Anual Prusik Hitch info

[Bill Tell]

Hey guys and gals. Well I can see from a post on another forum that I visit that I need to do the annual post of the Prusik hitch on here again. I am glad to say that I think more and more people are learning of it and using it.

First off what is it? Well the Prusik hitch is named for its alleged inventor, Austrian mountaineer Dr. Karl Prusik. It is a friction hitch that slides up and down and yet when under load it will not move.

Remember it is so simple and it will save your life.

Here is the link to wikipedia that details how to make one.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik  

Remember too to keep an extra loop in an easily accessible pocket so that if you do fall you can add a prusik to your life line there by allowing you to stand up.

I will do this again next ..... fall.  

[Ricker]

Great advice and thanks for reminding us all of safety. It is really important.

[guzzi2000]

If you go to  www.animatedknots.com  it shows how to tie one also.

[Shaun]

Good tip to keep an extra with you. Sometimes the rodents, squirrels and others, will chew the knot and you arrive at your stand to find it damaged. Nothing like the feeling of safety that comes from being tied in from the moment you leave the ground till your feet are back on terra firma.

[GMMAT]

I hope someone can help me.

Good on the prussic.  But the loop on the end of my tehter (the know forming it) has come loose.  I've got it tied back...but was wondering if there was a "special" knot???  It's gonna be pretty special if I ever need it!  

If you know how it's tied...post a link.  Thanks.

[Bill Tell]

Originally posted by GMMAT:
I hope someone can help me.

Good on the prussic.  But the loop on the end of my tehter (the know forming it) has come loose.  I've got it tied back...but was wondering if there was a "special" knot???  It's gonna be pretty special if I ever need it!  

If you know how it's tied...post a link.  Thanks.

You can use the figure 8.

 http://www.jpmountainguide.com/climbing-knots.html

[dakota tim]

Great tip about the extra loop!  Just make sure it is smaller than your main line.    

[Bowshot]

Jeff, You can use the double fishermans knot or a trace through figure eight, the mountaineering and high angle rescue courses I have taken all use the  double fishermans for that purpose.
You don't need that one coming apart.

Terry

[dakota tim]

Hey Terry,

just curious why everyone uses the Prusik & not the Klemheist?

Tim

[jhg]

What a great hitch! We used them a lot on river wilderness trips. The great thing is that they can be used for braking/holding but also allow you to relieve the grab almost instantly.
They can hold one hell of a load too BTW limited only by the strength of the rigging. The heaviest load I put on one was a 16 foot raft wrapped around a rock. So it had the weight of the raft itself and the cargo, plus the weight of the water pushing against the raft.  I don't know how much weight that was but I know it was A LOT! One Prusik was used to brake the haul line between each pull. We had 15 people hauling on the line and could barely move it...

Cool to see this thread on here.

Joshua

[Shakes.602]

Thanks for the Info!!!          

[Bill Tell]

Originally posted by Bowshot:
Jeff, You can use the double fishermans knot or a trace through figure eight, the mountaineering and high angle rescue courses I have taken all use the  double fishermans for that purpose.
You don't need that one coming apart.

Terry

Well seeing as how I have never been through a high angle rescue course and all of my know how comes from climbing with buddies in college I think we should listen to Bowshot about the knot to use.  The same link I gave above has the double fisherman's knot on it too.  Thanks Terry!

[Bill Tell]

Originally posted by dakota tim:
Hey Terry,

just curious why everyone uses the Prusik & not the Klemheist?

Tim

Don't know....  

From what I just learned about it on line it says that it works well with one direction of load.  Does this make it harder to slide down the rope as you climb out of the tree?  The Prusik works under load in both directions so I wonder if it slides better in both directions?  That Klemheist is a cool hitch too and I like how they incorporate it with a carabiner.  Cool.  If anyone has used it I would love to hear what you think.

[Marvin M.]

OK, I'm liking what I see here, but have some questions.  Can someone please give me a run-down on the procedure to use this.

I primarily use ladder stands now, but an occaisional trip with a climber does come up.

I'm assuming that with the ladder stands, I'd want a line run from the bottom of the stand to the top ("anchor" line) and just tie off with a prusik to that line and slide it up the anchor line as I climb and descend.  What type rope do you use the the anchor line and the prussic?  The instructions say the "anchor" line should be larger.  What size do you use for that?  What size would you use for the prusik?  Do you need tension on the "anchor" line to hold it in place?

My safety harness doesn't have any webbing in front.  It comes across the shoulders and around the legs.  Where do you anchor to your safety harness?  How do you anchor to the safety harness?  Do you tie off the ends of the prussic, use a carabiner, or what?  Pictures would be great!!!

How would you use this with a climber?  I'm envisioning some kind of toss up with a loop in the end to get around a limb.  If so, you would basicall need double the rope to toss up and then get the loop back down.  Then a second piece for the prussic.  Does that make sense.

The older I get, the less risks I want to take.

[GMMAT]

Bill:

Thanks.  The figure 8 is the one that it came with.  I'll re-tie it.

[laxbowman]

We just put them up on our platform stands. It takes a little longer to climb up but it's definitely worth it.

[Bill Tell]

Rope is a hard one because no one really likes to say this is what you need, liability issues.

So it depends on what you weigh.

All rope has a rating for strength.  You need to think about what your weight will be at the end of your fall.  If you fall 3 feet your shock weight should be less then if you fall 200 feet.

Secondly you do not want a static rope you want a dynamic rope.  A dynamic rope will stretch and give a little when it catches you.  So no fast flight rope.

As they say, "Your rope comes with a lifetime guarantee."

There is no way to overcome all risk for climbing up a tree but we can minimize it.

Your Prusik cordage is recommended to be half the diameter of your life line and as established above probably best tied with a double fisherman's knot to form the loop.

[hickstick]

you can also you a 'fishermans' knot to make the loop.  

Dakota I do prefer the Klemheist over the prusik!  WAY easier to slide with one hand, and if it grabs, a single flip of the thumb is all thats needed to release it!   I used 2 klemheists to actually ascend  a rope about 8 feet just as a test.

however...for the 'knot challenged'  the concept of the prusik may be easier to visualize.

PS...I use a modified prussik as my 'drag rope' two loops, one looped over each antler,  or head and paws.

[Roadkill]

We were taught Prusik at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center-those instructors could climb anything

[todd smith]

Wow, the Klemheist Knot looks pretty easy to tie.  That's a cool knot.  Glad you all posted about it here.  todd