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Essential Climbing Knots

climbing.com

11–20 of 151 posts

Re: Essential Climbing Knots

#12
post #2

Hmm. A few thoughts. There are alternatives to the Prussik such as the Klemheist which don't jam as badly. I wouldn't use a ring bend - the double fisherman's is superior for tying rope or cord ends together to create a sling. And I definitely wouldn't use either a ring bend or a double fisherman's to link ropes for abseil. An overhand tied in both ropes (with a 50cm tail) -aka the EDK or European Death Knot is way s…

Was also surprised not seeing the EDK for abseiling. Perhaps it's a cultural thing?

From the time of your reply I assume you're also in Europe or at least not in the Americas. You are spot on in your guess. Colleagues and friends over the pond don't use the EDK for abseiling or rappelling as they say.

Also, not sure how the name was picked-up, but that's just plain bad marketing putting Death in the name :)

Re: Essential Climbing Knots

#16

These are decent for climbing, but for the rest of life you also want the bowline, which is easy to untie after being loaded. Ring bend should only really be used for webbing.

I would add the alpine butterfly to haul stuff up or isolate/exclude compromised parts of the rope temporarily until you get to safety.

Re: Essential Climbing Knots

#18
I know that I'm highly unlikely to use any of these but I like to believe I will and I need to know. Recently, Knots3D[1] was on Hackernews Homepage and I bought the app.

Now, while I'm waiting for something, and am not reading; instead of Twitter or other scrolling apps, I just watch the knots!

One day, any day, at some fateful party with friends, we may need to tie a knot, any knot, and I'm going to pick up one from my mind palace.

1. https://knots3d.com

Re: Essential Climbing Knots

#19
post #2

Hmm. A few thoughts. There are alternatives to the Prussik such as the Klemheist which don't jam as badly. I wouldn't use a ring bend - the double fisherman's is superior for tying rope or cord ends together to create a sling. And I definitely wouldn't use either a ring bend or a double fisherman's to link ropes for abseil. An overhand tied in both ropes (with a 50cm tail) -aka the EDK or European Death Knot is way s…

Agreed.

If anyone is curious, I recommend reading https://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/blog/view/rappel-knots-1 (it has helpful illustrations on why the EDK doesn't catch)

And I'd also opt for a Kleimheist or Autoblock over the classic Prusik.

Not sure if I think this was a good selection of essential climbing knots and the presentation was odd. For instance, I'd present the Prusik in an abseiling context. The article mentions using a Prusik to ascend their rope when they've fallen off an overhang, and I have yet to see that. What I see routinely is someone using a Prusik of some sort as a backup when abseiling.

If all of this sparked the curiosity of someone I recommend VDiffClimbing for further information https://www.vdiffclimbing.com/abseil/

But don't go climbing outdoors if you don't have someone that is experienced to go along with you. Take a course or several. It is possible to learn on your own, but it is a high-risk activity to figure these things out as you go on your own. Accidents, even fatal ones, happen to people that know what they are doing.

Re: Essential Climbing Knots

#20

I know that I'm highly unlikely to use any of these but I like to believe I will and I need to know. Recently, Knots3D[1] was on Hackernews Homepage and I bought the app. Now, while I'm waiting for something, and am not reading; instead of Twitter or other scrolling apps, I just watch the knots! One day, any day, at some fateful party with friends, we may need to tie a knot, any knot, and I'm going to pick up one fro…

A bowline and trucker's hitch is something useful in everyday situations. Like tying something down in a truck bed or to the top of a car (moving a mattress, etc.). People don't realize you can pull a line very, very tight and get a ton of grip but you need the mechanical advantage of a trucker's hitch type of knot and tension system. They're both extremely useful when camping too.
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