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Half Dome

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Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0

Does anyone know if any good videos or movies about Half Dome? I've been obsessed with the RNWF of HD lately and I'd like to see more of what it looks like to climb it. Especially after the rock fall

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148

YGD™.

Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote: YGD™.

OK? Thanks for your useful input 

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148

Sorry Andrew!

Its done affectionately around here. :)

The route breaks up into 3 parts generally speaking.

1. The first 8 or 9 or so pitches are kinda intermittent good climbing with ledges and easy sections. It goes especially fast. No much real exposure etc.

2. Then you get to the "Robbins Traverse" where the climbing becomes more big wall like with exposure and bolt ladders etc but is still not sustained and the mandatory free climbing is easy up to Big Sandy ledge.

3. From Big Sandy the 3 pitches of the Zig Zags are easy clean aid but steep and exposed. Real Big Wall atmosphere but its over quick...traverse over on Thank God ledge to a short physical chimney. From there to the top is easy peasy (another bolt ladder then 5.8).

French Free (grab gear) or aid whenever needed and all you need is 5.9/5.10- Yosemite skills and a hard nosed attitude to not fail plus some experience with hauling and aiding.

Do not underestimate the hike. Most parties that fail get their ass kicked on the hike from neglecting their legs and humping a big load to the base but having it take the piss out of them.

The changes to the route are well documented on the MP page and its seeing regular ascents.

England · · Colorado Springs · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 270

I'm curious about this as well. The wife and myself had climbed the Snake Dike earlier that day, and were the only people on the entire dome that day. I know hard to believe, but we have the pics to prove it. We heard/saw nothing. Didn't even know it had happened until the rangers asked us if we knew about the time it occurred. Haven't been back in there since.

Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote: Sorry Andrew!

Its done affectionately around here. :)

No worries, I appreciate you're response. I'm nowhere near ready for Half Dome at the moment, but it's something I've been aspiring to do in the near future (5 years or so). I'm trying to learn about it as much as I can, and as some tend to doe ith climbing, I'm obsessed. 

I have Sloans newer guidebook and his topos aren't the clearest to me. Which is why I was asking about videos of it. Or just any info 

Something I was reading recommended not hauling a bag up due to it catching on ledges and other things constantly. And the guidebook I have recommends the second jug up with a pack carrying food, jackets, etc. Do you think it could be done without a haul bag?

Yea I've read the approach is killer. Definitely need to work on legs before going

Just looked at the route page on the website and can see comments about the changes. I haven't updated my app in a while so they weren't showing up. Good stuff thanks 
MP · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 2

the route has experienced, and will continue to experience, lots of rockfall. The area where climbers used to sleep below the climb was obliterated. Multiple pitches of the climb literally fell off. If you decide to do this route, consider being competent enough to do it in a day (eg quickly). 

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148
Andrew F wrote:

No worries, I appreciate you're response. I'm nowhere near ready for Half Dome at the moment, but it's something I've been aspiring to do in the near future (5 years or so). I'm trying to learn about it as much as I can, and as some tend to doe ith climbing, I'm obsessed. 

I have Sloans newer guidebook and his topos aren't the clearest to me. Which is why I was asking about videos of it. Or just any info

Something I was reading recommended not hauling a bag up due to it catching on ledges and other things constantly. And the guidebook I have recommends the second jug up with a pack carrying food, jackets, etc. Do you think it could be done without a haul bag?

Yea I've read the approach is killer. Definitely need to work on legs before going

Just looked at the route page on the website and can see comments about the changes. I haven't updated my app in a while so they weren't showing up. Good stuff thanks 
To be honest, the route is easiest to do in a day.

The first time I did it was in 3 days with a slow partner and full kit.

The second time I did it was 12 hours base of the route to base of the route. I was in worse shape too but it was easier.

Hauling does suck ass on the route. Especially down low when the bag is heaviest.

Easiest way is to take bivy gear to the base, fix the first few pitches, spend the night and blast. If you get down late you just have to make it back to your bivy gear at the base. There are plenty of bivy sites to the east that are safe from rock fall and the lower part of the route is safe from any active zone.

