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Course · 10 lessons +500 XP total 🎟️ +10 draw entries

Knots 101

The ten knots every tree worker should be able to tie in their sleep. Read it, watch it, prove it on the quiz, earn your patch.

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Lesson 1 of 10 ⭐ Beginner ⚓ Anchor knot

Bowline

"Boh-lin." The king of knots. Forms a fixed loop that won't slip but unties easy.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Anchoring a rope to a fixed point. Throw-line attachment. Tying off a load. The classic rescue loop around a casualty.

✗ Don't use for

Climbing tie-in (modern climbers use a figure-8). Cyclic loading where the knot can shake loose. Always back up with a stopper.

Tie it in 4 moves

  1. 1
    Make the rabbit hole. Form a small loop in the standing part with the working end laid across the top. The hole faces up.
  2. 2
    Up through the hole. Bring the working end up through the loop from underneath — the rabbit pops out of the hole.
  3. 3
    Around the tree. Pass the working end behind the standing part — the rabbit runs round the tree.
  4. 4
    Back down the hole. Tuck the working end back down through the original loop. Pull both standing part and loop to dress and set.
        ┌─────╮
        │  ╭──┴─╮
   ━━━━━┿━━┥    │
        │  ╰─┬──╯
        ╰────╯
   loop   →   rabbit out

ASCII reference — full diagram drops in launch update

▶ Demo video — coming on launch Tie-along recorded by a working arborist
⚠️ Safety note

A clean bowline can shake loose under cyclic, low-load conditions. Always finish with a stopper knot (overhand or fisherman's) on the working end if it'll be left tied for any length of time.

Quick quiz

Lesson 2 of 10 ⭐⭐ Intermediate 🪵 Rigging

Running Bowline

A bowline tied around its own standing part. Cinches down on a load — the go-to lifting and lowering knot.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Lifting branches and logs. Tying off a load that needs the knot to choke down on it. Setting a rigging line on a limb without climbing onto it.

✗ Don't use for

Loads that need to release easily under tension — once it's bitten, it's bitten. Don't tie this around the climbing rope if it's already weighted.

Tie it in 3 moves

  1. 1
    Wrap the spar. Pass the working end around the limb or log you're tying to.
  2. 2
    Tie a small bowline around the standing part. Treat the standing part as if it were a fixed object — rabbit out of the hole, round the tree, back down.
  3. 3
    Slide and set. Pull the standing part to slide the loop along until it bites the load. Always inspect for crossed loops before applying load.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

Inspect every running bowline before you commit a load to it. A crossed loop fails. Watch the bridle angle when lifting big timber — keep it inside 30° of vertical or you're loading the rigging twice as hard as the load weighs.

Quick quiz

Lesson 3 of 10 ⭐ Beginner 🧗 Climbing

Figure 8 on a Bight

The strongest fixed-loop knot in the kit. Easy to inspect, easy to teach, hard to mess up.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Climbing tie-in to a saddle. Anchor loop. Any life-safety attachment where you need to inspect at a glance.

✗ Don't use for

Mid-line loops (use an alpine butterfly). Situations where it has to come undone after heavy load — it can lock up tight.

Tie it in 4 moves

  1. 1
    Bight the rope. Fold a length of rope back on itself to form a doubled loop (a bight) — make it as long as the loop you want plus tail.
  2. 2
    Cross over. Cross the bight over the standing part to make a figure-4 shape.
  3. 3
    Around and through. Pass the bight behind both lines, then tuck it forward through the original loop you made.
  4. 4
    Dress flat. Pull all four legs to dress the knot. The figure-8 should look symmetrical with no twisted legs.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

Tail length: leave at least 10× the rope diameter as the working tail. For 11mm climbing line, that's a tail you can comfortably wrap your fist around.

Quick quiz

Lesson 4 of 10 ⭐⭐ Intermediate 🧗 Climbing

Blake's Hitch

The friction hitch that took over from the taut-line. Grips when loaded, slides when worked.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Doubled-rope (DdRT/MRT) climbing systems. Tied with the same line as your climbing rope. The classic apprentice friction hitch.

✗ Don't use for

SRT systems (use a VT, Distel or Schwabisch with a separate friction cord). Wet, glazed or icy rope — friction drops fast.

Tie it in 4 moves

  1. 1
    Four wraps up. Make four wraps around the standing part of the climbing line, working upward.
  2. 2
    Pass through two. Bring the working end down and pass it through the bottom two wraps from underneath.
  3. 3
    Stopper knot. Tie a stopper (figure-8 or overhand) in the working end as a backup.
  4. 4
    Dress and set. Pull the wraps neat and even. Test-load before committing weight.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

A Blake's without a stopper is an accident waiting to happen. The hitch can roll out under shock load. Always tie the stopper. Always.

Quick quiz

Lesson 5 of 10 ⭐⭐ Intermediate 🧗 Climbing

Prusik

A loop of cord girth-hitched on itself around a host rope. The original ascender — and a reliable backup.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Backup on a rescue line. Hauling system grab. Emergency self-rescue. Foot loop ascending in a pinch.

✗ Don't use for

Heavy dynamic loads — friction cord can melt under shock. Don't use cord that's the same diameter as the host rope (it won't grip).

