Thinking about Half dome for next year. How hard is it without cables?
The cables are there all year long, but when they are "down," they are not up on poles. They are every bit as anchored as when they are up on poles. You pick them up and hold on. I think it is easier when they are down for a couple of reasons. First, you are not sharing the cables with a hundred other people going up, down and freezing up. Second, you can move the cables slightly over so that you are on rougher granite. Third, you don't have to get a permit. My first time going up, there were probably 300 people on the cables at once and someone in the middle was having a panic attack. Virtually all traffic stopped and I hung onto the cables for three hours. It was excruciating. Give me the cables down every time. Proceed at your own risk, but I'll take the off season climb every time.
Brent
