Is It Safe to Climb Half Dome?

The sad death of Grace Rolhoff on Half Dome has once again raised questions about the safety of Half Dome's infamous cable system. Safety, though, is a relative concept: a hiking trail has very different requirements to be considered safe than a rock climbing route. So is the Half Dome ascent a hike, a climb, . . . or something else? How you answer may be more important than you know. 0:00 Death on Half Dome 1:08 The Half Domes Cables 3:32 Deaths on Half Dome 4:29 Safety Gear Controversy 6:24 Yosemite Rangers On Safety Gear 7:23 Arguments Against Safety Gear on Half Dome 8:23 Does Safety Gear Slow Half Dome Climbers Down? 9:42 Does Safety Gear Affect Half Dome's Fear Factor? 10:24 Is the Half Dome Ascent a Hike or a Climb? 11:11 Assessing Half Dome Cable Safety as a Via Ferrata 13:11 Final Conclusion MY PICKS FOR BEST SAFETY GEAR Harness: Black Diamond Momentum - https://amzn.to/3pGIQt5 Lanyard: C.A.M.P. Kinetic Rewind Pro Via Ferrata Lanyard - https://amzn.to/3Twuxqs Gloves: Mad Grip F100 Pro Palm Knuckler - https://amzn.to/4dEUmNK SOURCE LINKS College student slips on Yosemite's Half Dome cables, falls to her death - https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/college-student-death-half-dome-yosemite-19591633.php Arizona hiker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHkBGZ5fskQ NPS Yosemite Page - https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm Death on the Dome: Epidemiology of Recreational Deaths on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321442772_Death_on_the_Dome_Epidemiology_of_Recreational_Deaths_on_Half_Dome_in_Yosemite_National_Park Here’s What Really Kills People in the National Parks - https://www.backpacker.com/survival/deaths-in-national-parks/ Deaths in National Parks - https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/mortality-data.htm Half Dome Deaths as of July 2024 - https://theworldtravelguy.com/half-dome-deaths/ How To Hike Half Dome - https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/yosemite-hikes/half-dome-hike-complete-guide/ Half Dome Cables using via ferrata - https://youtu.be/28H_omVXEik Harness on Half Dome (Reddit) - https://www.reddit.com/r/Yosemite/comments/d5yr5b/harness_on_half_dome/ Safety Equipment for Hiking Half Dome - https://yosemitehouse.com/half-dome-safety-gear Alex Honnold - http://www.alexhonnold.com/ Climbing Half Dome in One Day - https://youtu.be/pTvQKpweZw0 Climbing Half Dome: What You Need to Know (Day Hike / Over Night / Cables Up / Cables Down) - https://youtu.be/POgYv78LpGo Ranger telling people not to use safety gear on Half Dome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r7tlQeznNw&t=1074s Descending The Cables At Half Dome - https://youtu.be/90XtukG-IqQ?t=208 Ambulance Drivers Should Wear Seat Belts Too - https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,874784 Climbing Half Dome Guide - https://www.yosemite.com/things-to-do/adventure-activities/climbing-half-dome/ Introduction to Via Ferrata: Where Hiking and Climbing Meet! - https://youtu.be/TOdU2CCmQQc I Did My First Via Ferrata! - https://youtu.be/woEDwWDNtZk How I Almost Died Climbing Yosemite’s Half Dome - https://indiacurrents.com/how-i-almost-died-climbing-yosemites-half-dome/ Accident at Half Dome Here’s the whole story of what happened at the Half Dome Sep 21 2023 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbo0bsxmbtU Woman Survives Fall From Yosemite's Half Dome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJVwcX3uAvo Hiker falls to his death at Half Dome cables in Yosemite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ_O5o5cPkw LIKE and SUBSCRIBE and CLICK the BELL for #camping, #hiking, #backpacking, and the gear that goes with it! Using these product links helps this channel grow at no cost to you. THANKS! GET MY FREE BACKPACKING CHECKLIST: https://www.BackcountryPilgrim.com/2021/03/12/hiking-backpacking-checklist MY HIKING GEAR: https://www.BackcountryPilgrim.com/my-hiking-gear BLOG - https://www.BackcountryPilgrim.com INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/backcountrypilgrim/ ----- MUSIC ----- Intro/Outro Music: "Happiness" Composer: Benjamin Tissot Standard License certificate #2232653 from bensound.com.