How to Tie a Munter Hitch

A Munter Hitch is a knot that is commonly used in rock climbing as a belay hitch, for rappelling, or to hold a load in conjunction with a mule knot. Most often, it's used as a rappelling knot if you've forgotten or dropped your belay/rappel device. Here is a step-by-step guide that will show you how to tie this handy-dandy knot!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• climbing rope
• locking caribiner

How to Tie a Munter Hitch

1. 
   Placing a bight in a rope

   Form a bight on the rope as shown in the picture.

2. 
   Retracing the loop

   With the length of rope laying underneath, retrace the loop as shown.

3. 
   Completed Munter Hitch

   Clip your locking caribiner through the double strands as shown.

4. 
   Properly loaded Munter Hitch

   This picture shows a properly loaded Munter Hitch.

Tips & Warnings

• Always make sure locking caribiners are locked for safety!

[worldclimb]

on 11/3/2009 Yep, good article and a handy knot to know when you drop your ATC! I would add that you need to test weight the hitch before committing yourself to it (and removing a safety) as they can be easily miss-tied. They twist your rope up something horrible so not a regular thing to use. They also go by the name Italian Hitch.

[reflect]

on 6/21/2009 Excellent piece on the Munter Hitch. Clear directives with great accompanying photos. Enjoyed! 5*R