My Gear for Climbing Half Dome (Cables Up)

Рет қаралды 13,034

Күн бұрын

In my last video I showed you my one-day hike to the top of Half Dome Yosemite and back. Here I will show you the safety gear I used and discuss alternatives that might make for a better climb for you.*
For those misguided folks (including rangers) who complain about people using safety gear on Half Dome: www.sfgate.com/california-par...
Intro 0:00
Gloves: 1:35
Harness, Sling, Carabiners: 4:30
Downfalls of this System 6:58
Dangers of this System 8:35
The Best Safety System for Half Dome Cables Up: Via Ferrata: 10:25
Problems with Super Grippy Gloves 11:08
The Best Safety System for Half Dome Cables Down: 12:00
Final Recommendations 13:16
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VIDEO LINKS
Half Dome Video: • Climbing Half Dome in ...
HALF DOME GEAR USED ON THIS CLIMB:
GLOVES: Mad Grip - amzn.to/4dEUmNK
GM 16mm Nylon Sling Runner - amzn.to/3eDp2PY
Black Diamond Rocklock Screwgate Carabiner - amzn.to/3fFf95w
Weanas Thicken Climbing Harness - amzn.to/3h9tibn
(BETTER Harness - Black Diamond Momentum - amzn.to/3pGIQt5)
VIA FERRATA GEAR:
Petzl Scorpio Vertigo Via Ferrata Lanyard: amzn.to/339Q8vH
Black Diamond Iron Cruiser Via Ferrata Set: Black Diamond Iron Cruiser - bit.ly/3LSOzpC
ARTICLES:
Safety Equipment for Hiking Half Dome: yosemitehouse.com/half-dome-s...
Mr. Half Dome (Gloves): hikehalfdome.com/gloves-cables...
How To Climb Half Dome Cables Down (Off Season): • How To Climb Half Dome...
Climbing Half-Dome with Cables Down: www.yosemite.ca.us/forum/view...
Rock Climbing Fall: • Rock Climbing: Lead Fall
Descent of Half Dome Cables (using caribiner safety system): • Descending The Cables ...
The Best Climbing Slings and Runners: www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics...
Choosing A Dynamic Climbing Rope - What Do The Numbers Mean?: mountainequipment.com/blogs/m...
Fall Factor and Impact Force Theory: www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Fal...
Half Dome Deaths: www.businessinsider.com/how-m...
Half Dome seen from partway up the South Face of the Washington Column, with storm clouds approaching: www.summitpost.org/half-dome-...
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MUSIC:
Intro/Outro Music: "Happiness" Composer: Benjamin Tissot Standard License certificate #2232653 from bensound.com.

Пікірлер: 41

@aliensoup2420 9 күн бұрын

Glad somebody is discussing this. I hiked the Dome only once, but afterward I decided if I ever do it again I would wear safety gear, and I recommend it to anyone asking me about hiking Half Dome. Wearing a harness has nothing to do with a hiker's climbing ability - it is a hedge against the potential accidents that can occur when dozens of inexperienced and unqualified hikers are struggling in your midst. I doubted my own ability halfway up the cables when my hands and forearms began to fatigue from gripping the slick cable. I am surprised the Park Service doesn't require a harness with a permit. They cannot force a hiker to wear one, but if a hiker has the gear with them they are more likely to use it. I doubt it would slow traffic any more than it already is on the cables.

@BackcountryPilgrim 9 күн бұрын

Worse, some rangers advise against it for the same dumb reasons others have. You nailed it though t, it has nothing to do with climbing ability.

@jrdawg25 Жыл бұрын

Love the info!

@BackcountryPilgrim Жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

@StepsbyKaatje 4 жыл бұрын

This is a good video on safety! Thanks! 😀

@BackcountryPilgrim 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@Banjomute 6 ай бұрын

Thanks! Great info.

@BackcountryPilgrim 6 ай бұрын

You bet!

@chicoflash6377 4 жыл бұрын

You’ve done it again Doctor. Eminently prepared and delivered video-motivation for my acrophobic self to get on a stepladder and clean my gutters! Looking forward to what’s next.

@BackcountryPilgrim 4 жыл бұрын

Gutters are scary for their own reasons LOL! Glad you liked it!

@user-xo6yf2rz6n 11 ай бұрын

Thanks !

@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING 4 жыл бұрын

Nice video Doug. 👍

@BackcountryPilgrim 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Crow!!!

@MiscMitz 4 жыл бұрын

That was a great climb and great equipment

@BackcountryPilgrim 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks! it was an amazing day!

@SphoenixBlue 3 жыл бұрын

I have been looking for a video like this for MONTHS! All I could find were over dramatized influencer videos with edm music😅 Thank you SO much for sharing your wisdom and experience! I hike Yosemite weekly and have been training to do Half Dome. You answered all of my questions without me having to ask them.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!! I'm somewhat local to the park so I get to Yosemite pretty often as well (over-dramatized-but-non-edm videos often follow! LOL).

