A friction hitch is a kind of knot used to attach one rope to another in a way that is easily adjusted. These knots are commonly used in climbing as part of single-rope technique, doubled-rope technique and as “ratchets” to capture progress on a moving rope, most typically in a mechanical advantage system such as a Z-drag. These hitches are a simple and cheap alternative to mechanical ascenders.
List of friction hitches
| Knot | Description | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustable grip hitch | A simple and useful friction hitch, which may easily be shifted up and down the rope while slack. |  |
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| Autoblock (Machard or French Prusik) | A friction hitch tied around a thicker rope that can slide while unloaded, but locks when loaded. Commonly used to back up belays. Similar to the Prusik only in function. French Prusik is equivalent to bi-directional Machard. |  |
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| Bachmann hitch |  |
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| Blake’s hitch | A friction hitch commonly used by arborists and tree climbers as an ascending knot. Blake’s hitch is known by some climbers as a Swicero (Suicero) knot or Verones knot. |  |
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| Distel Hitch |  |
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| Ezelius’ adjustable grip hitch | A slip and grip knot that gives good grip and has a wide range of use. Functions well on a wide range of rope materials, including slippery types like polyamide (nylon) and high-modulus polyethylene (Dynema™). Attaching cord can be of same or smaller diameter. Grip in one direction. |  |
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| Farrimond friction hitch | A quick-release adjustable friction hitch for use on lines under tension. |  |
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| Gripping sailor’s hitch | A secure, jam-proof hitch used to tie one rope to another, or a rope to a pole, boom, spar, etc., when the pull is lengthwise along the object. It is also known as Michoacan/Martin among friction knots used in climbing. |  |
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| Icicle hitch | A knot that is excellent for connecting to a post when weight is applied to an end running parallel to the post in a specific direction. |  |
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| Klemheist hitch | A friction hitch tied around a thicker rope that can slide while unloaded, but locks when loaded. Similar to the Prusik. Klemheist knot is a full equivalent to uni-directional Machard. |  |
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| Knut hitch | A friction hitch used for climbing a rope, not to be confused with the Knute hitch.[1] |  |
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| Machard Tresse | A mono-directional variant of the common Machard. Tresse, French for braided, indicates a final crossing turn, which increases the hitch’s hold and ease of release. | ||
| Michoacan/Martin | A friction hitch tied around a thicker rope that can slide while unloaded, but locks when loaded.[2][3] Similar to the Prusik. Michoacan/Martin is a full equivalent to Gripping sailor’s hitch |  |
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| Pile hitch | The pile hitch is easier to tie than the icicle hitch, and can be tied in the bight without access to either end of the rope. |  |
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| Prusik or Prussik | A friction hitch or knot used to put a loop of cord around a rope, applied in climbing, canyoneering, mountaineering, caving, rope rescue, and by arborists. |  |
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| Rolling hitch (Taut-line hitch) |  |
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| Schwabisch hitch | A friction hitch tied around a thicker rope that can slide while unloaded, but locks when loaded. Similar to the Prusik |  |
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| Todd-Kramer hitch | A friction hitch tied around a thicker rope that can slide while unloaded, but locks when loaded. Similar to the Prusik |  |
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| Valdotain Tresse | Friction knot used to be fixed on a tautline (a taut-rope), also known as a “Valdostano”. It is the single cord equivalent of the Machard Tresse (which uses a loop of cord) |  |
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| Cooper’s hitch | Friction knot used primarily instead of the Valdotain Tresse to which it is similar in design and function. |
See also
References
- ↑ national.sherrilltree.com/site/Climbing_Hitches.pdf
- ↑ “History of a Knot”. International Guild of Knot Tyers Forum. International Guild of Knot Tyers. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
- ↑ “Climbing Friction Knots”. ArboristSite.com. Johnson Management, Inc. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
External links
This article is adapted from “List of friction hitch knots” on Wikipedia, written by its contributors, and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text on this page is available under the same licence. Source snapshot: Wikipedia via Kiwix, 2026-07-20.