Icicle hitch

Knot-details
name=Icicle hitch


names=
type= hitch
strength=
origin= John Smith, 1990
related= Prusik, Klemheist knot, Tautline hitch
releasing= Unload the working end
uses= -Tying to a post when weight is applied parallel to the post-Can be tied to a rope when load is applied parallel to that rope
caveat= The Kleimheist knot will look almost identical, but the load with the klemheist should be applied with the bight laying across the turns on the post/rope the knot is tied to
abok_number=

An icicle hitch is 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. This type of hitch will hold its place even when holding a substantial load on a smooth surface. One can even suspend from a tapered post with this knot (hence the name "icicle hitch").Brion Toss, "The Complete Rigger's Apprentice" (Camden: International Marine, 1998), 55-56.]

To tie an icicle hitch bring the working end over the post, front to back, four or five times, working away from the end of the post (and the direction of expected pull). Bring the working end, back to front, alongside the standing end, leaving a substantial bight hanging behind the post. Bring this bight over both ends, and over the end of the post. Tighten by pulling both ends perpendicular to the post. The pull on the standing end (running the direction of the post) will tighten the knot as more pull is given.

This knot is similar to the Prussik (sometimes spelled Prusik) knot and the Kleimheist (sometimes spelled Klemheist) knot. This class of knot is a "slip and grip" friction type that will pull tight when the load is applied in the correct direction and slide easily for placement with no load. The Prussik knot can withstand load in both directions, making it ideal for climbing situations. Upon examination of the icicle hitch, one finds that it operates under the same principle as the Kleimheist knot and is in fact the same knot tied only with a bight in the end instead of the more common short loop used for climbing.

This knot was first demonstrated at the eighth Annual General Meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers in 1990.

References