@weezy5681 2 жыл бұрын

@@BackcountryPilgrim .

@gregors1422 2 жыл бұрын

Great vid and good advice! I did this hike about 15 yrs ago and discovered that I had a fear of heights on it! I had made a DIY carbiner system which also helped me (mostly psychologically, as you mention), but had the most fear on the steepest part of the sub-dome (which has no aids). How did you find dealing with that section?

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

I'm actually sitting here right now nervous because I plan to do it again (cables down!) in about two weeks. *Gulp!* :) Yeah Sub Dome is no cake walk, but fortunately I am obsessive about research and was pretty much prepared for it. I did not find it too sketchy fear-wise because I focused on the climbing and not the views (saved those for the way down). Oddly, my mindset on the cables became the opposite. I took in the views in a panorama fashion so that I did not get choked up by the heights. It was so beautiful the fear kind of took a backseat. I told myself this was a "one-and-done" and I better soak it all in because I'd never come back...that turned out to be untrue but it helped motivate me at the time haha!

@dahl2525 3 жыл бұрын

What a legend replying to every comment

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Ha! I try. :)

@Russojap2 6 ай бұрын

I think you did the right thing using a harness ... I'm really surprised the park service doesn't make it mandatory, seems like a huge liability issue otherwise.🤔 Anyhow not using a harness would be insane, anything could happen to make you fall, somebody above you could fall and knock you over for example. Pretty sure I would personally give this hike a hard pass though, still seems like a pretty dangerous trip considering weather etc. Also not sure if I would have enough confidence in the cables themselves, or at least the attachment points.😂

@BackcountryPilgrim 6 ай бұрын

It's not for everyone! I think too many people underestimate this hike and end up in trouble.

@BackcountryPilgrim 6 ай бұрын

With the cables down it would be foolhardy to not have a harness. With them up, it's more of a backup in case something happens TO the climber.

@thomza 3 жыл бұрын

I assume you purchased the longer 4ft sling? This would give 2ft length for each sling attached to it's own caribiner. Do you think 2ft length for each sling is long enough or would a little longer sling such as 3ft each be easier to reach out to clip and unclip over the cable's poles?

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Yes I had the 48". A longer length would help with being able to stand up on the supports if you have longer legs but it would not help with how far you have to reach over because that is a function of your height. I think another foot or so would have been good for me for this application though.

@thomza 3 жыл бұрын

@@BackcountryPilgrim Thanks a bunch!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

You bet!

@carlwilliams6977 9 ай бұрын

I assumed the cables were attached to the rock at several points throughout the climb. This would mean that you would still have to switch attachment points a few times with the cables "down". In fact, I talked to somebody who did it, and said the one mistake he made was not making the lines on his carabiner long enough to make this transition smoothly (he had two awkwardly squat down at each transition). Thoughts? BTW, 300 people are issued permits per day with the cables ( more correctly - "stanchions") up. I've read that in good weather, about a hundred climb the rock each day with the cables "down". So the solitude you experience, would depend on your timing and some luck!

@BackcountryPilgrim 9 ай бұрын

That is correct about the cables. "Down" refers to whether they are up on posts or down on the rock. They never come "off." If you want info on cables down climbing I'd watch the video I made for that here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hrWXjNlonbLUd6M.html I've only been up once when they were down. I had the place to myself for nearly an hour and maybe saw 5 people after that. I think it's becoming more popular! :)

@MattD86 3 жыл бұрын

Altra Lone Peaks with their big/long lug grips are not ideal for Yosemite’s smooth slippery granite. Your best bet is going to be vibram megagrip found on La Sportiva’s TX3 or TX4 approach/scramble shoes. Grippiest on the market.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

I've got that on my newish topo mtn racers. If I would have had them then I'd have used them!

@MattD86 3 жыл бұрын

@@BackcountryPilgrim Nice! How do you like those shoes? The specs look awesome

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

I did a review on them early on. I love them but the ones I got do seem to make me blister prone if I am not careful. Could be sizing though. Otherwise I'd say they're not Altra killers but they're a good option if you want a bit more hiking boot feel without the weight penalty.

@guest00791 3 жыл бұрын

At a glance those look like screw gate carabiners. Every time you clip it you need to twist it locked otherwise it won't actually support your weight the gate could pop open and you'll fall your death. Switching to auto locking is not expensive.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Not a bad idea. I don't think popping open was much of a possibility given what I was doing with them on this trip but auto locking certainly wouldn't have hurt! :-)

@SkiSkillsMontana 7 ай бұрын

Safety gear lol I didn't even bring gloves

@BackcountryPilgrim 7 ай бұрын

Hike your own hike bro.

@arisaka9963 2 жыл бұрын

You wore a $19 harness? Lol

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

It was $30, and that's because it has no padding and is built more like the harness you rent at a gym. It's rated to 25kn which I figured would be good enough given that with the cables up the worst that can happen is you slip and slide a few feet. ;)