Page 50 - Duane Raleigh - Knots Ropes for Climbers

Page 51

As useful as the Munter Hitch is, it also has a bad habit of twisting and tangling your rope.

This is why the Munter Hitch is a vital knot to know for emergencies but a poor one for regular use.

You can rig the Munter Hitch on most any carabiner, but because the knot is large and needs to swivel,

it works best on a large HMS Pearabiner. Because your life depends on the knot, also be sure to use a
locking carabiner. If you are double-rope rappeling, you can either tie both ropes into one Munter
Hitch and clip them to one carabiner, or tie them independently and give each one its own carabiner. I
prefer the second method, as it doesn't twist the ropes as badly.

Finally, when you use the Munter Hitch in belay mode, arrange it so the loaded side of the knot is
against the carabiner's spine. Reversing this setup will cause the weaker gate side of the carabiner to

be loaded.

Common Use s

Belay knot

Rappel knot

Carabiner Wrap

The Carabiner Wrap looks dubious but is nevertheless useful to climbers. This simple method of
wrapping the rope around a carabiner's spine lets you rappel a single rope of most any diameter. I've
even used it to rappel 7-millimeter cord. Adding to its beauty in dire situations, the Carabiner Wrap
requires only one carabiner.

Carabiner Wrap.