Impact of a Half Dome Cable Permitting Process on Search and Rescue Activity, Hiker Mortality Rates, and Operational Costs Above Little Yosemite Valley

Abstract

Introduction The summit of Yosemite's Half Dome is reached using cable handrails for the final 146 m (480 ft). Access to these cables was restricted to users with permits in 2010. The authors aim to describe the impact of permitting on search and rescue (SAR) in the region of the park most affected by permitting. Methods An observational study from 2005 to 2009 and 2011 to 2015 comparing the number of incidents, major incidents (exceeding $500), victims, and fatalities before and after permitting the use of cable handrails on Half Dome in the area above Little Yosemite Valley (LYV) and parkwide. Each year was analyzed separately with t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. Data are presented as mean±SD. Result The number of hikers in the study area was reduced by up to 66% by permitting. Above LYV from 2005 to 2009, there were 85 SAR incidents, 134 victims, 8 fatalities, 38 major incidents, and annual SAR costs of $44,582±28,972. From 2011 to 2015, the same area saw 54 SAR incidents, 156 victims, 4 fatalities, 35 major incidents, and annual SAR costs of $27,027±19,586. No parameter showed statistical significance. Parkwide SAR incidents decreased from 232 to 198 annual incidents ( P=0.013) during the same time period, with parkwide mortality increasing from 8 to 12 deaths annually ( P=0.045). Conclusions SAR incidents, victims, fatalities, or costs above LYV did not decrease after cable handrail permitting. Parkwide SAR activity decreased during the same intervals. This strongly suggests that overcrowding is not the key factor influencing safety on Half Dome. This discordant trend warrants close observation over 5 to 10 y.

Mortality in Via Ferrata Emergencies in Austria from 2008 to 2018

“…Climbing was performed by the very old, as well as the very young, underlining the fact that with the proper choice of route, via ferrata climbing can be done by anyone. This is in line with data from the Yosemite National Park, where an age range from 8-70 years was observed [2]. It should be expected, however, that both age extremes climb mainly easier tours.…”

“…We observed a larger number of uninjured (57%) as compared to injured persons involved in via ferrata emergencies, which is comparable to the 59% nontraumatic search and rescue missions from Yosemite [2]. This was also described for other mountain activities.…”

“…Compared to a nationwide mortality of 6.2 deaths per year in Austria, the data from Yosemite show a total number of deaths of n = 12 in a 10-year timeframe for a single summit [2]. The differentiation of causes leading to death in the history of the summit revealed that 10 of 31 traceable deaths were related to hiking (n = 5) and cable handrails (n = 5) [1].…”

“…This also indicates the economic potential of this sport as a business and tourism market. On Half Dome in Yosemite, where summer weekend peaks are also observed, overcrowding has already led to restrictions in access permissions [2].…”

“…Until now, peer-reviewed literature reporting on via ferrata accidents, injury patterns and mechanisms, as well as outcome, has been scarce. To our knowledge, only two studies from Yosemite National Park, CA, have been published to date [1,2]. Both concentrated on Half Dome, a summit reached by a 23 km to 26 km roundtrip hike followed by the final 146 m, which is equipped with cable handrails.…”