Best climbing knot? Whats your opinion?

[Jon Lad]

A Blake's hitch and a double bowline for the end-line knot on the climbing line. A side strop with a rope snap on the end, a gri-gri attached to the side D on the harness via a pear shaped MR.

[xdarkknight]

I'm pretty partial to the VT. I use 3 wraps, 3 traps so that it's basically self tending. My head climber is very taken by the Knut/ Michoacan. I have yet to use either of those as my prussic is too long for it to open or self-tend.

 

These articles shows great diagrams of the Knut and the Michoacan (pronounced M'koAcan):

http://www.isa-arbor.com/publications/arbNews/pdfs/Apr07-cc.pdf

http://www.sherrilltree.com/site/pdfs/Climbing_Hitches.pdf

 

They also have some really great commentaries on the Distel and others!

 

But I have played on his Micho hitch with his saddle and it's a REALLY comfortable hitch! Not too loose, not too grippy. Won't sinch too tight like an English Pruss or a VT with too many wraps and won't slide like a VT with not enough wraps.

[Mesterh]

My choice, the helical wrap:thumbup1:

 

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I like the look of that and think I'll give it a go.

 

 

I couldnt get to grips with a hitchclimber an VT because I had to shorten it a lot so I could reach it when branch walking and twisting to one side. I think it was then too short to work properly and slipped quite a bit and didnt self tend.

[Harrison2604]

I watched my course manager use a VT on Friday, she did a demonstration to me about the knot catching you as you fall... but about a meter of rope pulled through the hitch before it got hold of it?? It wasn't very reassuring lol, falling a meter or so at the top of a tree would hurt haha.. it looks like a cool knot but I can't help but wonder whyy people use this knot when it doesn't grab the rope as well as a blakes or something?? I'm a novice and iv found a lot of people that use this knot... how come its so popular? it seems like the chances of it grabbing the rope are a lot slimmer and the chance of injury is greater than a blakes or a prussic from the demonstration I saw?

 

Cheers

[arbsister]

I don’t think it was a meter… oh how boys like to exaggerate! It’s true that it didn’t grab immediately but that had more to do with a slightly less than idea rope / friction hitch combination.

 

The VT is a great knot but is not for the total novice… give it time Harris you will soon be ready for the VT. First get to grips with the basics and understand the application of each knot and when it’s worth swapping things around.

 

The popularity of all of the knots with pulleys is related to the fact that they are a bit faster and can allow you to have a hand free when returning from a limb walk etc… but moving up the tree on VT, mitchagen (spelling?) distel etc… is quite different from the prussic and blakes.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I watched my course manager use a VT on Friday, she did a demonstration to me about the knot catching you as you fall... but about a meter of rope pulled through the hitch before it got hold of it?? It wasn't very reassuring lol, falling a meter or so at the top of a tree would hurt haha.. it looks like a cool knot but I can't help but wonder whyy people use this knot when it doesn't grab the rope as well as a blakes or something?? I'm a novice and iv found a lot of people that use this knot... how come its so popular? it seems like the chances of it grabbing the rope are a lot slimmer and the chance of injury is greater than a blakes or a prussic from the demonstration I saw?

 

Cheers

 

If a knot slips a little but definatley grabs it may be taking a little shock loading out of the equation, not always a bad thing....

 

as long as it DOES grab and only slips a little.

[Harrison2604]

I don’t think it was a meter… oh how boys like to exaggerate! It’s true that it didn’t grab immediately but that had more to do with a slightly less than idea rope / friction hitch combination.

 

The VT is a great knot but is not for the total novice… give it time Harris you will soon be ready for the VT. First get to grips with the basics and understand the application of each knot and when it’s worth swapping things around.

 

The popularity of all of the knots with pulleys is related to the fact that they are a bit faster and can allow you to have a hand free when returning from a limb walk etc… but moving up the tree on VT, mitchagen (spelling?) distel etc… is quite different from the prussic and blakes.

It wasn't far off

 

Oh right... I'm glad my split tail is compatible with my rope... it did me well on friday! Awesome climb by the way, really enjoyed it. Thanks, see you tomorrow for some training!

[arbsister]

Coolio – you have loads of potential and will be messing around with fancy tricks before you know it!

 

See ya tomorrow!

[Nick B]

I use a blakes with a pulley under it to slack tend and help climb

[atree]

pantins are great. ive been using gerry's ropewalker set up this week with a modified pantin, makes ascents effortless.....will have some vid of that up shortly

 

Hey steve,Been thinking of getting this set-up,was just wondering,Can you use a left and right pantin,or just a right pantin with right modified pantin or left??