Scenario
On the evening of October 17 two climbers, Kate, 28, and Nick, 26, began climbing the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome (5.9, C2/ 23 pitches) after completing the Nose on El Capitan (5.9 C2/31 pitches) in under ten hours. However, they were unable to summit Half Dome when snow started falling heavily and they found themselves in a winter storm, unable to make upward progress, only five short pitches from the top. YOSAR was called and a rescue was initiated the following morning.
Background/Incident
Nick and Kate are both experienced climbers who were attempting the “link-up” of Half Dome and El Capitan. Earlier that season, they had climbed Half Dome together in just over six hours. Additionally, Nick had completed the link-up that season and was very familiar with the route. After finishing the Nose that day, they ate lunch and started up the death slabs to approach the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome. Nick mentioned he “…was slightly chilly going up the death slabs and knew their night was going to be epic.” The weather forecasted was a 90 percent chance of precipitation around 1:30am. Despite the forecast, neither Kate nor Nick talked about rescheduling their objective.
photo credit: Jack Cramer
Kate and Nick started climbing around 6:00pm and quickly into the climb had to turn on their headlamps. Their hope was to beat the incoming storm and complete the goal of the link-up: Climb both El Capitan and Half Dome in under 24 hours. They were able to efficiently climb past the notorious “knot toss” and into the chimney pitches (pitches 15+16) before the storm started to pick up. However, around 12:00 am, they exited the protection provided by the chimneys and were quickly engulfed in a winter storm. At this point, Nick and Kate were simul-climbing through 5.9 and 5.10 terrain with snow and ice starting to accumulate on ledges and in cracks. Around 12:30am, they stopped simul-climbing and met up on Big Sandy, a bivy ledge atop pitch 18.
While on Big Sandy, Nick put on his waterproof gloves and mentally prepared to push for the summit. Kate’s leather gloves were soaked through and the doubt started to creep in that making it to the top wasn’t necessarily an option. Nick admitted, he did not check in with Kate and was hyper focused on getting to the top. He began leading the first pitch of the “Zig Zags”, pitch 19, and found increasing difficulty. He was scraping ice out of the cracks and at one point, slipped off a large foot ledge and fell back onto his daisy chain. Nick was able to complete the pitch and waited at the top for Kate to clean the pitch. It started to become apparent, the last five pitches were going to be serious.
Kate recalls, “When I was jugging the first pitch of the zigzags, I reached the first piece and it was an alpine draw. The draw was frozen stiff and the gates were frozen shut and covered in ice, and my hands were so cold I was having a really hard time trying to get the carabiner unclipped from the rope. Then I tried to jump the piece with my jumar so I could unweight it a little, my thumbs were almost too cold to function properly with the jumar. That was when I decided I was going to tell Nick we needed to figure out a plan because going up wasn’t going to be feasible safely. When I finally reached him at the anchor I told him I thought we should call for help.”
A view of the face of Half Dome the following morning. Nick and Kate are seen as a red dot in the lower right hand corner. Photo Credit: Jack Cramer
Nick was still set on attempting to make it to the summit but Kate did not think safely continuing was possible. At this point, they had not sustained any injuries but the pitches ahead included Thank God Ledge and multiple slab pitches, none of which are inconsequential. They discussed their options and at 1:50am called 911. As expected, nothing could be done until the morning. They were told to call back at 6:00am.
They kept their rope fixed to their high point and rappelled back down to Big Sandy Ledge and started an all-night exercise routine to keep themselves warm. They were able to keep good spirits and do exercise routines, including over a thousand squats, running in place, leg lifts and exercises that incorporated all their extremities. Around 3:30am, the snow stopped falling, the wind died down, and the temperature dropped. At first light the conditions on route were icier and the possibility of going to the summit had diminished. At 6:00am they called search and rescue back and confirmed they would need to be rescued.
The Rescue
Shortly after 6:00 am, a page went out for members of Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) to respond for a technical rescue on Half Dome. The plan was to fly rescuers, ropes, and all necessary equipment to the summit with a helicopter and lower down one member of YOSAR to Nick and Kate and then haul them back up to the summit. Due to the cold, winter conditions, the helicopter got delayed because the rotors needed to deice.
One member of YOSAR is lowered over the edge to get to Nick and Kate below. Photo credit: Jack Cramer
Later that morning, conditions allowed the helicopter to fly and the plan was set in motion. The rescue was successful with two teams lowering down one rescuer to Nick and Kate. They were brought jackets and warm beverages. Once the rescuer attached to Kate and Nick, the teams switched their systems from a lower to a raise using mechanical advantage to bring them back up over the edge. Miraculously, neither Kate nor Nick sustained any cold-related injuries.
The rescuer getting lowered down to Kate and Nick on Big Sandy, where they spent the night. Photo credit: Jack Cramer
Take-Aways
Be Conservative with the Weather Forecast
Kate and Nick had checked the forecast for Yosemite Valley, 4000 feet, before heading up to Half Dome. The conditions on Half Dome, 8846 feet, were much more intense and severe than the weather they anticipated. Additionally, the forecast called for precipitation starting at 1:30am, and they were surprised when the storm started two hours earlier. Forecasts are not perfect and storms should not be underestimated in Yosemite Valley/ the Sierra Nevada- especially at higher elevations. Remember, the weather forecast for Yosemite Valley may not be representative of the conditions at the summits for most major formations.
Don’t Allow the Goal to Blind Your Judgement
The link-up of Half Dome and El Capitan in under 24 hours is an esteemed goal for any Valley climber. After a season of training and a plan set in motion, it can be extremely difficult to make the decision to bail. The decision was especially difficult after climbing El Capitan and being “on-track” for a sub 24 hour time. In almost all cases, the risk is not worth the reward. Do not allow the fear of disappointing your partner be the reason you continue with poor decision making.
Communicate Openly with Your Partner
Many accidents and rescues can be avoided with better communication between partners. Any reservations or concerns should always be communicated with your partner. This can be a real challenge and its hard to be the one to start the conversation. However, almost nothing bad comes out of those conversations and should always be practiced in new climbing partnerships. Sure, one partner might be disappointed at first, but if it means not having to spend the night in a winter storm or worse, it might be worth the disappointment.
Although the weather was discussed, there was no conversation about what the worst case scenario would look like. There was never a discussion about the possibility of not making it to the top nor what the upper pitches would be like in a storm. The final pitch is slab climbing with limited opportunities to “aid.” There should always be a conversation about how to retreat if their is no real possibility of going up.
Pack the Right Layers
If you know there is going to be the chance of precipitation, you better bring the right layers. Kate and Nick both had warm gloves (Kate was not initially wearing them), base layers and hardshell jackets. However, neither had hardshell pants and felt like that was one major mistake that was made. Both Kate and Nick have experience with ice/ mixed climbing in winter conditions and felt with the right layers they could have possibly self-rescued the following morning.
Know When to Call for a Rescue/ Have the Ability to Communicate
This one is a tough one to know when the right time is. Ultimately Kate made the decision they should call for help when she felt like she could not safely use her hands. Additionally, when they were rappelling back down to Big Sandy, the ropes became extremely icy, making the rappel dangerous. They rappelled with gri-gris and used slings as “third-hand” backup prusiks and did not feel it was safe to try and retreat further down. There were legitimate concerns that if they tried to continue upward, Kate and/or Nick could have gotten injured; this would have made the situation much worse and the rescue more complex.
They only carried one cell phone with them and fortunately they were able to make a phone call to 911. In order to be able to communicate with YOSAR, they kept the phone off when not in use and kept the phone next to their bodies in order to keep it warm and preserve the battery.