that is an ignorant comment the park should instill further rules such as, no climbing half dome when the weather is so bad that even if you have education and training, your endangering your own life and the lives of others.

I was there when this tragedy happened and everyone was attempting to come down from the top. I witnessed the whole thing and was closest to him when he passed the base of the cables which is where I was standing looking up watching the tragedy unfold. What actually happened is very difficult to tell, but I do want to clarify that nobody was going up to the top at 3:40, everyone was attempting to come down due to the weather. Also, it was extremely cold and the rock was slippery with flowing streams of water and hail. Its very unfortunate that this occured, but from what I saw and experienced, this tragedy could have occured over dozen times that afternoon meaning I saw many people lose their foot and slip and catch themselves before falling to their own deaths including two of my friends that were directly below me as I ascended the cables. You can say all you want about not being prepared or exposing yourself even more to danger, but if you werent there and were not put into that situation, you really can judge anyone for whatever decisions they chose to do that day. We are all obviously different and think and react different under stressful situations. There are those that can keep their mind clear and think through the situation and there are those that do panic and but in the end nobody will really know how to react until its all said and done. In my case, I kept myself mentally strong and told myself I have a family that I NEED to return to as well as them wanting me back so I dug down deep within myself to make sure I made it down alive. I thank god and those who stayed around to help other to guide those in distress. Just my 2 pennies!!!

thank you that was the most constructive advise ive seen and i will take all of it to heart

I am planning to climb Half-Dome on June 26th, and you can BET I will be there with a harness and safety equipment to make the climb. I read a discussion where -- incredibly -- those posting were actually denigrating the need for safety equipment. Perhaps this latest fatal accident will discourage the unprepared from making the attempt, and those who do prepare themselves to take those extra steps that will protect their own lives, AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF THOSE BELOW THEM. It is perhaps a miracle that any one of the fatal slip and falls at HD did not involve a cascade where a dozen people lose their lives. It can happen -- as it did at Mt. Hood a few years ago -- and it may well happen at HD someday. I would not object if the NPS instituted a permit policy, as is required to climb Mt. Whitney, or if they limited access to the cables to those with a climbing harness and safety equipment.

I was on Half Dome in 2007 when Nohara fell to his death. It was a similar case with chaos on the cables - an absolute log jam of people, with several panicked tourists frozen in fear and plugging up the route. I am shamed that I did not take a stronger position then.

It was and continues to be absolutely negligent on the Park Service's part to not implement a quota system on the trail. There were over 400 people on the trail that day, with one group of over 150 people - many who had never hiked a difficult trail.

I understand and am completely in agreement with the policy of "Climb at your own Risk" for climbers in Yosemite - but the Half Dome Trail is not this type of a climb. The sheer numbers lead to the false assumption that if there are so many people here and the Park allows it - "it must be safe".

The Mt. Whitney trail is tightly controlled, the quotas strictly enforced, and the fine is large. No one really likes it - but everyone accepts it. Shasta, Rainier, and other large peaks have experienced and capable climbing rangers. Half Dome has Nothing! It is a ridiculous copout to say that the numbers cannot be controlled.

The National Park Service needs to take responsibility for what happens on Half Dome. When a climber falls and dies on one of the Yosemite walls - it is truly his or her responsibility. When a tourist slips and falls off the cables - it is the negligence and responsibility of the Park Service.

If the Cables were not available, climbers would not do this route without ropes and protection. Both the granite and the cables are slick and polished, the route is at the limit of friction for climbing shoes. This is not a novice route. Thanks to the poster for the note about climbing shoes, I head up on Thursday and will be using a harness and slings - may even take the chalk bag.

Park Service, either take responsibility for this route, implement some controls, add a climbing ranger for the peak periods - or Take down the Cables.

I don't believe the cables should come down, the quota system is a better idea, at least during "peak" periods in the park. All of the trails in the high country have quotas, it's not that hard to add this hike to the list. Climbing shoes are also an excellent idea, safety harness too.
But here is the thing I don't hear anyone talking about, personal responsibility and accountability. I for one would not consider taking risks on Half-Dome. Not just because I could injure or kill myself, but also because my actions could injure or kill someone else. I don't know that I could live with that.
Our society has for years tried to legislate responsibility, it does not work out very well too often. Everyone has a responsibility to themselves and to each other, especially in a crowded cable ascent or descent.
If we all standby and say nothing and do nothing when we see people taking undue risks that could impact other people, we are all partly to blame. I know the weather was really bad that day, as it has been in the park most of June, but everyone knows the weather forecasts, they are posted everywhere, Think, then act, don't react! Ignorance and unpreparedness in the backcountry are not excuses, the information is there and it's everyone's responsibility to understand the risks and be prepared, and as the gentleman stated earlier, "Discretion is sometimes the better part of valor."

Let's compare Half Dome with a day trip down to the river in Grand Canyon National Park and Angels Landing in Zion NP. Having done all I think I can evaluate the dangers. All three parks are locations for mass tourism, the trips are inherently dangerous and on all of those trips every few years someone dies, while for hundreds of thousands it is an adventure of a lifetime.

The problem with Half Dome is, that there is no suitable option to turn back, once you see the cables.

At Scout Lookout in Zion you see the ridge to Angels Landing and can decide that this is not for you, but the view from Scout Lookout is enough of an reward in itself and neither time nor effort is "wasted" if you stay there, enjoy it and turn back from there.

In GRCA at least on Bright Angel Trail you do lots of strenuous switchbacks to Indian Garden and can decide there if you want to go down to the river or just to Plateau Point. Both are great trips. On South Kaibab Trail there is no such break off point, but the people I talk about here don't go there anyway because of the lack of water.

In YOSE and on the way to Half Dome the last suitable point to turn back before the summit is on top of Nevada Fall. That spot is spectacular, going there and turning back would not feel like waste of time and energy. But unfortunately you can't see the cables from there. Not by a long way. And once you circled the backside of Half Dome and finally see the sheer rock and the cables and the masses of people and maybe darkening clouds, human nature does not like to turn back and "lose" the effort of those miles and almost 2000 feet.

Maybe better signage could help. If I remember and read my map correctly you can't see the southern flank of Half Dome from the top of Nevada Fall because Liberty Cap obstructs the view. But if you go on a a few hundred yards further along Merced River, the massive wall comes into view. This seems like a good place for large signs that point to the sheer granite rock and tell people that they can only get to the summit of Half Dome if they climb this with the help of only two cables while being pushed by everyone else. The ranger station is exactly at that point of the trail. It should be possible for the NPS to inform visitors there about the difficulty of the last leg and advise everyone who does not feel comfortable to admire the look from the Fall and turn back from there.

All that said about safety and precautions before climbing Half Dome...be superbly physical fit as possible! Clumsy hiking without sure fit health comes potential trouble. Know your endurance levels!