How do people climb routes longer than the rope?

How do you climb routes like half-dome in yosemite or other routes of several hundred feet longer than your rope??

Obviously I know nothing about climbing

Typically, one would set up an anchor partway and bring the second person up to it, then continue climbing from that point.

It's done in multiple stages called pitches. A leader climbs up a rope length and creates an a anchor, bringing up the partner. Repeat until the team reaches the top.

You can climb the length of the rope (typically 60 meters) and find a natural ledge on the rock wall to set up a belay. This means you will have to anchor yourself to the rock with climbing equipment (nuts, cams, ect), then belay your partner up to your stance from above. Usually your partner will then lead the next pitch and then belay you up to his stance.

There is plenty of flexibility in this scenario depending on many factors, but this is then repeated until you reach the top.

Here's something from the Internets: blog.outdoornation.org/clim…

Anchors are your answer. They can be bolts, pitons, nuts, cams, rock formations, trees.

There are some fun videos on youtube of people out in Yosemite.

James....it's sort of like trying to consume a whale, one bite at a time. The chosen route is climbed one rope length (typically 60m or 200 ft) or "pitch" at a time, with intermediate anchors, as Lon indicated. So, with Half Dome's Regular Route being twenty-four pitches, the route would be climbed one pitch at a time for twenty-four successive rope lengths. And a walk off down the other side.

Cool thanks, isn't belaying from the top very dangerous?

No,

If you know what you're doing.

There's also simul-climbing.