What’s the best knot to join two abseil ropes?
A. The one that doesn’t creep undone! There are plenty of choices but for security it’s hard to beat a reef knot with double stoppers on each end. However, this knot is likely to jam on any projecting rock ledges or cracks when pulled. An alternative is the overhand knot, which is less inclined to jam – just make sure you leave tails of about 50cm to account for any slippage. Q. Help. My rope is stuck – what are my options? A. Bad luck! This can usually be avoided by careful planning – looking out for and avoiding snags and tree routes etc. Pull the rope down with a slow and steady motion, and if you have to pull down hard on the rope make sure that you are firmly secured in case it releases suddenly. If it’s jammed move away from the crag base to reduce friction, unravel any twists, stretch then release to ‘ping’ the rope and try a prusik or ropeman as a handle to pull harder. If these all fail then you could leave it (and come back in daylight…). Don’t try and prusik up the rope if i
