A stopper knot is a knot that is tied into both ends of a rappel rope so that a climber doesn’t rappel off the ends of the rope, which is a common cause of rappelling accidents and fatalities.
Double Fisherman’s Knot Best
The best stopper knot is a double fisherman’s knot tied in each rope end.
Bulky Stopper Knots
Some climbers prefer to tie a more bulky knot like a figure-8-on-a-bight, clipping a carabiner into each loop so it doesn’t come untied. The bulky knot is essential if you’re rappelling with a figure-8 descender so the knot and end of the rope won’t slip through the rappel device. The knots are either tied into the end of each separate strand of rope or into both strands together.
