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The Prusik Knot

The Prusik Knot (sometimes called a triple sliding hitch) is a slide and grip knot. It was developed by Dr. Prusik of the Austrian Mountaineer Club as a means to attach to a vertical rope for climbers. I’ve also read instances where it has been used to climb a mast of a sailboat.

The strength of this knot is that it forms a coil of rope on either side of its loop allowing it to grip when a load is applied in either direction. The climber’s application used a loop being passed inside of itself 3 times to form the knotted loop, and then clipping into a carabineer.

Below are step-by-step pictured instructions for tying this knot…

Prusik Knot – Step 1

Prusik – Step 1: Take the ends of the rope and wrap them up and over the rope to be climbed and back through the loop just created (as pictured).

Prusik Knot – Step 2

Prusik – Step 2: Take the ends and again wrap them up and over the rope and back through the loop.

Prusik Knot – Final

Prusik – Final: Pull the ends taught so that the loop tightens around the coils.

To visualize the climbing application of this knot, the ends will just be a loop that you pass over the climbing rope (vice rope ends). It’s a very good knot, but has limited applications.

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