Sunday Skill Builders: Knots 101

Activity Notes

• Sunday Skills Clinic: Climbing Knots 101
• Class date: Sunday, Sept 10 
• Registration opens: Aug 10
• 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Mazamas Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd and Stark, Portland)
• Mazamas members $25, non-members $35
• Recommended experience level: beginner/intermediate

New for 2023, the Sunday Skill Builders happen on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, usually from 6 to 9 PM. The second Sunday is more for beginner/intermediate topics, and the fourth Sunday is more for intermediate/advanced techniques.  Registration opens one month before the class. Topics will rotate and repeat, so if you miss one and want to take it, keep an eye out for it again.

Students are generally accepted first-come first-served. Please apply ASAP after the opening of registration to have the best chance of getting in the class.

Beginning your climbing path? Perfect! This clinic will teach you how to tie all the commonly used climbing knots (and a few extra fun ones.)

We'll (probably) cover:

• Bight vs. hitch vs. bend
• The perfect retraced figure 8
• Figure 8 on a bight
• Overhand on a bight 
• Clove hitch: “air” and one-handed on a quickdraw
• Munter hitch
• Double fisherman's knot
• Water knot
• Stopper / barrel knot
• Butterfly knot
• Prusik hitch
• Klemheist hitch
• Autoblock hitch

Gear needed: harness, a few locking and snapgate carabiners, friction hitch. You don't need to have all of this gear, we can share. This will be "ground school", so no helmet or rock shoes are needed.

REI has an excellent series of knot tying tutorial videos. Here's the link. If you have a rope or cord you can practice with, feel free to watch these videos and do some practice before class.

Look forward to seeing you, hope you can make it!

Ann Marie Caplan, John Godino, and  Andy Nuttbrock, Sunday Skills Clinic coordinators