Rock Climbing. Pete Hill

tighten and grip it when loaded. Additionally, it can be released when under load, such as when you wish to continue abseiling after a halt, perhaps to retrieve some stuck gear from the crag.

      Keep the double fisherman’s knot, tied to create the loop, out of the way whilst you wrap it around the climbing rope several times. How many wraps depends on many factors: you may be abseiling on two ropes (or just one doubled up), the rope may be wet or dry, shiny or a bit rough, and all these will make a difference of a wrap or two. Once around the rope, the two ends of the prusik loop are clipped together with a screwgate karabiner that is in turn clipped to the appropriate strong point. Loading the system causes the wrappings to tighten around the main rope, thus gripping it. To release the prusik, pull down on the top of it with your fingertips, along the line of the main rope.

      French prusik. Keep the wraps neat around the main rope.

      Note

      It is very important that the French prusik is never used in a situation where it can be shock-loaded. If this happens there is a chance that the loop will slip down the main rope, either stripping it of its outer sheath or, if the slide is of some distance, the prusik loop itself may generate enough heat to melt through.

      Double fisherman’s knot

      This is a handy ‘workhorse’ of a knot, used to join two sections of rope together, such as when constructing a prusik loop, when joining ropes for abseiling or, very often, when half a double fisherman’s is used as a stopper knot to back up a figure of eight or bowline. Take a little time to make sure that the knot is tied neatly and looks symmetrical once completed.

      DOUBLE FISHERMAN’S KNOT

      STEP 1 Loosely tied double fisherman’s knot

      STEP 2 Completed double fisherman’s knot

      Overhand knot

      This mainly functions as an isolation knot when using a sling to equalise an anchor. It is very simple to tie, although with very thin slings you may prefer to opt for a figure of eight. It can be quite difficult to undo, especially when tied in thin Spectra or Dyneema slings, so a figure of eight may be chosen instead. It is also used as a knot for joining abseil ropes (see Chapter 11), where it is essential that a figure of eight is not used.

      Overhand knot

      Lark’s-foot

      This knot is sometimes used to attach a sling to an anchor. However, it is quite a weak method and there are better options available, such as simply clipping the ends of the sling together with a karabiner. A lark’s-foot is suitable when attaching a cow’s-tail to your harness when abseiling in a multi-pitch situation. It can be used to join two slings together if you are running out of karabiners, but make sure that the resulting knot is neat and looks like a reef knot (see below).

      (Top) A sling lark’s-footed around an anchor, not a very strong way to belay and not recommended

      (Bottom) Joining two slings with a double lark’s-foot

      Reef knot

      This is a useful knot for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is handy if you are wrapping the flaked rope behind you in order to carry it like a rucksack, as it is a good way to tie the ends off in front of you. Secondly, it is a handy knot to use inside a double fisherman’s when joining two abseil ropes together, as it stops the knots from jamming together and becoming difficult to untie. If you remember the phrase ‘right over left, left over right’ you will end up with the correct knot each time. The ‘left’ and ‘right’ relate to the tails of the rope.

      Reef knot

      PART 2: SKILLS

      ‘Eclair de lune’, 5+, Gorbio, Maritime Alps

      4 TYING ON

      In this section we will look at a number of basic yet essential skills which must be mastered before attempting to climb.

       How to tie onto the end of the rope, obviously important for both the leader and second.

       Different ways of tying onto one or more anchors.

       How to use a sling to bring two or three anchors down to one point, often useful in a multi-pitch climbing situation, or when fixing up a system such as a bottom rope (see Chapters 12 and 13).

      Tying onto Your Harness

      Being able to tie onto your harness effectively and securely is pivotal to being safe whilst climbing. It is amazing how often you see people on the crags with sloppy knots or tied onto the wrong point and so incorrectly connected to what is, in every sense of the word, their safety line.

      Usually, you and your partner will need to be tied onto your harnesses. This not only gives a very strong attachment to the rope, it also provides a point from which the belay device can be operated, and a position to which any anchor ropes can be connected. The figure of eight rewoven will be the usual choice (although the bowline can also be used). The only drawback of the latter is that the stopper knot is on the inside radius of the loop created by tying in, and can get in the way of subsequent connections.

      Note

      Don’t let anyone disturb you for the few seconds it takes to tie onto the end of the rope, whether you are leading, seconding, top- or bottom-roping (see Chapters 9, 10 and 13). Being passed a piece of gear, for example, is distracting; it’s easy to forget to finish the knot properly and to leave it half-tied. If someone calls you or hands you some gear when tying in, tell them to wait for a moment and complete the job properly.

      A WORD OF WARNING

      Clipping into the abseil loop with a karabiner will work if you are going to be top- or bottom-roping over a short distance, but it should never be used as a method of attachment to the rope when leading. If a fall occurred and the karabiner slipped sideways, the rope could run over the gate at the point of loading, greatly reducing the karabiner’s strength. If you do choose to clip into the rope with a screwgate for top- or bottom-roping, some manufacturers sensibly recommend two screwgate karabiners are used, clipped so that the gates open in opposition to each other. A figure of eight knot on the end of the rope would be the best one to use.

      (Left) Clipped onto the rope using two screwgates back to back. Do not use this method of attachment for leading routes.

      (Right) Tied on with a figure of eight rewoven and half a double fisherman’s stopper knot

      It is important that the correct section of the harness is threaded, normally the same line as taken by the abseil loop. Some harness designs – particularly those made for group use – have a single flat-loop attachment point, and the rope will be tied around this. Check in the instruction booklet that came with your harness to ensure that you are threading the rope around the correct sections.

      Once tied, the resulting loop should be no bigger than the abseil loop, or a little smaller than fist size. Any larger and subsequent attachments will be awkward to complete and there may be problems