Page Contents:
Overview
What’s a Friction Hitch?
A friction hitch is sometimes described as a ‘slide and grip knot’. Friction hitches are typically constructed out of cord/cordage which are wrapped around a rope in such a way that they hold (in one or both directions) allowing the position of the friction hitch to be moved along the length of the rope when not loaded, and holding under load, held in place by friction. In most cases, the cord is a smaller diameter than the rope, typically around 75%, but there are exceptions. Related pages:
Perspective on the Prusik
The Prusik is the most commonly known friction hitch, and although it holds well, it has poor overall performance in climbing applications. JRB recommends that it is used only in applications where the friction hitch needs to hold in both directions, which is rare, and therefore it is not listed here.
They aren’t Rappel Devices
Don’t use a friction hitch as a rappel device in a single rope application. (In a doubled rope MRS, it is possible, but still not recommended). During rappel, use the friction hitch as a backup, which is manually tended in a loose state, but ready to hold us if we let go of it. The majority of the friction should be provided by a device, such as the Munter Friction Hitch. Why?
- An exorbitant amount of friction and heat is experienced by the hitch causing it to wear prematurely. The cord could fail inspection after just a few rappels.
- In general, they will ‘jam’ (get tighter) if we use them as the rappel device, which could cause the climber to get stuck, unable to break the hitch.
Feature Assessment
Below is a partial list of important features of a friction hitch and JRB’s assessment of the performance of the friction hitches listed below. Names are abbreviated and defined below.
- Breakable Under Load – How easy is it to break the grip of the friction hitch when it is loaded.
- Jam Resistance – How much the hitch resists getting tighter as we climb.
- Auto Tending – The ability to move the hitch up without the use of a tender (tending device).
- Complexity – How difficult it is to affix onto the rope.
| Hitch vs Feature | Break Under Load | Jam Resist. | Auto Tending | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA | Excellent | Excellent | Yes | Fair |
| JRBAH | Excellent | Very Good | Yes | Complex |
| LZ | Good | Good | No | Simple |
| Agile | Good | Good | No | Simple |
| DM | Good | Good | Yes | Complex |
| Meech‘ | Fair | Fair | Yes | Fair |
| Hedden | Poor | Poor | No | Simple |
| Blake’s | Good | Good | No | Simple |
| Prusik | Poor | Poor | No | Simple |
Application Assessment
The importance of the features listed above vary based on the application. Below, JRB has broken down the applications into 4 categories and made recommendations on the performance of the hitches in each.
Single Rope Applications are those where a single strand of rope and friction hitch holds the climbers full body weight. The applications include:
Doubled Rope Applications are those where a single strand of rope and friction hitch holds half of the climber’s weight. Applications include:
Lineman’s Belt could be considered a doubled rope application, but we need either the auto tending feature or the presence of a mechanical Tender to allow us to allow one handed adjustment.
Rappel Device Backup is where the friction hitch is only a backup for a mechanical rappel device. Virtually any friction hitch could perform this role, but the most important features are reliability, compact size and ease of tying, which is why the Hedden is recommended.
| Hitch vs App. | Single Rope | Doubled Rope | Lineman Belt | Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | OK |
| JRBAH | Good | Excellent | Excellent | OK |
| LZ | Fair | Good | w/Tender | OK |
| Agile | Marginal | Good | w/Tender | OK |
| DM | Good | Good | Good | OK |
| Meech‘ | No | Fair | Yes | OK |
| Hedden | No | Poor | No | Best |
| Blake’s | Poor | Good | w/Tender | OK |
| Prusik | No | No | No | OK |
The Hitches
Longhorn Agile Hitch (LA)
The friction hitch with the best overall performance for SRT, DSRT and Tether/Lifeline is the Longhorn Agile Hitch. It is non-jamming and relatively easy to tie. It is also self tending. Note that the Longhorn Agile Hitch requires the Longhorn Longhorn Loop (described above.) The only disadvantages of the LA are that it is rather large in size and that if we leave it on a rope in transport, there is a chance that it could become partially or fully untied. It is best to leave something (a carabiner or a tie) on the loops in order to prevent it from becoming untied. See all the details on this dedicated page:
JRB Ascender Hitch (JRBAH)
Note that the JRB Ascender Hitch was introduced BEFORE the Longhorn Agile hitch and although performance is comparable and it works well on Single Rope applications, it is more complex to tie, but also more compact, and more stable. Therefore, the applications in which we would choose it are those where the hitch does not need to be untied and where we want a very compact hitch. An adjustable bridge is a good example. See dedicated page:
Longhorn Zenith Hitch (LZ)
Like the Longhorn Agile, the Longhorn Zenith is also built using the Longhorn Loop. This hitch is easier to tie than the Longhorn Agile, with not need for a precise starting measurement. However it is more sensitive to jamming than the LA and is only recommended for DSRT. It works best if we incorporate a carabiner as a handle, which is pulled down as we step up. It requires more effort to move and therefore, moving both hitches with one hand is not recommended. Although it can be used for SRT applications, breaking it under load can be more difficult.
One application for the LZ (which has not yet been detailed in videos) is the following: a DSRT system has a pair of LA hitches on it and is in a tree which has a branch below the crotch which is caught between the lines. By transforming the LA’s into LZ’s, the bottom loops become LONGER and this facilitates executing a bypass around that branch. (stay tuned for a demo).
Agile Hitch
This video demonstrates how to tie the Agile Hitch. The Agile hitch preceded the Longhorn Zenith, but is similar. Like the LZ, it is easy to tie and works best:
- in DSRT applications
- when a carabiner handle is used as a handle.
In order to minimize jamming, the bottom of the hitch must be pulled as we step up.
Double Michoacan (DM)
The Double Michoacan (“Double Meech”) was the first friction hitch JRB devised and works well in DSRT and SRT applications, but is more complex to tie than Longhorn Agile, and about the same as the JRB Ascender.
Michoacan Hitch (Meech)
Before any of JRB’s friction hitches were introduced, the Michoacan, was deemed the preferred hitch by JRB, but only worked in DSRT or MRS/DRT applications. SRT on a Meech is not advised.
Hedden Knot
The Hedden Knot is:
- Compact
- Easy to Tie, using a Prusik Loop
- Reliable, ready to take load
- Strong
- Difficult/impossible to break under load
Although just about any friction hitch could be configured as a backup for a mechanical friction device, the features listed above are ideal. Note that we cannot break a Hedden knot under load. See the Self Rescue video for details on how to do so, even when there is nothing under our feet.
If we found ourselves on an unbreakable friction hitch, we need a plan to get our weight off of it so that we can initiate rappel. See video (where the Distel Hitch could have been a Hedden or any other unbreakable hitch).
Grab a couple of spare Prusik Loops for your Hedden and carabiners and don’t forget to use your JRB15 coupon code:
Blake’s Hitch
Blake’s Hitch (sometimes called Blakes Hitch) is generally tied with the rope itself, or a rope/cord of the same or slightly smaller diameter.
Longhorn Friction Shackle
This is a Friction Hitch and Soft Shackle in one, for special applications such as affixing a ring to a friction hitch, and is intentionally not listed in the tables above. Note that the performance of this hitch differs from that of the Longhorn Agile Hitch, and so it is not recommended for our life support connection to the rope, but its great for utility applications such as building a RAD SRT system.