Page 78 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

CHAPTER 7

Using the Rope to
Manage Risk

wide variety of knots have miscellaneous
A applications as backups, safety precautions, use
in rescue systems, or other best practices. It would be
difficult to fully elucidate every one of these knots
and hitches in this book, and ultimately some knots
and hitches seem to be more useful than others. Even
though there are dozens of options for doing so,
climbers generally need a group of knots to close the
climbing system, back up a rappel or a lower, create
a tether or rappel extension, and grab any section of
rope that may already be taut.

Closing the System: Overhand
with a Bight

In a typical toproping activity or a rappel, there is
always at least one free rope end available. When
toproping, the climber is tied to one end of the rope
while the other end of the rope is left free. In rap-
pelling, the rope is either fixed, in which case one
end is affixed to an anchor while the other is on the
ground, or the middle of the rope is running through
an anchor with both ends on the ground. Through
a variety of circumstances and awkward scenarios,
climbers have managed to rappel off the ends of ropes,
or lower each other off the ends of ropes. So a habit

65