Whitewater Rescue Knots

This page is dedicated to the art of tying knots. Most of them are quite commonly used aboard or related to the sea - fishing and that sort of thing. All the knots are animated and hence move by themselves, showing you how they are constructed. If more information is required on these knots, The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley is a great source of information.

Angler's loop	Angler's knot	Anchor Hitch	Bowline - loop knot	Clove Hitch	Another way to tie a Clove Hitch
Double loop bowline	Eye Splice	Figure of Eight stopper	Making fast to a cleat	Rolling Hitch	Reef
Sailor's knot	Sheet Bend (single & double)	Sheepshank	Splice	Tie - Common	Tie - Windsor

The prusik knot or prusik hitch is a friction hitch knot most commonly used by climbers for ascending. It is named after Karl Prusik, an Austrian mountaineer who introduced this knot in 1931.

Rescue teams such as Swiftwater rescue use a Prusik knot as a 'pulley tender' hitch, to hold a line taut while tensioning a highline for a Tyrolean traverse, or in boat-on-tether and similar rescue operations.

The Prusik knot offers a way to ascend on a climbing rope using slings, smaller diameter rope, or cord. The knot slides freely along the rope but will grip firmly when weighted. In its simplest form, it is a girth hitch tied twice:

Alternatives uses for the prusik knot:

This knot can slip on worn ropes, and for the purpose of ascending its use is largely superceded by mechanical ascenders. Aside from emergency situations, its most common use in mountaineering and climbing is now as a backup knot. In this application, it is often known as a dead-man's hand for abseiling. Should the abseiler release their brake hand, the knot prevents them falling out of control when it is tied around the fixed rope, below the descender, and attached to the harness.

It can also be used to hold cylindrical objects.

Similar, alternative knots include the Klemheist, Bachman and Autoblock knots. The Klemheist tends to be easier to slide up, but does not work well with webbing. The Bachman is less liable to slip when tied with webbing, but requires a carabiner.

The Bachmann (also spelt Bachman) is a friction hitch. It is useful when the friction hitch needs to be reset quickly/often or made to be self-tending as in crevasse and self-rescue.

The Bachmann requires the use of a carabiner. It does not matter if the carabiner is locking or not. Most importantly, the carabiner must be of round cross section for friction. Grabbing hold of the carabiner will release the friction and allow the hitch to slide freely and thus be moved appropriately. To remove the Bachmann, just unclip the top loop, hold onto the carabiner and pull the cord free.