Blake's hitch

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Blake's hitch

Category	hitch
Origin	Heinz Prohaska
Typical use	Climbing

The Blake's Hitch is a friction hitch commonly used by arborists and tree climbers as an ascending knot. Although it is a stable, unslipping knot, it is often backed up with a stopper knot (pictured here, an overhand knot). It is used for both ascending and descending, and is preferred by many arborists over other hitches, such as the taut-line hitch, as it is less prone to binding.

If the hitch doesn't hold securely due to slickness of the standing line, an extra turn should be made around the line, with the end still tucked only under two; if the hitching line has trouble gripping because it is relatively stiff, an extra turn should be made and the end tucked under it (which gives more thickness for the stiff rope to compress).

The first known presentation of this knot was made by Heinz Prohaska in an Austrian guides periodical in 1981; in 1990, he presented it in a caver's journal, Nylon Highway. Separately, Jason Blake discovered the knot for himself and presented it to the arborist world in a letter to Arbor Age in 1994; as it was enthusiasticly adopted by arborists, it has become known as "Blake's Hitch".

[edit] Technique

In practice it helps to insert your thumb under the first two turns. This facilitates threading the end later.
Note: After passing the tail round the standing end, the tail then passes back behind the standing end.