An Overview Of Climbing Hitches - Sherrilltree

CLIMBERS’CORNERAn Overview of Climbing HitchesBy Mark Adamsrborists’ climbing hitches haveseen tremendous changes andimprovements in the past tenyears. Techniques have been adapted andborrowed from various high-angle disciplines, and now there are numerous knots,a variety of ways to tie them, and an assortment of accessory cords that alter how theknot responds when in use. Because of thewide range of resources available, some ofthe climbing hitches are well known andillustrated; some are known but have beenpublished in only a few different sources;and some are known only by word of mouth.In many cases, the terminology is confused,and discrepancies exist about the names ofand how to tie some of the climbing hitches.One purpose of this article is to compileinformation and present standard terminology with the hope that we can achieve someuniformity in the nomenclature used for ourvarious climbing hitches. This article also isintended to help people learn some of thesimilarities and differences between the various climbing hitches, but it is not intendedto teach all of the details of how to use a knot.Descriptions of knots are to clarify the discussion, and photographs are for illustrative,not teaching, purposes. If you are not thoroughly familiar with any of these climbinghitches, then you should attend an industryseminar or training session before trying toclimb with them. When you learn a particular climbing hitch, practice low and slow.As with all knots, climbing hitches needto be properly tied, dressed, and set. “Tie”means to form the knot, “dress” means toalign all of the parts of the knot, and “set”means to tighten or load the knot beforeactually using it.For the purposes of this article, climbinghitches will be assessed by three main criteria: how well the climbing hitch holds theclimber in place for work positioningA how easily the climbing hitch releasesto allow the climber to descend andthen grips once the climber hasreached the next (usually lower) workstation how easily the hitch breaks andadvances when pushed by a slacktender or the climber’s hand and thengrips once the climber has reached thenext (usually higher) work stationHow well the knot holds refers to howsecurely and reliably the hitch stays in placeas the climber works in a particular location.Ideally, the hitch should not slide at all. Releaserefers to when the climber pulls down onthe knot to descend to a new work station.The hitch should release with minimal effortyet should grip and hold consistently andsecurely when the climber lets go of the hitchon arrival at the next work station. Breakand advance refer to when the climber slidesor pushes the knot up the climbing line withhis or her hand or with a slack tender. Thehitch should break easily and advance withminimal effort yet should grip and hold consistently and securely whenever the climberpauses in the ascent or reaches the next workstation. Note that, when ascending, theclimber’s hands are often above or below,and not necessarily on, the climbing hitch.The tautline holds the climber securelyin place for working, but it tends to tightenunder the load of the weight of the climber.The tautline can become difficult to releaseafter some use and often requires a great dealof manipulation for the climber to descend.Advancing the tautline can be a struggle,and usually the knot has to be loosened or“cracked” to move it up the rope. The tautline grips fairly well, but if it has been loosened to advance it up the line, it must beset again when the climber needs to stopand work. The tautline also has a tendencyto roll—the bridge gradually gets longer,the tail gets shorter, and the knot eventuallyworks its way to the end of the tail andcompletely unties itself. To prevent rolling,it is necessary to put a stopper knot in thetail of the tautline.Many people have also used a “two under,one over” version. Two counterclockwiseturns are formed down the line below thebridge, then one counterclockwise turn isformed above the bridge. The two-under,one-over releases and advances a little moreeasily than the two-under, two-over, but itOpen HitchesTautlineThe version of the tautline that is most commonly known by tree climbers is “two under,two over” (Figure 1). Two counterclockwiseturns are formed down the line below thebridge, then two counterclockwise turnsare formed down the line above the bridge.(Note that the legs of the hitch exit the knotin opposite directions. It creates a goodmnemonic because the legs look like a Tfor “tautline.”)Figure 1.Tautline—twounder, two over. 2004 International Society of Arboriculture. Used with permission. Originally published in Arborist News magazine, October 2004.

