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 Half Dome Permit Lottery 2012
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
Half Dome permits in 2011 were a nightmare caused by hacker/scalpers, with the scalpers selling permits all summer on Craigslist. Here's the old thread: Half Dome Hiking Permits Sell Out FastAll gone in 23 minutes. " Twenty-three minutes. That's how much time it took for eager Yosemite hikers to gobble up all the available Half Dome permits for May and June that went on sale March 1.
Permits for Saturdays and Sundays didn't even last that long. They were gone in 10 minutes." From the first comment: " Just yesterday, a woman, Angelica Valenta, had 12 permits for sale on Craigslist. She said she sold all 12 in the first day, for $100 each. That is a 6000% profit. Not bad. Didn't the Park Service know there would be a huge black market created because of this?" Yosemite National Park has made major changes this year. YNP web page: Half Dome PermitsThe changes should completely stop the scalper's selling permits. And... the Half Dome lottery looks to be very similar to the new-for-2012 online Mt Whitney permit lottery.Summarizing the YNP page: - The daily quota is 400 hikers (300 dayhikers, 100 backpackers)
- The lottery will be run after March 31, on www.recreation.gov
- The Half Dome Lottery application period is March 1 - 31
- Only one lottery application per trip leader is allowed, max group size is 6, up to 7 dates can be requested.
- If successful, only one of the requested dates will be awarded, with date priority.
- Multiple applications with the same trip leader will be removed from the lottery.
- Permits are only valid for the trip leader or alternate leader.
- Names of leaders cannot be changed.
- Permits are not transferable.
A second Daily lottery for 50 permits will be run two days before the hiking date, with results announced one day in advance. To preview the Half Dome Permit Lottery on www.recreation.gov <--Click the link. Then enter Where? HALF DOME, YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA, USA (Just Half Dome will work.) and Interested In: Permits & WildernessClick SearchOn the page displayed, you can click "Day Use Permit" or "Check Availability", and it will give you (current 1-15-12) this page: Half Dome Permit LOTTERY informationHalf Dome Permit LOTTERY information: Application period opens MARCH 1, 2012!The National Park Service has extended the interim permit system for climbing the cables on Half Dome that begun in 2010. To make it easier and to be more equitable, the park is going to institute a lottery system for distribution of these permits. You can make a first choice of dates and up to 6 alternate dates and have up to 6 people on a single application. - Apply between March 1 and March 31, 2012 for all dates that the cables are expected to be up this year (May 25 -October 8, 2012). Permits for 300 people per day will be available.
- An additional 50 permits per day will be distributed through a secondary DAILY lottery. This lottery will have an application period two days before the hiking date with the results announced one day in advance. The first daily lottery for Half Dome permits is expected to begin on May 23, 2012. Check back then for more information.
- Fees: One application per person per season; non-refundable lottery application fee of $4.50 on the web / $6.50 though the toll free call center. Successful applicants will also be charged a $5 per person fee. This fee is refundable if the permit is not printed and cancelled at least 48 hours in advance of the hike.
This web page is not currently active and will be updated soon.
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Re: Half Dome Permit Lottery 2012
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
The Fresno Bee carried this article today, by reporter Marek Warszawski: Permits required for Yosemite's Half Dome, with a twist
Lottery system is designed to make process more fair.By Marek Warszawski - The Fresno Bee Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 | 11:36 PM Permits will again be required to hike to the top of Half Dome this year, but a new lottery system should make the process more fair.
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The lottery replaces a first-come, first-served system that was plagued by scalpers who created automated programs to snap up permits the instant they became available, then sold them on the Internet for several times their value. Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/18/2688552/permits-required-for-yosemites.html#storylink=cpyPicture from the article, and caption: FRESNO BEE FILE - A new lottery system replaces the old first-come, first-served sign-up for permits to climb Yosemite's Half Dome. 
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Re: Half Dome Permit Lottery 2012
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158 |
On our way down from Half Dome last July (9th time) we were asked for our used permit by more than 20 people hiking up the trail without a permit. It was like a sold out rock concert. This was the last leg of a Mammoth-YV hike and we didn't have an actual HD permit, but our Inyo NF entry permit from Mammoth allowed us to climb it again. It's a technicality, the Ranger didn't believe me (gave us a warning), my wife wasn't sure I had it right, but it all worked out.
As of last summer, if your permitted route starts outside YNP and goes by HD, you can climb it. If you do this, I recommend printing the policy and bringing a copy with you. Alternatively, you might have the permit counter write it on your permit. The trail Ranger we ran into was obnoxious about it. He really wanted to write us up.
We did notice a marked decrease in trail traffic, and we had the cables almost to ourselves at about 7am (early start from a camp at Sunrise Creek).
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Re: Half Dome Permit Lottery 2012
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,509 Likes: 103 |
SN, where were you when you encountered the "Ranger with Attitude"?
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