Tie it in 3 moves

  1. 1
    Make a loop of cord. Start with a closed loop of friction cord (typically 6–8mm) joined by a double fisherman's bend.
  2. 2
    Three wraps. Pass the loop through itself around the host rope three times — three nested wraps stacked neatly.
  3. 3
    Dress and load. Pull the cord even, eliminate any twisted strands, then weight to test grip.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

Diameter mismatch matters. A 8mm cord prusik on 11mm rope grips well. Same-diameter prusiks slip. After any shock-load event, retire the cord — the sheath fibres will be heat-damaged whether you can see it or not.

Quick quiz

Lesson 6 of 10 ⭐ Beginner ⚓ Anchor

Clove Hitch

The two-half-hitch sister. Quick to tie, easy to adjust, useful as long as the load is steady.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Securing a tag line to a karabiner mid-haul. Tying off to a spar. Temporary anchors where the load won't shift much.

✗ Don't use for

Smooth slick objects (it slips). Cyclic or fluctuating loads (it works loose). Critical life-safety as a sole attachment.

Tie it in 3 moves (around a karabiner)

  1. 1
    Two loops. Make two identical loops in the rope, both rotating the same direction.
  2. 2
    Stack them. Lay the second loop in front of the first so they overlap.
  3. 3
    Clip. Drop the karabiner through both loops, lock, and dress by pulling both ends.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

A clove on a smooth karabiner under varying load can creep. If you need set-and-forget, lock it off with a half hitch around the standing part.

Quick quiz

Lesson 7 of 10 ⭐ Beginner 🪵 Rigging

Timber Hitch

For dragging logs. Holds under tension, releases instantly when you stop pulling.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Dragging logs out of the drop zone. Starting a diagonal lashing. Towing a trunk behind a 4WD or chipper.

✗ Don't use for

Lifting. Anything overhead. The moment tension comes off, the hitch falls apart — that's the feature for dragging, but a fatal flaw for lifting.

Tie it in 3 moves

  1. 1
    Wrap once. Pass the working end around the log.
  2. 2
    Tuck under and back. Bring the working end back over the standing part and tuck it under itself.
  3. 3
    Wrap on itself 4–5 times. Twist the working end around its own loop four to five times. The wraps trap the friction.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

Pull along the long axis of the log. Pull sideways and the wraps unravel. Add a half-hitch ahead of the timber hitch to stop the log rotating in transit.

Quick quiz

Lesson 8 of 10 ⭐⭐ Intermediate 🪵 Rigging

Marlin Spike Hitch

A toggle-loaded loop that holds firm with a stick or sling through it, drops free instantly when removed.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Quick-attach foot loops. Mid-line attachment for a sling. Throwing a line over a high anchor with a stick or branch as the toggle.

✗ Don't use for

Anywhere it has to hold without the toggle in place. Critical life-safety — it's a working knot, not a primary anchor.

Tie it in 3 moves

  1. 1
    Twist a loop. Make a loop in the standing rope by twisting it on itself one full turn.
  2. 2
    Pull a bight through. Reach through the loop and pull a bight of the standing line through it.
  3. 3
    Insert the toggle. Slide a stick, branch or sling through the bight. Tension on the standing part traps the toggle.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

The marlin spike collapses the moment the toggle pops out. Treat it as a temporary load-holder only — drop it the moment the job's done.

Quick quiz

Lesson 9 of 10 ⭐⭐⭐ Advanced 🪵 Rigging

Alpine Butterfly

A mid-line loop that loads cleanly in any of three directions. The strongest loop knot you can tie in the middle of a rope.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Mid-rope attachment for a haul system. Isolating a damaged section of rope. Three-way tension load.

✗ Don't use for

Quick-tie applications — there are faster knots. Where you need to inspect at a glance from a distance — it's a complex shape.

Tie it in 4 moves (the hand-wrap method)

  1. 1
    Three wraps round the hand. Wrap the rope around your flat palm three times, leaving even tails.
  2. 2
    Move the middle wrap. Slide the middle wrap over the top wrap.
  3. 3
    Then over the bottom. Take the same wrap (now the top) and pull it over the bottom wrap, then up between your fingers.
  4. 4
    Slide off and dress. Slide the assembly off your hand and pull both standing ends to dress the butterfly.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

A correctly dressed butterfly is symmetrical from both sides. If it isn't, retie. Don't try to "tidy" a malformed butterfly — it's a different knot when dressed wrong.

Quick quiz

Lesson 10 of 10 ⭐⭐ Intermediate ⬇ Lowering

Munter Hitch

A friction hitch tied around a karabiner. Lower a load with nothing more than a rope and a biner.

Not started
✓ Use it for

Controlled lowering when you've left the lowering device on the truck. Improvised belay. Emergency descent.

✗ Don't use for

Long descents — it twists the rope into a useless tangle. Heavy loads with thin rope (heat). Whenever a proper lowering device is available, use the device.

Tie it in 3 moves

  1. 1
    Make a loop. Form a single loop in the rope.
  2. 2
    Fold and clip. Fold the loop in half and clip a locking karabiner through both strands.
  3. 3
    Lock the gate. Always lock the karabiner gate. Set the brake side away from the gate to prevent the rope from cross-loading the biner.
▶ Demo video — coming on launch
⚠️ Safety note

Use a pear-shape (HMS) karabiner — D-shape biners can jam the hitch. Keep your brake hand on the rope at all times. The munter is a backup tool, not your primary lowering rig.

Quick quiz