Death on the Dome: Epidemiology of Recreational Deaths on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Abstract

One of the most popular destinations in Yosemite National Park is Half Dome. Overcrowding at the turn of the 21st century prompted a restriction of hiker access to cable handrails to the summit without technical rock climbing equipment. Prior epidemiological study of Half Dome deaths is not known to the authors. Our goal was to identify trends among all Half Dome-related fatalities in Yosemite National Park. Multimedia sources were searched for deaths involving the cable handrails, subdome, summit, technical climbing, or base jumping. Results are reported as mean±SD (range). Twenty-nine confirmed deaths occurred on Half Dome, with 2 additional deaths likely on Half Dome. Age was 32±14 (16-86) y; 4 were female. Activity at time of death included technical climbing (36%), suicide (26%), utilizing cable handrails (16%), hiking (16%), and base jumping (6%). Of the cable handrail-related fatalities, only 2 were due to weather. There were 3 medically related deaths due to cardiac disease and altitude. We identified 31 Half Dome deaths over 85 y. A minority were attributable to unfavorable weather or unskilled hiking participants. Climber registration could provide dependable denominators for accident incidence statistics. A renewed focus on suicide prevention is warranted.