Page 10 - Duane Raleigh - Knots Ropes for Climbers
P. 10
expert in each of those, add the specialized. The process will continue forever; I've climbed for more
than two decades and am still learning.
Where do you begin? You could climb forever knowing only five knots. The Figure
Eight Follow-Through will work in all situations as your tie-in knot. A variation, the Figure Eight
Fisherman's, will always work well to join rope to rope. The Ring Bend will secure webbing to
webbing. You could leave it at that, but you would be ill prepared to improvise in an emergency or
uncomfortable bind. For that reason, add the Munter Hitch, which serves as a rappel and belay knot,
and the Prusik, the ascending knot, to your repertoire. Learn these five knots immediately. The others
you can add as your
experience grows and your confusion fades.
