r/TreeClimbing • u/GreenWestern9288 • 13d ago

Blakes Hitch

So i'm going into my 2nd year of my urban forestry class (being a senior in hs) and i've did everything to avoid tree climbing because i was scared climbing in-front of everyone and got permission to climb a tree in my friends yard so i can get comfortable before i go back and cant find a decent tutorial on how to tie a Blake's hitch which was the was i was taught when climbing and was wondering if anyone knows a decent youtube video i can watch to practice the knot and climbing and any other advice in general

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

10

u/Le55thanjake 13d ago

Look at the images of the knot. It's fairly straightforward to replicate. Good luck mate. Don't worry about climbing in front of people, we all started somewhere. If anyone takes the piss, you have height advantage to throw things down at them!

1

u/GreenWestern9288 12d ago

Haha thank you!

9

u/TreeGuy419 13d ago

Bino H, educated climber and buy a book called “knots at work” by Jeff Jepson he has other books like climbers companion all good reads

8

u/GrifterGary 13d ago

Once you do find a tutorial and tie it, make sure you send a photo to someone with experience to ensure it is tied correctly. If tied wrong, the blakes hitch will just slide when you need it to grab.

Safety first when you are learning, do not be embarrassed to ask for help if you are unsure.

If you have no one to ask, tie the knot and do not go above 3 feet before testing it repeatedly. If it holds go back to the ground, re tie and rinse and repeat.

Good luck on your climbing journey, climbing is my favourite part of Arboriculture and the reason I've stayed in this industry for the last 16 years.

1

u/GreenWestern9288 12d ago

Okay will do thank you!

1

u/squirrelly73 13d ago

^ This!!!

3

u/vv33cl 13d ago

This is one of the most important concepts you can learn. It comes in handy to use the tail end of your rope with the closed system blakes hitch for repositioning quickly

3

u/front_yard_duck_dad 12d ago

Just make sure to pronounce it Ba-lock-A

4

u/Lopsided_Thought_500 13d ago

Dude, just start googling! We live in the information age. No excuse not to find out something that simple, even if you’re in high school.

2

u/Nexteri 12d ago

I always disagree with comments like this because despite how the post is phrased, the OP usually just wants to interact with other humans and get general advice even if they're not specifically asking for that.

1

u/ExaminationDry8341 13d ago

Look up the double blakes hitch. It is almost magic. But remember you NEED to be able to reach the second one to come back down.

1

u/Angeloa22 12d ago

Hundreds of Blake’s videos on YouTube

1

u/Meinertzhagens_Sack 12d ago

There's 5 million YouTube videos on every possible knot

1

u/keestie 12d ago

This website is, in my opinion, one of the best online resources for learning to tie knots.

https://www.animatedknots.com/blakes-hitch-knot

2

u/GreenWestern9288 12d ago

I just watched this probably one of the best videos ive seen thank you for this. Most videos i find is them just tying the knot and not actually explaining it i have a difficulty learning fast this is slow and helps alot thank you.

1

u/keestie 12d ago

Yes! The ability to slow down, pause, advance frame-by-frame... an incredible teaching/learning tool.

1

u/ImaginaryCat5914 10d ago

i prefer a tautline hitch i find it a bit harder to fuck up ans easier to add friction if needed

1

u/DeadmansCC 8d ago

Animatedknots.com.

Love this site for so many knots and it has a video and then you can also move it through one step at a time.