Knots are the most essential link in your chain of climbing safety, a chain which begins with your climbing rope. Your rope is your lifeline. Your knot is your life preserver. They are the basis of your safety when you’re climbing. Learn them. Practice them. Tie them right. Your life depends on them.
Knots Do Many Tasks
Knots allow you to do many climbing safety tasks with your rope.
- Tie into the end of your rope (Figure-8 Follow-Through finished with Fisherman’s Backup Knot)
- Anchor yourself to the side of a cliff (Clove Hitch, Figure-Eight on a Bight)
- Tie two ropes together to rappel down (Double Fisherman’s Knot)
- Use knots to ascend the rope if you’re in trouble (Prusik Knot)
- Improvise a safe belay (Münter Hitch)
Learn Your Knots
You need to learn how to correctly tie into the end of your rope and to tie yourself into your anchors to ensure both your safety and that of your climbing partners. If you tie your knots incorrectly, your safety is severely compromised—an undone or incorrectly tied knot can lead to serious injury or death.
Learn how to tie the recommended climbing knots and then practice tying them. You should know how to tie the most important knots—those for tying in and anchoring—with your eyes closed and in every kind of weather. Your life depends on this skill. Practice, practice, practice.
Knot Strength
Not all knots are created equal. Some are stronger than others. Those are the ones we use when we’re climbing. A knot, of course, is only as strong as the rope it’s tied into. Ropes are strongest when they are straight, without bends, kinks, and knots. Knots actually reduce the rope’s overall strength, so it’s important to tie the strongest knots for the most important safety tasks.
Most knots fall within a fairly tight range in terms of strength, generally losing between 20% and 40% of the rope’s total strength. The quality of the tied knot also can affect its strength, although tests do indicate that even a sloppy knot retains most of its holding power.
In 1974 The American Alpine Club released a definitive test of common climbing knots, revealing their strengths relative to an untied climbing rope.
- No knot 100%
- Figure-8 Follow-Through 75-80%
- Bowline 70-75%
- Double Fisherman’s 65-70%
- Water Knot 60-70%
- Clove Hitch 60-65%
Tying the Knot
Take your time when tying knots. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t let anyone else distract you. Your life depends on it. Many good climbers have fallen and hit the ground because they failed to finish tying the knot on their harness, distracted by talking or tiredness.
After tying the knot, ask your climbing partner to double-check the knot and make sure it’s tied right. Remember that you and your climbing partner are a team. You look out for each other. You each double-check every safety system to make sure it’s right. Don’t be too proud to ask, “Does this look right to you?”
Dressing the Knot
After you’ve properly tied your knot, you want to neatly dress it. When you dress a knot you neaten the separate parallel strands, making sure they’re free of kinks and twists. Then you cinch the knot tight and use the extra loose rope to tie a back-up insurance knot like a Fisherman’s Backup Knot.
After it’s dressed, you can easily make a visual inspection to make sure it’s tied right. One of the best reasons to use the Figure-8 Follow-Through knot is because you can tell at a glance if the dressed knot is tied correctly.
Untying the Knot
After you’re done climbing, you have to untie the knot, which is sometimes easier said than done. When you load and tighten your knot by falling or hanging, it can be difficult to untie. One trick I use is to grab both parts of the rope and push them together to loosen the knot. If that doesn’t work I try to work the long end of the rope loose in the knot, which usually loosens the knot enough to readily untie.
