Have you seen this method of tying the Alpine Butterfly Knot before?

[Knot Rigger]

Check out this link:

https://youtu.be/0wupL8dPTzw

This method does not seem to be widely known, but it has advantages over the traditional methods:

1) speed
2) easily tied with rope weight below you
3) easy to make large loops

I thought I had discovered it, but it turns out it has been known to some UK arborist since as far back as 1998, and according to one, is "well known" in mountaineering circles. I'm curious to know if anyone here has seen this method before.

cheers
andy

 

[flushcut]

Nice!

 

[pantheraba]

Have not seen it....impressive! Thanks for sharing.

 

[pete mctree]

Thanks for sharing

 

[Grendel]

excellent

 

[treebilly]

Thank you for posting this. I was just telling another climber I needed to relearn that knot. Seems much simpler than how he was explaining it. Much faster also

 

[gf beranek]

For mid-line attachment I always used a figure-8 or bowline on a bite. Is there a certain advantage to the alpine butter fly over the two mid-line attachment knots that I just mentioned?

 

[cory]

Good question! I would imagine that the AB is much easier to untie than the 8 after heavy loading. And maybe the AB is more fool proof than the BoB.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Alpine butterfly is knot pulled apart when loaded from both sides.

Bowline on a bight for loading from one direction, IMO.

On a glacier rope team of climbers, those in the middle use an AB, lead and last climber, more likely a figure 8 on a bight, clipped with two biners, I believe. I'm not an mountaineer. If a snow bridge over a crevasse collapsed, a middle climber falling in will load both strands of rope from the midline knot.

 

[gf beranek]

On hard pulls using mid-line knots I inserted metal tapered pins into the knot so they were easier to untie afterwards, upon removing the tapered pins. Work good. In the early days I used green hardwood sticks for the same purpose, but some pulls would crush the sticks. Even still the knots never totally seized.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Sticks work great.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Really cool. I really like Nick's method too. I use his often.

 

[DMc]

For mid-line attachment I always used a figure-8 or bowline on a bite. Is there a certain advantage to the alpine butter fly over the two mid-line attachment knots that I just mentioned?

Knots for different purposes. The ABs forte is not as a load bering pulling knot but as Sean says a mid line attachment point while both ends of the line are in use. It is also used to isolate a damaged section of rope that must still be used.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome to the TreeHouse, OP!

 

[Merle Nelson]

DMc your picture of HH2 makes me gelous every time I see your post.

 

[stig]

Thanks, Knot Rigger.
That makes it 4 different ways to tie the knot, that I know of.
I love to confuse the heck out of apprentices with this knot.

 

[GemCutter]

Love it. THANKS

 

[rskybiz]

Thanks for posting this up!

 

[Knot Rigger]

For mid-line attachment I always used a figure-8 or bowline on a bite. Is there a certain advantage to the alpine butter fly over the two mid-line attachment knots that I just mentioned?

I think you guys covered this question pretty well, I'll only add this: when you can tie a butterfly as a loop knot, you learn a bonus knot for free: the butterfly as a BEND! One of the butterfly's forte is isolating a damaged section of line, now just imagine that this damaged piece were a full-on cut of the line, and you see that the butterfly is also a useful way of attaching two ropes together. Almost as jam resistant as a zeplin bend.

I love to confuse the heck out of apprentices with this knot.

check out these links for the butterfly, good fun for confusing the newbies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD_DovrBfwc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRnoevwqYto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRnoevwqYto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeKLU_6NLv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9ZJJAowdEc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qAENib1wuY

Thanks all for the warm welcome to the treehouse

 

[Knot Rigger]

Really cool. I really like Nick's method too. I use his often.

who is nick, and what's his method?

 

[DMc]

... when you can tie a butterfly as a loop knot, you learn a bonus knot for free: the butterfly as a BEND! ...

Well stated, KR. The Butterfly bend is what I will use most often for joining two climbing lines. I like it better than the Zeplin bend.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Last one is slick.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Nick from WI on this forum showed us this little trick a while back.
I find it easier to teach people the knot this way...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n2aRj8dQPRQ?list=FLk58eFKc-ze2LcinTOBaOmQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NickfromWI]

who is nick, and what's his method?

I'm Nick. This is how I was taught to tie the knot :

https://youtu.be/n2aRj8dQPRQ

I don't know how that vid has 150,000 views


love
nick

 

[CurSedVoyce]