.
   
Todays date: . ••• > Home > Special How-to Sections > Rock Craft > Rope Work > Knots
 
 

No 186, June 15, 1999
click to order online

Home

Subscriptions

Current Issue

Special How-to Sections

Products

Buy Back Issues

Secure Ordering
Order from year:
2000, 1999, 1998 or
order this issue.

Readers Index

Search back issue
table of contents for
issues 58-165.

Link Pages

Retail Purchases

Contributors Info

Site Map

Contact us
Climbing Magazine
0326 Highway 133,
Suite 190
Carbondale, CO
81623
(800) 493-4569

climbing@climbing.com

 
Rock Craft | Ropework/belay | Ropework/Knots | Ropework/Rappel

Ties that bind

Five essential knots

You could make a life's work out of studying knots, as there are some 3900 recorded. Fortunately, you can safely climb using only five simple knots. Over time you'll likely add 30 or so more specialized knots to your collection, but the ones you absolutely must know are the every-day knots that are easy to tie, difficult to forget, and easy to check with a visual inspection.

The Figure-Eight Follow Through (figure 1 image) works in all situations as
your tie-in knot, while the Double Fisherman's
(figure 2 image) excels for
tying two ropes together. The Ring Bend
(figure 3 image) is the knot to learn
for making runners and tie-offs from webbing. You could leave your knot learning at that, but you would be ill-prepared in an emergency, such as when you drop your belay device or fall under an overhang and, suspended on the rope, are unable to get back on the rock. For this reason, add to your list the Munter
Hitch
(figure 4 image), which serves as a rappel and belay knot, and the Prusik (figure 5 image), an ascending knot that will function much like a Jumar.


Come together with the cordelette

The cordelette is one of those accessories that you can do without — until you use one. Then, the ease with which a cordelette lets you string together an equalized array of belay (or rappel) anchors makes you wonder how you ever got up a route without one.

The cordelette is nothing more than a 20-foot loop of 7mm perlon tied with either a Ring Bend or Double Fisherman's. At least one company makes special high-strength 5mm perlon just for cordelettes, so check around.

See illustration.

Rock Craft | Ropework/belay | Ropework/Knots | Ropework/Rappel

http://www.climbing.com © 2000-2002 Climbing Magazine
Please report site problems to, webmaster@climbing.com

Top of page