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3 KNOTS

If there is one subject that is likely to send shivers down the spine of anyone starting out in climbing, this is it! There is a plethora of books available extolling the virtues of this one or that, often resulting in general confusion. Luckily you only need to learn a few in order to get started, and you could even get away with just a figure of eight (in all its forms) and a clove hitch. The following knots, however, are worth learning.

Figure of eight rewoven

This very important knot is the standard way of attaching yourself to your harness. It looks like an ‘8’ and so is easily recognised on both you and your partner. It should be tied so that the loop created is no bigger than the abseil loop on the front of your harness; if any larger it will be awkward to use when belaying and tying onto anchors. Once the knot is tied it should be finished off with half a double fisherman’s (see below) as a stopper knot, pushed up snug to the eight. The resulting tail should be no more than 3–10cm long.

FIGURE OF EIGHT REWOVEN

STEP 1 Starting a figure of eight rewoven

STEP 2 Completing a figure of eight rewoven

STEP 3 The finished article, complete with stopper knot

Figure of eight on a bight

This variation of the figure of eight is very useful for attaching yourself to a belay anchor. It ends up looking just like the figure of eight on your harness, but is tied in a slightly different manner. It has the advantage of being quick to tie, does not require the use of any gear (such as a karabiner), and will tighten during loading, an important property when trying to reduce the loading at the anchor.

(Left) Figure of eight on a bight

(Right) Figure of eight on the bight on the end of the rope

Another variation of this knot can be tied into the end of the rope. This is most likely to be used when clipping into the end, rather than tying in, when bottom- or top-roping (although many will still prefer to tie in for security). As with the original, it should be finished off with half a double fisherman’s as a stopper knot.

Double bowline

Some people prefer to use this knot for tying into the harness, as it can be undone easily after loading. However, most climbers still like to tie on using the figure of eight rewoven as it is instantly recognisable, and it is possible to tie the bowline incorrectly.

DOUBLE BOWLINE

STEP 1 Starting a double bowline

STEP 2 Basic double bowline shape

STEP 3 Completed double bowline with a stopper knot

It is essential that half a double fisherman’s is tied as a stopper knot, butted snugly up against the main knot, otherwise the bowline could undo in some situations. One of its main uses is to tie an abseil rope to an anchor, as it can be loaded repeatedly but then undone quite easily at the end of the day.

Italian hitch

This very handy knot – also known as the ‘Munter’ hitch – can be used for both belaying and abseiling. It can be utilised in a variety of roles as a belaying knot, not least when you have accidentally dropped your belay device down the crag and are left holding just the karabiner! For abseiling, we could put forward a similar scenario. It does tend to twist the rope after a lot of use, but this can be solved by simply shaking the rope out and unwrapping any kinks.

ITALIAN HITCH

STEP 1 Starting an Italian hitch with hands crossed

STEP 2 Uncross your hands to make two loops

STEP 3 Put your palms together to finish it

STEP 4 Completed Italian hitch

Note

It is very important that the Italian hitch is clipped into an HMS karabiner and not a D-shape one. The hitch needs to rotate easily around the end of the karabiner, an important property when belaying as the rope may be taken in and paid out and the hitch will need to swivel freely. If a D-shape is used the hitch could get jammed at the tight bend at the end of the back bar.

Clove hitch

This is an important knot, and very valuable when used to secure yourself to an anchor when belaying. It is quick to tie, easily adjustable and locks off when loaded. It is best if the clove hitch is clipped into an HMS karabiner, as this will allow it to sit in the correct fashion, whereas a D-shape may cause it to ride up over itself. If you do have to use a D-shape check that the knot is sitting correctly.

CLOVE HITCH

STEP 1 Starting a clove hitch with hands crossed

STEP 2 Uncross your hands

STEP 3 Place one hand behind the other

STEP 4 Completed clove hitch

Note

Make sure that you cross your hands in the correct manner, otherwise you will end up with just a couple of loose loops and not a clove hitch. With a little practice, you will be able to tie this knot quickly and without thinking about it too hard.

French prusik

Tied with a prusik loop, this is a very useful little knot, particularly as it can be used as a safety back-up when abseiling. It slides up and down the rope, but will tighten and grip it when loaded. Additionally, it can be released when under load, such as when you wish to continue abseiling after a halt, perhaps to retrieve some stuck gear from the crag.

Keep the double fisherman’s knot, tied to create the loop, out of the way whilst you wrap it around the climbing rope several times. How many wraps depends on many factors: you may be abseiling on two ropes (or just one doubled up), the rope may be wet or dry, shiny or a bit rough, and all these will make a difference of a wrap or two. Once around the rope, the two ends of the prusik loop are clipped together with a screwgate karabiner that is in turn clipped to the appropriate strong point. Loading the system causes the wrappings to tighten around the main rope, thus gripping it. To release the prusik, pull down on the top of it with your fingertips, along the line of the main rope.

French prusik. Keep the wraps neat around the main rope.

Note

It is very important that the French prusik is never used in a situation where it can be shock-loaded. If this happens there is a chance that the loop will slip down the main rope, either stripping it of its outer sheath or, if the slide is of some distance, the prusik loop itself may generate enough heat to melt through.

Double fisherman’s knot

This is a handy ‘workhorse’ of a knot, used to join two sections of rope together, such as when constructing a prusik loop, when joining ropes for abseiling or, very often, when half a double fisherman’s is used as a stopper knot to back up a figure of eight or bowline. Take a little time to make sure that the knot is tied neatly and looks symmetrical once completed.

DOUBLE FISHERMAN’S KNOT

STEP 1 Loosely tied double fisherman’s knot

STEP 2 Completed double fisherman’s knot

Overhand knot

This mainly functions as an isolation knot when using a sling to equalise an anchor. It is very simple to tie, although with very thin slings you may prefer to opt for a figure of eight. It can be quite difficult to undo, especially when tied in thin Spectra or Dyneema slings, so a figure of eight may be chosen instead. It is also used as a knot for joining abseil ropes (see Chapter 11), where it is essential that a figure of eight is not used.

Overhand knot

Lark’s-foot

This knot is sometimes used to attach a sling to an anchor. However, it is quite a weak method and there are better options available, such as simply clipping the ends of the sling together with a karabiner. A lark’s-foot is suitable when attaching a cow’s-tail to your harness when abseiling in a multi-pitch situation. It can be used to join two slings together if you are running out of karabiners, but make sure that the resulting knot is neat and looks like a reef knot (see below).

(Top) A sling lark’s-footed around an anchor, not a very strong way to belay and not recommended

(Bottom) Joining two slings with a double lark’s-foot

Reef knot

This is a useful knot for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is handy if you are wrapping the flaked rope behind you in order to carry it like a rucksack, as it is a good way to tie the ends off in front of you. Secondly, it is a handy knot to use inside a double fisherman’s when joining two abseil ropes together, as it stops the knots from jamming together and becoming difficult to untie. If you remember the phrase ‘right over left, left over right’ you will end up with the correct knot each time. The ‘left’ and ‘right’ relate to the tails of the rope.

Reef knot