That said, yer gonna die! :)

So go for it. You don't need 5 years to get ready, but you do need 3 straight months of dirtbagging it and climbing every day. There is no substitute for that experience.
Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0

Do you think you did it in 12 hours the second time because you knew the route? Or because you had a faster partner? Maybe both?

Where did you sleep the first day? I've read that the only place to really sleep is Big Sandy.

Good beta about spending the night at the bivy dater the descent. Didn't think about that.
Maybe I don't need 5 years, but I'm only leading 5.6 at the moment so I feel like I would want to be confident at 5.10 to be safe.

Thanks for the confidence boost though! 

Quinn Hatfield · · Los Angeles · Joined Oct 2018 · Points: 0

I climbed it in early May of ‘94...
I had a 3/4 ascent of Washington’s Column under my belt.. (like-probably jugged for the first time ever on pitch 2)
And my partner had zero aid experience at all..

My partner flew in from Texas and we drove straight to LeConte memorial.. we each aided and jugged the bolt ladder once and I attempted to pass off everything I’d learned in my 8 pitches on WC..
that afternoon We hiked in- crossed a terrifying snow slope that would of been death had we slipped- filled our water bottles and bivy’d at the base..
I had an unfortunate meat slicer accident days before we left and I climbed with a giant bandage on one finger.. we basically hardly free climbed at all. We spent the whole route joking about our new found ability to Aid Everything!
4 days and 3 nights on the wall- all natural bivy ledges.. the Hauling sucks down low... and in the middle and top. but you’re traveling pretty light, no portaledge.. 
we ended up topping out on the first Saturday that the cables were up- the top was crowded and the entire group cheered us on and celebrated our ascent and gave us cookies and water.. we were big time celebrities for a few moments! we motored down the trail and had dinner in the valley that night.. 
 Of all the walls I’ve done it really stands out as something special.. maybe it was doing something crazy with a good friend or the impossible position of half Dome or the true adventure climbing feel...
whatever it was I remember it very fondly...
Just go do it!!! 

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148
Andrew F wrote: Do you think you did it in 12 hours the second time because you knew the route? Or because you had a faster partner? Maybe both?

Where did you sleep the first day? I've read that the only place to really sleep is Big Sandy.

Good beta about spending the night at the bivy dater the descent. Didn't think about that.
Maybe I don't need 5 years, but I'm only leading 5.6 at the moment so I feel like I would want to be confident at 5.10 to be safe.

Thanks for the confidence boost though! 

Yes, without a doubt because there is some route finding down low and its also easier to go fast when you know the pitch and don't have any trepidation because you know how it goes. But the route finding should be easier now because the route gets cleaner and cleaner (lichen scrubbed away) from so many ascents. But the real key is to french free EVERYTHING. Anytime you want to take a rest when free climbing, grab the gear or daisy off and REST. Then motor on. You'll have so much more gear that you just can't be a purist about free climbing unless you are some 5.12 beast. Just grab any and everything to make it go fast including on 5.8 but especially anything 5.9 or harder. Trust me, you will grab it eventually, might as well start from the beginning and save as much energy as possible in any way possible. Just go fast.

Yea, first time we slept on the ledge that has since fallen off (lol) then Big Sandy. There is also an amazing ledge right below the summit down and left on the ramp if it gets dark or there is storm on the summit (don't go up there if there is lightning, ever). You can bivy on top of like the 5th or 6th (sloping and crappy) or find a spot elsewhere for your butt cheeks on the buttress down low but from there you gotta blast for big sandy.

You go right back down to the base to go down the slabs descent (best and fastest up and down). So you can leave anything at the base (except food) and pick it up later.
nathanael · · San Diego · Joined May 2011 · Points: 525

All HBs advice and beta is excellent. I won't add too much, when you're ready for the route then a lot of the questions you have will have answered themselves. Stuff like being able to visualize what the topo means, judging if you're able to climb it in a day, and just the nitty gritty logistics for big days of climbing. As HB said, there's no substitute for experience, and most questions will have different answers for different people. How much water, how many layers, what bag, what timing, what shoes, what rack, how fast, how slow, how hard, how easy etc etc. You can ask 10 people and get 10 answers, and when the time comes you'll have to find the right answers for you.

