Girth Hitch

Canyoneering Knots

The Girth Hitch is used in Canyoneering to tie the knot to an object. Most of the applications I have seen this used is when canyoneers use a P.A.S (Personal Anchor System) to tie it to their harness.

The reason why you would use this one, is that is incredible easy to tie and it saves the person from using a carabiner on one side. The other side will need a carabiner so that it can clip into things. Especially when used in “fall protection” scenarios.

This is isn’t used for rappelling but rather to attach a rope to an object (and save a carabiner).

The Girth Hitch is also how you form part of the Prussik knot.

Pros:

Efficient for attaching loops to anchors or other objects (such as your PAS to the rappelling anchor).
Easy to tie and untie, making it a practical choice for quick setups.

Cons:

Reduces sling strength significantly, sometimes up to 50% (but strong enough to keep a person from falling at the anchor point).
Susceptible to failure under dynamic loads.

Caution:

Don’t use this hitch in rescue scenarios. Use other stronger knots in those cases.

Canyoneering Usage Examples:

Attaching slings to harnesses, rappel devices, or anchors in a quick way.
Connecting personal tethers or safety lanyards to an anchor during belay transitions or rappel preparation.

Additional Resources:

Canyoneering.net: “Need-To-Know Canyon Knots”
NetKnots.com: “Girth Hitch – How to tie a Girth Hitch”
Dyeclan.com: “Girth Hitch (Cow Hitch, Lark’s Head)”
Wikipedia.org: “Cow Hitch”