the family.
But nets and handrails on the Mist? How about we just limit 'hikes' to virtual tours down in the Valley. Lets create a perfectly safe experience where no one can possibly get injured or die. Of course that would mean we eliminate all vehicle travel to Yosemite entirely.
Do I want people to die? Of course not. But I also want them to live.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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Jun 14, 2009 - 02:00pm PT
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maybe we should all pitch in on our own grave yard?
a "climbers only" graveyard. no gym rats allowed.
discounts for early burials. lessens the family burden?
even mass graves for multiple tie ins?
maybe take over an ancient indian burial ground up in Teneya Canyon?
we can sell the artifacts to finance the operation on evilbay.
put a scary sign at the entrance: "You Entering Indian - You Beware!"
hey, did they kick those climbers out of the cave yet?
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Jun 14, 2009 - 02:15pm PT
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The first time I went up there, I walked up the inside and came down the outside.
The outside edges are so much less slick than the inside.
The last time I was up there it was only to come down after doing the RNWF. I was terrified. It was so slick inside the cables, it really blew me away.
I would absolutely not go up the cables without a swami and a carabiner. It would be easy to slip, even as an experienced climber you could easily slip. As the regular laymen, it seems crazy. My biggest fear is that someone would slip and take me out with them, I don't trust those Turons.
Edit:
This is really sad though and I am really sorry for him and his family.
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cintune
climber
the Moon and Antarctica
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Jun 14, 2009 - 02:22pm PT
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One of those in Chamonix already. Space is limited, though.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jun 14, 2009 - 04:24pm PT
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I wish the best for his family and friends.
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Jun 14, 2009 - 05:15pm PT
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eKat-- If I had a postcard, I'd send it your way. Congrats... for knowing good music :)
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ec
climber
ca
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Jun 14, 2009 - 05:56pm PT
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Oh. I thought the cables cut loose...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 14, 2009 - 10:32pm PT
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hey there hoipolloi and all... say, i had always wondered about if folks could "tie in" or whatever you would call it, as to doing that rail climb...
is there some way for folks to do that and make it a safer climb for them? course, with all the tons of folks around, that might get in the way of others, trying to adjust, or what? (re hook, every few feet?)...
oh, well, i may not be saying all this correctly, but i was just wondering..
also, my condolences to the family of the young man.. very sorry to hear this sad news...
maybe in bad weather they should or could, just yellow-tape it as off limits??
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 14, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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neebee,
I actually saw a group doing what you suggest. They had seats attached to the cables via one-inch webbing and carabiners. I wondered aloud at the time what would happen if they fell, because they would be putting one whale of an impact force on their midsections.
My sentiments align with Terry's. First and foremost, I feel terrible for the decedent's family and friends, and those who had to watch. For most tourists, however, the hike to Half Dome and the trip up and down the cables represents a highlight of their lives.
I'm a bit curious, though. If he ended up 1800 feet below the base, that could be a slip from the cables and a fall toward the North Ridge, but it could also be a slip on the stretch below the cables.
In any case, that hike changed its character dramatically in the almost 50 years since I first did it. As late as 1968, I hiked up the cables alone and found one party of three on the summit. That trip was actually instrumental in my climbing career. I'd been climbing about a year, but never considered myself good enough to climb in the Valley. When I got to the summit, I got to watch two climbers on the last pitch of the NWF. Instead of god-like entities, they reminded me of me, and gave me the confidence to start climbing there myself.
John
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jun 15, 2009 - 12:18am PT
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The current news on this: He was Manoj Kumar from San Ramon. He fell 100 feet and had been using the cables. So presumably he ended up at the bottom of the cables?
There was rain and hail apparently. The NPS also rescued 40 others in the situation. One has to wonder what the NPS has been doing about allowing access up there; after all it has been storming for at least an hour almost ever single day for a over 3 weeks and with lightning. Whatever. A whole lot of people without enough information and guidance in an environment that is like no other with which they are familiar.
Well here’s a current link about the event, per the SFgate.com:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/14/state/n173503D06.DTL
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skywalker
climber
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Jun 15, 2009 - 02:57am PT
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I recently took a trip to the Dolomites. I was amazed by the extensive use of gondolas and huts! Used one or two for my own "big climbs". As a climber who has done some of the "bigger climbs" here in the U.S. Delt with the approaches/ descents etc... I wonder why not or should the Gondola system they use in Europe be used in the U.S., and whether it would reduce the deaths of people who will inevitably try things such as half dome or longs peak, etc. and whether it will reduce the experience of ambitious climbers? I lean toward allowing such practices but just throwing it out there. I understand both camps.
Cheers,
stay safe!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jun 15, 2009 - 03:25am PT
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Gondolas are more for skiers or getting partway up the mountain, I think. People still like the challenge of hiking/climbing.
This may sound weird, but I'm in favor of a sandblasting project to restore the texture of the rock surface at the cables. Maybe the logistics would be too tough, but it seems like less slickness would help. And it is only going to get slicker otherwise.
Even if the roughness was restored, there will still be occasional fatalities, and people struck by lighting on top. Even experienced mountaineers often have trouble turning back close to the summit, after they have invested so much effort in getting there.
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