| But you need not know every hitch and bend to climb safely or well. What follows are instructions for a variety of knots that I've found useful throughout twenty-four years of climbing. For simplicity, I've weeded out the superfluous. Still, you will notice a number of redundancies. For example, the Figure Eight Follow-Through and the Double Bowline serve the same purposeto join climber to ropeyet I've included both, when learning one would suffice. This is done not to confuse, but to give you a choice. I've climbed with hundreds of partners, and about half preferred the Bowline; the others swore by the Figure Eight. After you learn both, you will likely come to favor one over the other. Perhaps you'll find that the Bowline is easier to untie after it has held a hard jerk. Or you'll prefer the peace of mind and simplicity of the Figure Eight. I use both, depending on my mood. |
| Similarly, you'll find four ascending knotsthe Prusik, Klemheist, Bachman, and Auto Block. All do essentially the same thing, but each has a distinct advantage over the others in certain situations. A smart climber will commit all four to memory. Various other overlaps occur throughout the book. This is intentional. |
| But you can't teach someone how to tie knots by written description alone. Take the humble Square Knot, for example. To tie, take hold of the rope or cord and grasp an end in each hand. Cross the right over the left, run it behind, then up through the forming loop. Now take the right strand (used to be the left strand), pass it around the left (used to be the right), run it behind, and then up through the forming loop. Pull both ends taut to dress. Do the second step backward, however, and you get the treacherous Granny Knot, which easily falls apart. See what I mean? And this was a simple knot. Try the same with the complex Bowline, and you could come untied from your climbing harness and pay a fast visit to the Almighty. |
| So how does a book teach knot tying? Through illustration. For that onerous task we've employed the JPGts of the inkman Mike Clelland. He lives up in the rough mountains of Idaho and practices what he draws most every day. His scratch-pen drawings take you step by step through tying each knot. The words that follow are meant to provide insight into the knot's uses, and in some cases touch on the abstract. Study the illustrations, mouth the words, and you'll find that tying even the most roundabout knots is easy. |
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