Yosemite wall permits now permanent

I can’t imagine anyone saw this going away after the two-year pilot.

LA Times article

from the article: 

Climbers can self-register for the permits, which require them to pack out any solid human waste or trash, prohibit the use of motorized drills, and regulate where fires can be lit and how long ropes can remain on rock surfaces.

The permit system has been very reasonable in our experience with using it. Most recently it was as easy as possible. Go write your own permit and drop it in the box. No ranger was on duty. Previously when the rangers were there they have been nothing but very helpful and friendly. 

No surprise here.  Jesse McGahey told me two years ago, "In my experience, when the government announces a pilot project, it's usually here to stay."  This being said, the end result is nowhere near as onerous as feared.  You tell them where you'll climb and when, and they give you the permit. If you are new, they will talk to you about waste management and so on.  

One of the main reasons the rangers told me they wanted the permit system was to know who was topping out where and when. There has been a lot of garbage - and shit! - getting left on the summit these days.  "Oh, I suppose that's left behind by the priveleged/entitled Euro climbers mostly?"  Nope, according to the rangers, it's mostly North Americans.  If the rangers find trash on the summit, and it corresponds to the topout of someone they can identify, they will ask the suspected party to 'fess up and incriminate themselves.  

it'll be interesting to see how things go with the reservation system.  sadly, i think it'll head in the same direction.  most people think it's done because it's not there this year, but it's being reviewed and this year of all (record winter, closures, etc.) is being used as a basis (visitor data) to make decisions...

I went in May and the big wall permit system was about as climber-friendly as I could imagine.  It's an outdoor, 24-hour-accessible wooden kiosk where you fill out a paper form (it was actually a backcountry backpacking permit slip with the word "backpacking" crossed out and "big wall climbing" written in, haha) asking for your name, what route you're doing, and what dates you plan to be up there.  Then it has you check a box indicating which bear resistant food storage method you plan to use, and then you drop the form in a slot.  That's it!

If you feel like this is such a burden and you need to wave your gadsden flag around and get all upset, well, I guess I'm jealous that you have so few other more important things to worry about in your life.

Just did the nose last week and it was super easy. Wrote the permit, gave it to the ranger at the camp 4 kiosk. Done.

Self registration was super easy. Even better if you could do it at the park entrance.

Charles Winsteadwrote:

Self registration was super easy. Even better if you could do it at the park entrance.

The article mentioned doing it in Miraposa which sounded interesting to us. Pair that with Lee Vining please