The Knot you should NOT use when descending on your safety line

[Marker]

In climbing with ropes or using ropes as a means of descent in saddle hunting, redundancy means using a secondary safety mechanism should your primary descending/ rappelling device fail.

After perusing many U tube vidoes I have come across two different Utubers who are explaining how to use a Blakes hitch friction knot as the only device when descending. These Utubers are trying to earn money through advertisements, they are trying to get the required likes and followers by professing an easy way to descend, it is very easy for these folks to gamble with your life. Friction knots can and will slip due to their nature, if the slipping occurs unintentionally the user can drop very quickly until the knot catches possibly resulting in injury. It has happened to me.

The lack of redundancy combined with the inherent slipping nature of the Blakes hitch makes their methods unnecessarily risky.

The Blakes hitch is a good (Prusik knot is better) secondary means of descent control should your first device fail but should not be used by itself. A Munter hitch backed up by a Prussik friction knot is a good combination. If you are using a ladder or tree steps, that becomes your primary device and the safety rope becomes your redundancy, in this situation a single friction knot is applicable.


Continuing my discussion on knots extends to the use of the Hunter Safety Systems branded products, these pre-manufactured safety lines use the overhand knot, or in some older lines terminated with large staples. These are not the standard recognized terminations to use without a back up knot. Instead the tried and true figure eight knot should be used. If you have a Hunter Safety Systems line, a simple solution is to undo the factory knot and re-tie using a figure eight, a back up knot can be added but is not standard practice using a figure eight.

[TroutSlayer]

Great info! Thanks.

[longpointer]

My best knot is to NOT climb anything that requires a safety line.

[adolan]

I'm an arborist so this is my view on things fwiw. You are correct that a Blake's hitch on a static line is a bad idea! They are great in a closed system or in any moving rope system as the load the hitch sees is approximately half.

A prussic is a good thing to use on a safety line while climbing into a treestand. ( Arborist safe work practices in Ontario do not list the English prussic as an acceptable climbing hitch- and I would never climb on it but it's common practice in the UK for whatever reason)

As for termination knots a figure eight on a bite is easy to tie and very safe + requires no stopped knot. A figure eight as a termination is common in rock climbing but I wouldn't be comfortable using one.

[Marker]

I'm an arborist so this is my view on things fwiw. You are correct that a Blake's hitch on a static line is a bad idea! They are great in a closed system or in any moving rope system as the load the hitch sees is approximately half.

A prussic is a good thing to use on a safety line while climbing into a treestand. ( Arborist safe work practices in Ontario do not list the English prussic as an acceptable climbing hitch- and I would never climb on it but it's common practice in the UK for whatever reason)

As for termination knots a figure eight on a bite is easy to tie and very safe + requires no stopped knot. A figure eight as a termination is common in rock climbing but I wouldn't be comfortable using one.

I am glad to see you use safe practices, some folks on U tube cause me some concern as to what the untrained viewer is going to go out and copy. Some mistakes can only be made one time.

[dean.f]

Something I've noticed is people on YouTube recommending mechanical descending devices and never backing them up with a friction hitch, now there are knock off versions of these devices available. I believe redundancy is paramount when climbing especially when you only have yourself to keep you safe.

It's a great idea to bring up the subject, especially with the popularity of saddles recently (I've just started with one). Hopefully anybody going out to try it themselves have enough sense to educate themselves from more sources than just a random YouTube video.

[gbk]

Many Saddle Hunting videos present climbing methods( especially the ones presenting one stick climbing method/climbing with multitude of aiders etc)which are by far not for the average guy.Period.

I could see ppl with background (climbers,arborists)may ascending/descending using some of them unique methods........but i believe there are very few of them..
Majority of the hunters climbs traditionally.

[JUDGE]

My best knot is to NOT climb anything that requires a safety line.

x2 same here,called DO NOT.

[longpointer]

x2 same here,called DO NOT.

Aaaaaaah yes ... The Do Not ! LoL !

But seriously climbing or repelling or anything that requires a safety rope is something you don't want to get wrong and the OP sounds like he knows his stuff because we all know to well there are too many so called pro's on the internet offering their idea of advice.