Clove hitch

Clove hitch
Use(s)	Anchor building, (self-)attaching climber to an anchor, belay station offsetting and more
Pros	Fast, simple, robust, easily adjustable
Cons	In specific cases it is prone to stuck or slip slightly under bigger loads. Due to chance of slippage, it is strongly recommended to back it up in critical applications.
Category	Hitch
Strength	polyamid ~50-60%, 6mm aramid ~35%, slips lower in some cases

Clove hitch is an essential knot used in many occasions when adjustable reliable knot is needed and thus finds its place in most of the knotting operations during climbing such as anchor building, offsetting belay station for belaying of the second climber, or self-attaching of the lead climber with a rope to the anchor point.

Tying

Easy method

This method is very robust and suitable for learning how to tie the hitch.

File:Clove final p6.png

Steps description: start with making a two identical loops on a rope (1,2). Then place one loop over the other in a way that the end-ropes are surrounded by the rope between the loops (3). Pull a carabiner through the loops (4). Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling on the ends a few times and lock the gate (5,6,7). At the end, do not forget to inspect the hitch and the gate lock (8).

One-hand method

Non-crucial, but handy once you have only one hand free.

Steps description: Start with a rope through a carabiner. Grab the rope strand which runs from the back of the carabiner with your hand thumb pointing down and rotate the hand into a thumb-up position (1). Open the gate (2) and pull the rope through the gate from the front to back and seat the rope into the carabiner, the gate closes itself automatically (3). Sequentially pull the rope strands to tighten the knot (4,5) and screw the safety-lock (5). Inspect that the knot is tied properly and that the gate is locked (7).

Quick repositioning

One of the strongest points of the clove hitch is its quick repositioning without cancelling the setup or opening the carabiner.

Steps description: Pull the middle strand between the two loops (1). By this you loosen the knot and pull the rope from the both sides. Then pull one of the strands, re-tightening and repositioning the knot in the process (2).

Slippage

Table of slipping forces (*=breaks):

Material	Force (kN)
7.9 mm 1/2 rope	6.5
8.9 mm triple-rated rope	7.8
8 mm Dyneema®	3.0
11 mm Dyneema®	5.1
19 mm polyamid	10.1*
6 mm accessory cord	6.9

this section is not yet inspected thoroughly, statements might be incorrect and/or misleading!

In case of a dynamic rope around a carabiner, the clove hitch generally does not slip till ~6 kN. Chance of slipping is higher if the clove hitch is tied around a big-diameter object (tree, smooth stone), and with static ropes. With 8mm dyneema sling around a carabiner there is a report of slow slippage already ~3 kN of force. For list of values, see the table on right. Therefore the clove hitch should be backed-up by another knot in critical applications, for example in cases where it might slip off the end of the sling/rope.