Anyways, you sound psyched and I think you'll crush it when the time comes. You got me inspired to edit up the video clips I took when I climbed it this spring. Doesn't show that much of the climb, too busy enjoying the route for the most part. But hope it gives you a little view of it.

Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote:

Yes, without a doubt because there is some route finding down low and its also easier to go fast when you know the pitch and don't have any trepidation because you know how it goes. But the route finding should be easier now because the route gets cleaner and cleaner (lichen scrubbed away) from so many ascents. But the real key is to french free EVERYTHING. Anytime you want to take a rest when free climbing, grab the gear or daisy off and REST. Then motor on. You'll have so much more gear that you just can't be a purist about free climbing unless you are some 5.12 beast. Just grab any and everything to make it go fast including on 5.8 but especially anything 5.9 or harder. Trust me, you will grab it eventually, might as well start from the beginning and save as much energy as possible in any way possible. Just go fast.

Yea, first time we slept on the ledge that has since fallen off (lol) then Big Sandy. There is also an amazing ledge right below the summit down and left on the ramp if it gets dark or there is storm on the summit (don't go up there if there is lightning, ever). You can bivy on top of like the 5th or 6th (sloping and crappy) or find a spot elsewhere for your butt cheeks on the buttress down low but from there you gotta blast for big sandy.

You go right back down to the base to go down the slabs descent (best and fastest up and down). So you can leave anything at the base (except food) and pick it up later.
Yea that's a good idea about  grabbing gear. I'm not a purist by any means, I would just be stoked on topping out, however I got there.

That's a little eerie about the ledge you slept on haha.
Doing it in one day, would it be possible to top out during daylight? You said your 2nd time it was 12 hours base to base, but the descent is only like an hour/hour and a half right?
I'd have to start pretty early to top out with the sun still out most likely.

Do you know of any places that are good to practice before doing the RNWF? I'd like to do Snake Dike first, just to get an idea of climbing the rock there. Not sure if it's even comparable though, since theres no aid there.

I appreciate all your advice though. I'm getting stoked just thinking about it 
Spencer Cone · · Durango, CO · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 205

Also, here is a link to an article with more information about post-rockfall HD. 

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148
Andrew F wrote: Yea that's a good idea about  grabbing gear. I'm not a purist by any means, I would just be stoked on topping out, however I got there.

That's a little eerie about the ledge you slept on haha.
Doing it in one day, would it be possible to top out during daylight? You said your 2nd time it was 12 hours base to base, but the descent is only like an hour/hour and a half right?
I'd have to start pretty early to top out with the sun still out most likely.

Do you know of any places that are good to practice before doing the RNWF? I'd like to do Snake Dike first, just to get an idea of climbing the rock there. Not sure if it's even comparable though, since theres no aid there.

I appreciate all your advice though. I'm getting stoked just thinking about it 
Snake dike is just a low angle friction training hike. There is nothing remotely comparable other than that to RNWFHD which is steep crack climbing.

You should be hiking up Central Pillar of Frenzy, Reed's Direct and Serenity/SoY or Outer Limits before attempting HD in a day (ie hiking 5.9 and sending moderate 5.10).

Its only 1 easy hour to the base from the summit. Learn to climb with a headlamp. You should be starting any "push" in darkness.

Also, you want to be up there in July/August...hot at the base is gonna be a lot warmer at 8000' if you have to bivy.
Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
nathanael wrote: All HBs advice and beta is excellent. I won't add too much, when you're ready for the route then a lot of the questions you have will have answered themselves. Stuff like being able to visualize what the topo means, judging if you're able to climb it in a day, and just the nitty gritty logistics for big days of climbing. As HB said, there's no substitute for experience, and most questions will have different answers for different people. How much water, how many layers, what bag, what timing, what shoes, what rack, how fast, how slow, how hard, how easy etc etc. You can ask 10 people and get 10 answers, and when the time comes you'll have to find the right answers for you.

