The Half Dome cables are down for the season. A long-term plan dealing with management of and access to the Half Dome cables will be released shortly.

gwave47 wrote:If they can't fix that problem

Please check back on this page later in winter-we are still working out some of the details, so we may have more or slightly revised information at that time.

Preseason Lottery: Permits for May 25, 2012 to October 8, 2012 will be distributed by lottery in early April. (While these are the dates we expect the cables to be up this year, this could change based on conditions.) Three hundred permits for each day will be available through this lottery. The application period for this lottery will be from March 1, 2012 to March 31, 2012. Applicants will receive an email notification of lottery results in early April (or can get results online or by calling Recreation.gov).

Daily Lottery: Approximately 50 permits will be available each day by lottery during the hiking season. These permits will be available based on the estimated rate of under-use and cancellation of permits (the exact number may change through the summer). The daily lotteries will have an application period two days prior to the hiking date with a notification late that night. (So, to hike on Saturday, you would apply on Thursday and receive an email notification of results late on Thursday night. Results will also be available online, or by phone the next morning.) The application period will be from midnight to 1 pm Pacific time.

Wilderness Permits: People with wilderness permits that reasonably include Half Dome as part of their itinerary will also receive Half Dome permits upon request and without further competition. (Wilderness permits are subject to a quota system.)

Fees: Two separate fees are collected. The first fee, which is charged at the time you submit an application, is $4.50 (online) or $6.50 (by phone). This non-refundable fee, which is per application (not per person), is charged by Recreation.gov for the costs of processing your permit application.

The second fee is $5 per person and is charged only when you receive a permit. (This fee also applies to wilderness permit holders.) This fee pays for park rangers checking for Half Dome permits and providing Half Dome visitors with hiking and safety information. The $5 fee is fully refundable if you cancel your permit more than two days before the hiking date specified on your permit or if the cables are not up on the date for which your permit is valid.

On each application, people can apply for up to six permits (six people) and for up to seven dates. Applications will only be successful if the number of permits requested is available on at least one of the requested dates. If enough permits are available for more than one of the requested dates, permits will be automatically awarded to the highest priority date, as entered by the applicant. Applicants may apply as the trip leader only once per lottery. Multiple applications with the same trip leader will be removed from the lottery. The applicant must specify the name of the trip leader and may specify the name of an alternate trip pleader. Each person may apply as a trip leader only once per lottery. People applying multiple times as trip leader will have all their lottery applications canceled. Permits will only be valid if the trip leader and/or alternate specified on the permit is part of the group using the permits. The names of the trip leader and alternate may not be changed once the application is submitted, and the permits are not transferable.

http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_19847488 Options range from doing nothing to removing the cables that hikers use to pull themselves up the 45-degree final climb, rendering it inaccessible to all but experienced climbers. Nickas calls them "handrails in the wilderness," and says his agency might sue to have them removed if park officials don't choose that option.