Vertical caving terminology and methods > Knots > Common knots
Useful for emergencies
Friction hitch used to create a chest jammer when a real one is not available, instead of using a prusik knot. Much more clumsy to use, as the down rope needs to be pulled upwards for it to feed through. Usually grips and releases the rope very easily, but often takes some time to grip, so a lot of effort can be lost. Sometimes locks up and needs some effort to make it release the rope. Cannot create a top jammer. Needs a perfectly matched pair of locking carabiners. It can also work with snap-link carabiners, and in fact works a little better because the carabiners can get closer so they can pinch thinner ropes better, but with the obvious risk of it accidentally opening the gates during use. It is more likely to accidentally open screw gate carabiners if the rope is fed in one direction through the carabiners rather than the other, so twist locks are best. Otherwise there is a chance the rope can accidentally rub the screw gates in the direction that unscrews them, open the carabiners and either disengage the knot, or disconnect them from the rope! It relies on the strands of rope crossing over each other to get the best gripping effect, so it performs best with carabiners that channel the rope into the corner, such as a D-shaped or offset D, but it can be used with oval carabiners too. It does not work well with pear-shaped carabiners, as it can slip into a position where it does not grip at all. For the most reliable use, the two carabiners should be held quite firmly together, with a common recommendation being to connect them using a sling tied around both of them using a lark's foot, which tightens when loaded. Made from a very simple loop that binds the carabiners against each other when pulled in one direction. Twists the rope badly.
A self belay device from 1955 functioned the same way as an Alpine clutch, though it involved a box with moving parts. It was created by British caver W. E. Clarke. The Alpine clutch was created by Italian Franco Garda in 1970 (the same person who used the Italian hitch for shipping). It was appearing in British caving articles in 1977.
This history section only covers the Alpine clutch. This article also has a detailed history of many of the other devices and techniques that are used for vertical caving.
<< Prusik knot (pronounced "PRUH-sik", even though it should be "PROO-sik"), Gérard hitch, Hedden knot, kreutzklem knot, klemheist knot, inverted Hedden knot, French Machard knot, Bachmann knot, Bachmann hitch, autoblock knot, Machard knot, French prusik knot, Schwabisch hitch, Distel hitch, Valdôtain tresse, Valdôtain tresse XT, helical knot, Penberthy hitch, steeplejack's hitch, locking hitch, Blake's hitch, Prohaska knot, rolling hitch, Magnus hitch (sometimes "knots" in USA) | Reef knot, square knot >>
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