A Yosemite bowline is a loop knot often perceived as having better security than a

bowline The bowline ( or ) is an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie; most notably, it is easy to untie after being subjected to a load. The bowline is sometimes ...

. If the knot is not dressed correctly, it can potentially collapse into a

noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

,Youtube Video of failure with poorly dressed Yosemite bowline
Yosemite Bowline not safe for climbing
/ref> however testing reveals this alternative configuration to be strong and safe as a climbing tie-in. A Yosemite bowline is made from a

with the free end wrapped around one leg of the loop and tucked back through the knot, a final

round turn A turn is one round of rope on a pin or cleat, or one round of a coil. Turns can be made around various objects, through rings, or around the standing part of the rope itself or another rope. A turn also denotes a component of a knot. When the l ...

and reeve commonly known as a "Yosemite finish." The knot's security is enhanced by preventing the bowline

capsizing Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...

to form a highly dangerous

slip knot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail (working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipped ...

. Additional safety is achieved by tying with a tail (see below). When finished, the working end forms a figure eight. Because of the danger of incorrectly dressing the Yosemite bowline and capsizing it even before it is set, it may be safer and less error-prone to use a standard or double bowline with a backup

stopper knot Stopper may refer to: * Bung, a plug used to stop the opening of a container ** Laboratory rubber stopper, a specific type of bung * Plug (sanitation), used to stop a drainage outlet * Defender (association football), in soccer (association footba ...

added to the tail, such as a

double overhand knot The double overhand knot or barrel knot is simply an extension of the regular overhand knot, made with one additional pass. The result is slightly larger and more difficult to untie. It forms the first part of the surgeon's knot and both sides ...

tied around the loop. The Yosemite finish can be applied to other bowline variants, such as the

double bowline A double bowline (or round turn bowline) is a type of loop knot. Instead of the single turn of the regular bowline, the double bowline uses a round turn. This forms a more secure loop than a standard bowline. Naming Though called "double bowlin ...

. While the knot's versatility suggests it as a convenient tie-in for attaching a climbing rope to a climber's harness, the

figure-of-eight follow through Figure-eight loop (also figure-eight on a bight, figure-eight follow-through, figure-eight retrace, Flemish loop, or Flemish eight) is a type of knot created by a loop on the bight. It is used in climbing and caving. The double figure eight i ...

is the most common choice because it is more widely known and more easily checked. ''The Mountaineering Handbook'' is one of the few texts that suggest that the Yosemite bowline is better for this purpose. Suggested benefits of the bowline include being easier to untie after loading or when wet and frozen, and being possible to tie-in with only one hand. Testing found it a strong knot for the purpose. It is recommended that any knot which is used to attach a rope to a safety harness is always finished with a

. A stopper knot, while serving to keep the loose end tidy, will not only help to prevent failure of the primary knot, but also act as a secondary safety knot itself. It is sometimes said that if enough of a tail is left to tie a stopper knot, the stopper becomes unnecessary. The tail should be a minimum of 10cm but depends on the thickness of the rope.

Tying

References

Climbing knots {{Knot-stub

Tying

See also

References