How to pass a knot on lower with the "Dog-N-Tails"
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
image credit: screen grab from CMC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_aEAt9Fk-U
A friend of mine (thanks Lauren!) learned this knot when training with a mountain rescue team, and she passed it on to me. I thought it was a very Crafty Rope Trick (CRT)! What do you think?
It's a clever way of making a friction hitch that allows you to slowly release tension on a fully loaded rope. Plus, it has a very cool name, worth checking out for that alone. (It's almost as cool a name as the voodoo hitch.)
The Dog-N-Tails may not have a lot of application in everyday climbing, but it could be pretty darn helpful in a rescue situation when you need to lower someone (or haul bags?) multiple rope lengths. It uses a few simple pieces of gear you probably already have: a single length / 60 cm sling, and an untied, aka ”open” cordelette.
This is one of many ways to pass a knot through a lowering system. Some other ones are:
Use a friction hitch on the load strand , and a some sort of a releasable knot such as Munter Mule Overhand (MMO) on the anchor.
A Valdotain Tresse hitch can be used in place of the cordelette as shown in the video. A VT hitch is usually releasable under load, but the ease depends on rope sheath, diameter, actual load, and other variables.
If you’re lowering through a Munter hitch, you can use the MOFT, or “Munter Overhand Feed Through”. That method requires basically zero gear. We have a whole article on that one here.
The Dog’N’Tails might be a good choice if you have a larger flat place to work on and more than one person to help. The other methods mentioned might work better if it's just you doing the pass and you have a more confined workspace. Like with many more advanced climbing techniques, it's another tool in the toolbox, not necessarily something you use in every situation.
As with all mission-critical (and for most us, hopefully seldom-used) rescue systems, practice this thoroughly on the ground before you ever try it in real life.
Here's a nice video from the rope rescue professionals at CMC showing how it's done.
