How to tie a one handed catastrophe knot?

Hi all,

I enjoy some top rope solo from time to time but have yet to find a good solution to tying a one handed catastrophe knot. Do you have any tips? Maybe a different knot other than an overhand on a bite? Or maybe there is some trick to doing it with one hand? Google and Youtube didn't have anything.

There are videos for bowline and clove hitch 

Hard Send wrote:

There are videos for bowline and clove hitch 

That’s not what he’s asking for. He needs to learn to tie a one handed overhand on a bite.

To the OP, grab a bite and loop it around your wrist. Use your teeth as needed. It’s harder to do on harder routes. I make sure there is one that’ll keep me off the ground and others as I am compelled.

Boy Scout knot.

The knot I tie one handed is a slip knot to sling chicken heads, clipping that should work. 

For a catastrophe knot I was taught the one handed slipknot below the device.  Just make sure you tie it the right way!

Check out Brent Barghan’s LRS setup (Google his blog). For backup knots he uses clove hitches on non-locking carabiners clipped to a gear loop that’s converted into a hard point with a simple mod using a short sling and some tape. If you go this route it’s easy to tie the clove hitch one handed. The obvious shortcoming is that the carabiner is not a locker  

I use BB’s system for LRS. For TRS I run two different progress capture devices (a micro trax and a rolll n lock) and don’t feel the need for a backup knot unless I’m transitioning (to rappel, passing a re-belay) at which point I’m not climbing and have two free hands to tie an overhand knot and clip it to a hard point with a locking carabiner. 

Maybe tie a clove on a quick draw on your gear loop, and then unclip from the draw and leave it behind. Or, tie a slip knot and clip a biner into the loop and the trailing rope if you want  more security. The slip knot seems much easier to me.

Andy Wiesner wrote:

Check out Brent Barghan’s LRS setup (Google his blog). For backup knots he uses clove hitches on non-locking carabiners clipped to a gear loop that’s converted into a hard point with a simple mod using a short sling and some tape. If you go this route it’s easy to tie the clove hitch one handed. The obvious shortcoming is that the carabiner is not a locker  

I use BB’s system for LRS. For TRS I run two different progress capture devices (a micro trax and a rolll n lock) and don’t feel the need for a backup knot unless I’m transitioning (to rappel, passing a re-belay) at which point I’m not climbing and have two free hands to tie an overhand knot and clip it to a hard point with a locking carabiner. 

Thanks for mentioning this, Andy. I know this is slightly off-topic, but I think this is BBs post that you are referring to:

https://www.brentbarghahn.com/climbing-blog/redpoint-rope-soloing-2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqZJhYBoyHc

...
(don't take this as serious advise)

Desert Rock Sports wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqZJhYBoyHc

...
(don't take this as serious advise)

Wow! I might have to learn that, just because.

If top rope soloing a sport climb I’ll just clip a draw to the bolt, one handed clove hitch the quickdraw and then remove the draw from the hanger. Lots of vids on YouTube of different ways to do a one handed clove

what i typically do is pull rope up and use my teeth to hold it, slide my hand further down the rope and grab, pull my hand (and rope) back up to my teeth and grab that section of rope also.  basically you should have a bite/loop of rope in your hand. then, i flick this up into my armpit and clench my arm to catch it (with the bite/loop poking out the front). then you just bring your hand up, grab that bite and pull it through the loop you created.  hard to describe without is sounding complicated, but it is actually pretty easy.  basically you are using your armpit for your second hand.

Micro traxion works great as a backup to your primary device. Hundreds of thousands of pitches have been followed using a primary progress capture device with no knot below while using a micro and no one has died from it failing. You won't either.

Has anyone tested what happens when you slide down and hit the knot? Curious if I should be confident the trax won’t explode and/or at what height the risk of it exploding starts to get real.

MattH wrote:

Has anyone tested what happens when you slide down and hit the knot? Curious if I should be confident the trax won’t explode and/or at what height the risk of it exploding starts to get real.

Yes, Yann with Escalade Bliss Climbing has tested this. For that reason I run the rope though a quick link on my belay loop so that the quick link stops the knot.

As a lot of pther people have said, a 1 handed slip knot works great. The way to tie it that works best for me goes like this: start with your hand open and palm up, grab the rope with your thumb and side of your hand, flip your hand over while reaching over the upper side of the rope, then pull the bottom side of the rope through the loop you created when flipping your hand over.