Half dome cable down descent?

I'm thinking of Snake Dike in April/May.

What's it like going down the cables (cables down)? Would there be any snow/ice or other concerns? Should I use some sort of Via Ferrata type protection?
Am I making too much out of it?

I've done the descent when the cable posts are out, it felt like the most exposed part of the snake hike. Bring leather gloves and you'll be fine. If you feel the ice is heinous you could easily rig a rappel off of the cables

Jon Rhoderick wrote:I've done the descent when the cable posts are out, it felt like the most exposed part of the snake hike. Bring leather gloves and you'll be fine. If you feel the ice is heinous you could easily rig a rappel off of the cables

What month did you go, and was there snow/ice?
Does anyone have a feel for conditions in April/May?

I was thinking about Snake dike maybe this month. Lemme know if you wanna go.

You can clip tethers to it if you need to. If the conditions are good you will be fine being a climber, As stated above gloves are fantastic to have. When we came down, we came down holding on the outside of the cables because their was a major traffic jam of tourists that would have taken an hour or two to negotiate.

DrRockso wrote:You can clip tethers to it if you need to. If the conditions are good you will be fine being a climber, As stated above gloves are fantastic to have. When we came down, we came down holding on the outside of the cables because their was a major traffic jam of tourists that would have taken an hour or two to negotiate.

I think the question is what is it like doing the descent when the cables are DOWN. They take the cables down during the winter and put them back up sometime in the summer.

The cables remain there, they just take the posts out. No way do they haul those cables out every year!

The descent with the cables down is not difficult. Just clip a sling to the cable and make sure to wear gloves. You do have to transfer cables several times, so two slings is safer for the transfer.

I love this thread. Bottom of my heart.

It can be slippery in places (glacier polish and ice depending on time of day). The three times I've done it I've used 2 longer prusiks tied to two carabiners on the belay loop so I was always tied into something. You have to switch cables 5+ times but I got pretty fast at tying the prusiks.

Gloves are key. The cables are frayed in places so your prusiks will probably be toast after (and your hands too if you're not careful). Have fun!

Just to be clear...y'all are talking about tieing a prusick around the cables that are on the ground...ie, the post are out, right? I've definitely not tried this, since I think it's a pretty silly idea in the first place, but how do you get the cord under the cable? Is there an occasional gap to feed under the cable or are you just lifting it (seems like it'd be pretty heavy to me). I've been down the cables with them both up and down and never felt the need for any kind of extra protection. Using a sling on the cables (does a carabiner even fit around that cable!?), or a friction hitch seems excessive to me. It is simply not that sketchy. I've never had ice or snow on the descent, but if there was, I'd probably just take the time to rap instead of messing around with any of these other ideas.

csproul wrote:Just to be clear...y'all are talking about tieing a prusick around the cables that are on the ground...ie, the post are out, right? I've definitely not tried this, since I think it's a pretty silly idea in the first place, but how do you get the cord under the cable? Is there an occasional gap to feed under the cable or are you just lifting it (seems like it'd be pretty heavy to me). I've been down the cables with them both up and down and never felt the need for any kind of extra protection. Using a sling on the cables (does a carabiner even fit around that cable!?), or a friction hitch seems excessive to me. It is simply not that sketchy. I've never had ice or snow on the descent, but if there was, I'd probably just take the time to rap instead of messing around with any of these other ideas.

This.
I'm talking about descending when the cables are in the down position...with snow/ice. If the rock is clear prussiks etc are not necessary IMHO..and are prussiks safe on a steel cable anyway (burn through)?

I guess has anyone experienced snow/ice on descent is the main question. If so, what did you do? Basic rappelling sounds like a good one to me.

Look on YouTube. There are videos of people descending the cables with out the posts in to hold them up...Cables down. If you've done the cable route you'd probably realize it's totally doable. If you are technical enough to climb snake dike you can handle cables down. You can also use the cable anchor Eye bolts to rappel off as well. Watch the video and you understand. There shouldn't be much ice on that side in spring. Maybe some frozen seepage but ice melts on that aspect fairly quickly.

T Howes wrote:The descent with the cables down is not difficult. Just clip a sling to the cable and make sure to wear gloves. You do have to transfer cables several times, so two slings is safer for the transfer.

Just bring a pair of gloves, you will be fine.