In this photo provided by Jason Torlano, Zach Milligan is shown on his descent down Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. Two men climbed some 4,000 feet to the top of Yosemite's Half Dome in subfreezing temperatures and skied down the famously steep monolith to the valley floor. He specializes in using ropes to work in high-altitude and dangerous settings. AdHe said he tried to ski down Half Dome each of the past three years, but called it off after finding unsuitable snow. This year, an early February storm filled Yosemite with fresh powder, including about 2 to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of snow at the peak of Half Dome.

A 29-year-old woman died Thursday after falling 500 feet from a dangerous dome at Yosemite National Park, park officials said. The climber was hiking the treacherous Half Dome, which is described by the National Park Service as a "great challenge." She fell from the dome's cables just before noon and plunged 500 feet down rocky terrain. The Half Dome is more than 8,800 feet above sea level. Permits are required by the park for climbers wishing to summit the dome, and the park urges people not to assume the task unprepared.

(CNN) - A Yosemite National Park visitor died after falling from the cables at the Half Dome on Thursday morning, according to National Park officials. Danielle Burnett, 29, from Lake Havasu City, Arizona, fell over 500 feet down a rocky surface and was pronounced dead when the Park Rangers arrived on the scene, National Park Public Affairs Officer Scoot Gediman said in a statement to CNN. The last death on the famous Half Dome was in May of 2018, when a hiker slipped and fell during dangerous weather conditions. A guide for hikers strongly indicates caution when climbing the cables, and notes that "since 1919, relatively few people have fallen and died on the cables. The cables are only up from about May to October due to weather, and permits are required to make the hike.