To the editors: I have climbed Half Dome 13 times and descended using the ropes each time. I have more experience than most, so here is my opinion. (“Want to make Half Dome safer? Remove the climbing ropes forever,” Letters, August 11)

The National Park Service never takes the cables down. That’s a misunderstanding of what they do. They remove the posts that hold the cables up about three feet above the rock and remove the wooden boards that provide support. The cables are always there.

When I first climbed the ropes with my son, I thought they had to be safe or they wouldn’t let us do it. That’s not true. There are many things in nature that are inherently dangerous, and the park service is not responsible for making everything perfectly safe.

The cables are dangerous. Encountering a bear in Little Yosemite Valley is dangerous (as happened to us once). Driving to Yosemite is dangerous. Get over it.

There are many signs warning you not to enter the rock when bad weather is approaching. Sometimes people don’t realize that bad weather is approaching.

It’s sad that a young woman died and I don’t know all the circumstances of her death, but removing the cables will not stop people from dying if they make bad choices.

Jim Dover, Idyllwild

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To the editors: A few years ago I saw an old photo from the 1930s that showed a group of Boy Scouts preparing to climb the ropes to the top of Half Dome. What struck me was that each Scout was wearing a harness with a leash that was attached to the rope during the climb and would likely save their life if someone were to slip.

In 2024, this seems like a reasonable approach. If it were required in addition to climbing permits, we wouldn’t have to read more stories about climbers falling to their deaths.

Dan Murray, San Mateo, California.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.