What's in this post?

I don't often work in dry and warm environments. In the last few months, I have worked at the bottom of caves, in aquatic canyons, in alpine snow and ice, and on sea cliffs.

The KNOTS, BENDS, and HITCHES I use are pretty standard, and for good reason. If it's dark, wet and cold, and we are fatigued, the ones that we remember are burnt into the memory through years of use and practice.

If we already use the KNOT, BEND, or HITCH in our chosen pursuit, it is likely to come to mind when we really need it. The downstream effect is the ability to quality check the KNOT, BEND, or HITCH before use. 

A concrete example is that we no longer use Bowlines for our rescue rigging to bring the two ends of the rope together. As Bowlines are not often used, team members have difficulty remembering, and they are hard to check once tied. Alternatives, such as the Alpine Butterfly, have been tested and are now used in it's place.

I have uploaded onto YouTube most of the KNOTS, BENDS and HITCHES I have in the Rope Rescue and Rigging Field Guide.

Check out the YouTube playlist here:

And a few example videos here:

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Have a great day.

Grant
at Over The Edge Rescue