Climbing - Basic Knots for Beginning Climbers
One of the earliest lessons to absorb in a beginning climbing class is how to tie some basic knots. But far from a Boy Scout merit badge exercise, these lessons can save your life.
Figure 8-style knots are among the most common. As the name suggests, the rope is threaded to form a figure eight shape. Make a loop and cross the tail over the straight portion. With the tail still crossed over, wind it around (under) the straight portion and loop the tail through the first loop (the top portion of the '8').
The tail is then looped through a harness loop and fed back into the figure 8 and pulled. The tail should have several inches of rope sticking out since all knots will slip when weight is applied. Leaving excess rope at the end prevents the knot from coming undone under the load.
A variation involves making the same figure 8, but doubling the rope to make it with. That provides substantial friction, but also makes the knot easier to undo later.
Stopper knots are another very useful category. One of the simplest forms is called an Overhand knot. Cross one end of the rope over in the form of a simple circle. Then loop through the circle and pull both ends to tighten.
The Double Overhand knot is harder to untie and less likely to pull through. Just start as you should do for a simple Overhand knot. Then loop through the circle and form another loop behind the first one. Moving the tail through the two loops completes the knot. Pull tight.
Creating a Fisherman's knot is a great way to tie two ropes together, something you'll often need to do in climbing. Make the ropes parallel, then get the first rope and make a complete turn around the second rope. Then make another turn and pass the end of the first rope through the two loops and pull tight.
A Double Fisherman's knot is more preferable to be used to tie two ropes of different diameters together. Using this knot creates a very secure bond between the two ropes. It's easy to learn after you've seen it done. Using the first rope a Fisherman's knot is threaded on the second rope. Then using the second rope another Fisherman's knot is threaded on the first rope.
Learn to tie a few knots yourself, so you don't get yourself tied in knots when you're on the mountain.