Anyways, you sound psyched and I think you'll crush it when the time comes. You got me inspired to edit up the video clips I took when I climbed it this spring. Doesn't show that much of the climb, too busy enjoying the route for the most part. But hope it gives you a little view of it.


Great video man, thanks for putting it together and sharing

Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
Spencer Todd Cone wrote: Climbed HD with Nathanael. I will add one thing. Most of the post-rock fall section can be easily navigated. However, there is a 30ft blank section before the P13 anchors. You can pass this section by performing some old fashioned trickery... namely a tension traverse out from an old bolt and then a horizontal knot toss into a V slot. I tied the biggest nut I had onto my cord to help with the toss. Get the nut good and stuck in the deep V, then pull yourself over.

Yea, that was one of the parts I was concerned about. The guidebook says there's a bolt ladder, but doesn't really go into the nut toss. Thanks for posting that article, that cleared it up a bit. 

Andrew F · · San Diego, CA · Joined Mar 2018 · Points: 0
Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote: Snake dike is just a low angle friction training hike. There is nothing remotely comparable other than that to RNWFHD which is steep crack climbing.

You should be hiking up Central Pillar of Frenzy, Reed's Direct and Serenity/SoY or Outer Limits before attempting HD in a day (ie hiking 5.9 and sending moderate 5.10).

Its only 1 easy hour to the base from the summit. Learn to climb with a headlamp. You should be starting any "push" in darkness.

Also, you want to be up there in July/August...hot at the base is gonna be a lot warmer at 8000' if you have to bivy.

Yea that's what I figured. I'll definitely look into those routes. 

Is July/August better then September/October? I'm not familiar with the weather up there yet, so maybe it is. 
Jeff L · · Valley of the Sun · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 35

Free Climb, a documentary about the first free ascent of the RNWF of Half Dome, from 1978. Dated but a classic film. Obviously much has changed since then. 

John Clark · · Sierras · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1,398

Harumpster, when was the last time you did the route? Post-rockfall, the route definitely slows down a bit. Count on taking 2 hours a pitch on the new pitches if you aren't an efficient aider. The rope toss isn't hard, but you better have good hand eye coordination (it took my partner over 50 tries to stick). The chimneys would be a bear to haul through. I would say when you get on the route, just bring two day packs with lots of warm layers and emergency bivy sacs and be prepared to shiver. Partner and I did it car to car in 36 hrs with two 16L packs (shiver bivy on big sandy) and it was much better than the popular "big bag" method. Definitely do it in summer btw. did it twice in october with...sub-optimal results (light duty rescued after getting whacked by a snow storm)

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148
Andrew F wrote:

Yea that's what I figured. I'll definitely look into those routes. 

Is July/August better then September/October? I'm not familiar with the weather up there yet, so maybe it is. 

Yes, you want to be up there your first time mid-summer, imo. You want longer days and warmer nights. Heat is not really a problem once you get up on the wall (though you may suffer on the approach) as it is shaded until later in the day then you are way up there. Remember, summit is ~9000'...

September may be ok but nights will be potentially much colder. October is potentially full on winter epic conditions. Not a newbie time of year to be up there, imo, but it can be hot too. Its California but at 9000 feet anything is possible any time of year and I am just trying to get you to stack the odds in your favor.

Also, the key to all of these newbie big wall forays is time...meaning you want a month window where you are then ready to pick a full week of stable weather to pull of your objective. Do not go up there with any kind of marginal weather instead get mileage in the Valley. Only go up there when the weather forecast shows not a spec of rain for a full 4-5 day window to give you every chance at overcoming newbie shenanigans.

Other than the hike, the pressure of building storm clouds etc can really sap your confidence and lead to a fail. Have the time to get used to the Valley and then be certain your weather window is open. Then, NO EXCUSES. Summit or plummet. :). If you really can climb easy 5.9 and aid C1 nothing will stop you from topping out. The mandatory free is probably no harder than 5.8...but you should be much stronger than that before you go for it.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Big Wall and Aid Climbing
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