A Klemheist is a useful friction hitch / rope grabber, but DANG, have you ever tried to use it to actually go up to fixed rope? Tied in the normal way, that sucker bites down hard and is really difficult to slide! Here’s a clever variation that gives adequate grab on the rope, and is much easier to slide when you need to move up.
A long-standing “rule”: always use a triple fisherman's knot to connect ends of “tech” cord, that has a Kevlar / Aramid core. Is this really true? What happens if you tie a double fisherman's instead? Here's the answer, courtesy of the gear breaking lab at HowNOT2.
Is your bight knot going to take a BIG load? Consider using a butterfly instead of a figure 8 or an overhand. The butterfly is usually a lot easier to untie after it takes a heavy load.
Are you belaying your second up on a Munter hitch? (Yes, old school, I know). Here is a very #CraftyRopeTrick to convert that Munter into a secure clove hitch once they arrive at the anchor. Even if you think you would never use this, it's a fun little bit of rope wizardry to practice. Check out the short video to learn how.
The retraced figure 8 is probably the most important knot you'll ever tie, so let’s learn the nuances of tying it correctly, every time. There's more to it than what’s usually taught in books and by many instructors. Learn the tricks to make a perfect figure 8, plus how to do it so it's much easier to untie.
The “Figure 9” is a variation of the standard figure 8 on a bight. The figure 9 simply takes an extra wrap of cord. This can help raise the master point a bit higher. (Many people think that the figure 9 is easier than the figure 8 to untie after loading, but it turns out this isn’t always true.)
Long lengths of skinny rope, such as a 6 mm rappel pull cord, can easily turn into a hopeless tangle if you're not careful. Solution: the daisy chain. This “crochets” a rope into a series of short chain links, reducing the length by about a factor of six. A daisy chained rope is pretty much impossible to tangle when stored, and easy to deploy when you need it.
The Purcell prusik is an interesting bit of ropecraft good for certain applications, but it's a bit clunky and tangle-prone. Here's a more streamlined variation: tying it with a single strand.
Most climbers know that tying any sort of a knot reduces the strength of cord, rope or webbing. But what about tying multiple knots in the same strand? Does that reduce the strength multiple times? What happens when you have a loop of cord tied with a knot, is the strength reduced in that? The Alpine Club of Italy did some testing, here are the answers.
Here's an interesting variation on the Klemheist knot, the “FB” friction hitch. It has a few advantages over the traditional prusik hitch.
The “Dog’N’Tails” is a very crafty rope trick: a friction hitch that lets you slowly release tension on a fully loaded rope, made with just a single length runner and untied cordelette. Perfect for knot passing; plus, it has a great name! =^)
The Stone hitch (aka Stone or Stein knot) is a clever way to isolate each strand of a rappel rope. This knot is very secure when tied correctly, fast to tie, easy to check, and easy to untie after loading. Learn some applications for the Stone hitch and see a short video to learn how to tie it.
Securing one end of a rope to two anchor points, a.k.a. “fixing” the rope, can be handy in certain climbing situations. With some clever rigging, you can simply use the rope, with no slings or other cordage required. Here are two standard ways to do it: the bunny ears figure 8 and the Y hang.
A flat overhand bend is a good choice for connecting two ropes for a double strand rappel. Pay attention to the tail length. You want it at about 30 cm, or the length of your forearm; not too short and not too long. Longer is not better, and has been the cause of fatal accidents.
Using a rappel extension is a good idea for a lot of reasons. Here’s a crafty way to tie it with a double loop bowline. This gives you a strong connection, double loop redundancy, and it's easy to untie when you're done.
The figure 8 knot (rewoven or on a bight) has a reputation for being difficult to untie after taking a heavy load. But, the problem might be with how you’re tying / dressing it, more so than the knot itself. There’s a subtlety that can make a big difference; learn it here.
Here’s a flashy, fun, and fast way to tie the figure 8 on a bight, one of the fundamental knots in climbing. (It just might give you a little smile every time you do it.)
The one handed clove hitch is not really required for beginners, but there are some places where it can be very helpful. There are a few ways tie it, but also some ways to screw it up. Learn one solid method, and watch a couple of short videos on how to tie it and how to use it.
The Professional Association of Climbing instructors (PACI) in Australia has compiled a rather amazing library of technical articles related to knots and rigging. If you want to take a deep dive into climbing knots, this is a gold mine.
There may be a few rare times when you need to make a stopper knot semi permanent, but still have a way to easily untie it when needed. Answer: zip tie.
Part tensioning hitch, part rope sorcery. Plus, it has a great name. You don't need to learn the “voodoo hitch”, but you should. Tie it 10 times, you still probably won't figure out how it works.
The bowline can be a helpful knot for climbers to fix a rope around a tree or boulder. But, many people it tricky; the “rabbit coming out of the hole and running around the tree” thing is not as easy as it might sound. Check out the “snap bowline”, where a slip knot and little bit of rope sorcery semi-magically cause a completed bowline to “snap” into place.
Every climber knows how to tie a water knot in webbing. But, there is a lot more you can do with a length of webbing, and canyoneers know all the tricks. Check out this video by canyoneering expert Rich Carlson to learn a few of them.
If you clip a carabiner inside the master point knot on your anchor, you probably won't have to resort to your teeth or needle nose pliers to get it untied.
Yes, every climbing instruction book tells you to use a double fisherman's knot to tie your cordelette into a big loop. Guess what: the overhand knot works fine.
The “MOFT”, what da heck is that?! It’s a very Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) you can use if you ever need to lower someone two rope lengths.
You can quickly adjust your clove hitch connection by clipping a carabiner to the “heart” of the knot. This can be helpful for adjusting your position at the belay, as a back up when ascending a rope, or for lead rope soloing (advanced climbers only!)
While more of a trick knot used by guides, the auto locking Munter hitch can still be a good tool in your bag of Crafty Rope Tricks (CRT).
The brake knot, designed to add increased friction in the event of a crevasse fall, is the best choice for traveling as a two person team on a glacier.
If you're on multi pitch bolted routes, you may not need any anchor building supplies. The rope and a crafty knot or two are all you need.
Need to lower two people at once on a rope, or some really heavy haul bags? The “Super Munter” hitch is an excellent choice.
The butterfly knot is probably something you didn’t learn on day one of climbing school. But after the basics, it's a good one to add to your toolbox. Learn four climbing situations where the butterfly knot comes in handy.
The flat overhand knot (formerly known as the European Death Knot, or EDK) is a fine choice for general rappelling. But, if you’re rapping with an extra heavy load, toproping with 2 ropes, or just want a little extra confidence, here’s an excellent, easy-to-tie alternative.
Does every climber need to know these definitions? No. But for the Type A personality, (which is probably most of us climbers) the difference between these three different terms is actually quite interesting.
Sometimes, to better share the load on an anchor, it's helpful to shorten a sling just a centimeter or so at a time. Here's a nifty way to do it.
The Garda hitch is an old-school method to make a one-way ratcheting knot. This can occasionally be useful for hauling a light load, and in some self rescue scenarios. However, it does have a few significant downsides, and there are some modern tools that can usually do the job better.