Climbers’ Corner (continued)does not grip as reliably when the climberreaches a new work station and often needsto be set by tugging up on the tail of thehitch for it to hold securely. There are othervariations in the number of turns, devisedto accommodate climbers with differentstyles and body weights. When manila ropewas used for climbing, both the number ofturns and the direction of the turns relative tothe lay of the climbing line were important.the loop makes a turn through the bight, itcreates two coils (sometimes called “fingers”)on the climbing line. If two turns are taken,then four coils are created, and the Prusik looksexactly like the first Prusik that was formedusing a single length of rope (Figure 3). Thishitch is called a two-wrap, four-coil Prusik.Figure 3.Prusik with a cord—four coils.PrusikIn the standard version of the Prusik, twocounterclockwise turns are formed downthe line below the bridge, then two clockwise turns are formed down the line abovethe bridge. Note that the tail changes direction when the turns are taken above thebridge. This change causes the legs of theknot to exit the hitch in the same direction(Figure 2), whereas the legs of the tautlineexit the knot in opposite directions.The tail is then dropped over/in front of thebridge, passed behind the climbing line, andthen up through the bottom two of the fourturns (Figure 4). It is critical that, after beingdropped over the bridge, the tail is passedbehind—not in front of—the climbing line.Blake’s hitch has several advantages overthe traditional tautline and Prusik hitches. Itis not a rolling hitch. Thus, it does not needa stopper knot on the tail, although it is stillrecommended that one be used. Blake’s hitchholds securely, but it does not tighten andjam as much as the tautline and Prusik whenthe climber is working. It releases and advancesmore easily yet grips reliably when the climberarrives at a new work station.Figure 2.Prusik.Prusik with a loop—four coils.The Prusik has many of the same characteristics as the tautline. It holds the climberfirmly in place but often binds so that it maybe difficult to release and difficult to advance.Although it is not considered a rolling hitch,it is recommended that a stopper knot beplaced in the tail of the knot.Many arborists are familiar with the Prusikas a friction hitch for use in the secured footlock. In this technique, the Prusik is tiedwith a loop of rope rather than with a lengthof rope. A bight of the loop is placed on theclimbing line, and the other end of the loopis passed through the bight, creating a wrap,or turn, around the climbing line. Each timeWhen used for the secured footlock, thePrusik is formed around both legs of theclimbing line, and it is necessary to form athree-wrap, six-coil Prusik. The cord that isused for the Prusik should be smaller indiameter than the host line. Because the Prusikcord is doubled, both legs of the loop sharethe weight of the climber, and the breakingstrength of the loop needs to be the same asthat required for an arborist’s climbing line(as stated in sections 3.23 and 8.7.4 of theZ133.1-2000 safety standards).When used in this configuration, thePrusik should be used only for ascending.A climb , UK.Budworth, Geoffrey. 2000. The CompleteBook of Sailing Knots. Lyons Press, NewYork, NY.Chisholm, Mark. Personal communication.Confection du noeud machardtressé. www. dt.htm(accessed 8/24/04).Donzelli, Peter S., andStanley Longstaff.1999. The FrenchPrusik revisited: Morethan just a climbinghitch. Arborist News8(2):49–50.Les noueds. membres.lycos.fr/climbrok/Sommaire%20noeuds.htm (accessed8/25/04). 2004 International Society of Arboriculture. Used with permission. Originally published in Arborist News magazine, October 2004.

Palmer, Ken, Dwayne Neustaeter, Paul Sisson, Kay-Olaf Busemann, FrançoisDussenne (with Frederic Mathias), andMark J. Chisholm. 1998. The Machardtresse. Arborist News 7(2):41–45.Prohaska, Heinz. 1990. Two jamming knotsfor thick cord and webbing. Nylon Highway 30:3.Prusik, Karl. 1931. Ein neuer knoten undseine anwendung. Osterreichische Alpenzeitung 1116.Raleigh, Duane. 1998. Knots and Ropes forClimbers. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA.Sherrill Arborist Supply. Product catalogs2002, 2003, 2004.Smith, Bruce, and Allen Padgett. 1996. OnRope (new revised edition). NationalSpeleological Society, Huntsville, AL.Thrun, Robert. 1973. Prusiking. NationalSpeleological Society, Huntsville, AL.Thrun, Robert. Personal communication.Toss, Brion. 1990. Knots: Chapman’s Nautical Guides. Hearst Marine Books, NewYork, NY.Mark Adams is a Certified Arborist withDowney Trees, Inc., based in Atlanta,Georgia. He would like to thank thereviewers for their many helpful comments.Photos by Dorothy Payne and MarkAdams.

ular climbing hitch, practice low and slow. As with all knots, climbing hitches need to be properly tied, dressed, and set. “Tie” means to form the knot, “dress” means to align all of the parts of the knot, and “set” means to tighten or load the knot before actually using it. Fo