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How to Tie Climbing Knots

A handful of knots carry most of a day at the crag: the one that ties you to the rope, the one that ties the rope to the anchor, the one that lets you belay with nothing but a carabiner, and the one that keeps you from going off the end. These drills put a harness, a locking carabiner and a rope end in front of you and walk you through each knot one decision at a time, with what the accident reports say goes wrong.

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  • Sourced from the UIAA, the American Alpine Club, the BMC and Petzl

4 techniques

Pick a technique

Every time

Rules for every climb

  • Check every knot yourself, then have your partner check it, every time.[1, 2, 12]
  • Finish a knot before you do anything else. Distraction runs through the incomplete tie-in reports.[12, 13]
  • Close the system: a stopper knot in the end of the rope, or the belayer tied in.[17, 18]
  • Locking carabiners at every critical connection, and locked.[4, 10]

Watch & learn

Climbing knots on video

Picked from our video library. These are other creators' videos, so where one differs from the drill, the drill's sourced steps are the ones to follow.

  • YouTube

    Best Knots for Climbing—The 5 Knots Every Climber Should Know || REI

    REI

    0
  • YouTube

    How to Tie Into a Climbing Harness (With a Figure 8 Knot) || REI

    REI

    0
  • YouTube

    Rock Climbing: How to Tie a Clove Hitch

    REI

    0
  • YouTube

    Basic & Intermediate Outdoor Climbing: 11. Stopper Knots for Belay & Rappel | Climbing Tech Tips

    Climbing Tech Tips

    0
  • YouTube

    4 Knots Every Climber Should Know | Climbing Daily Ep.991

    EpicTV Climbing Daily

    0
  • YouTube

    How to attach the rope to your harness

    BMC TV

    0
More knots videos

FAQ

Climbing knot questions

Petzl says there is no safety or strength risk in tying in to the belay loop, but that the two tie-in points are better for wear, and Edelrid notes that not every harness is certified for both methods. Follow your harness's own instructions; the usual way is both tie-in points.

Sources differ. For the figure 8, the Alpine Club of Canada wants at least ten centimetres, the BMC at least 30 centimetres and not much longer, and the Army manual about four inches. For a stopper knot the American Alpine Club suggests fingers to elbow. Generous beats short.

The BMC says it is normal but not essential to tie an overhand round the rope with the tail as a stopper. Petzl's instructions and the Alpine Club of Canada's handbook do not add one. What every source agrees on is that the 8 itself must be finished and checked.

Less than you might think for strength: the UIAA Safety Commission puts the difference between ways of dressing it at roughly 5 to 8 percent. It matters for checking: a neat 8 with the strands side by side is easy to see is finished.

Most of the time, and the American Alpine Club says a stuck knot is rarely an issue. The BMC notes there is no set rule, since a knotted end can snag when you pull the ropes, and Petzl's ski guides sometimes skip it for that reason. If you knot them, one knot in each strand.

Learn it hands-on

Climbing knots are learned hands-on. Browse guide services, climbing schools and gyms near you, and have a pro check your knots.

Find climbing guides and schools

Sources

Where the checkable claims above come from. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything you are about to rely on against the source itself.

  1. UIAA Safecom answers your questions: Figure-eight knotsUIAA Safety Commission (theuiaa.org)
  2. CORAX harness: Technical NoticePetzl (petzl.com)
  3. Belay loop and tie-in points: where do I attach my lanyard, my belay device and my rope?Petzl (petzl.com)
  4. Locking carabiners: Technical NoticePetzl (petzl.com)
  5. Examples of dangerous carabiner loadingPetzl (petzl.com)
  6. Building a belay anchor and belaying on a bolted multi-pitch routePetzl (petzl.com)
  7. Harness HandbookEdelrid (edelrid.com)
  8. The basics: climbing indoorsBritish Mountaineering Council (thebmc.co.uk)
  9. Alpine skills: 6 tips for multipitch abseilingBritish Mountaineering Council (thebmc.co.uk)
  10. Summer Mountaineering Leader Field HandbookAlpine Club of Canada (alpineclubofcanada.ca)
  11. Incomplete Tie-In, Fall on Rock, California, The NeedlesAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  12. Fall on Rock: Incomplete Tie-In KnotAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  13. Incorrect Tie-In: DistractionAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  14. Rappel Error, No Knots on Ends of RopeAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  15. Rappel Error: Uneven Ropes, Stopper Knot UntiedAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  16. Know the Ropes: RappellingAmerican Alpine Club (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  17. Know the Ropes: LoweringAmerican Alpine Club (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  18. Know the Ropes: Cleaning Sport RoutesAmerican Alpine Club (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  19. Know the Ropes: Crafty Rappel TechniquesAmerican Alpine Club (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  20. Climbing merit badge pamphletScouting America (filestore.scouting.org)
  21. TC 3-97.61 Military Mountaineering (Nov 2025), Internet Archive copyHeadquarters, Department of the Army (archive.org)
  22. WILLIAM locking carabinerPetzl (petzl.com)
  23. RockLock Screwgate CarabinerBlack Diamond (blackdiamondequipment.com)
  24. Which belay system should be used to belay a leader directly off the anchor on a multi-pitch route?Petzl (petzl.com)
  25. Rappel Failure: Munter Hitch Unscrewed a Locking CarabinerAmerican Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing (publications.americanalpineclub.org)
  26. Continental Field Manual: References (Knots)U.S. Antarctic Program, National Science Foundation (usap.gov)
  27. Boat Crew Handbook: Seamanship Fundamentals (BCH 16114.4)U.S. Coast Guard (hosted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary) (rdept.cgaux.org)

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