Munter Hitch

The Munter Hitch is another essential knot to know as it can provide a way to rappel down a rope in the event you lose or drop your “rappel device”.  Example: You are unhooking your descender device from the previous rappel and drop it in a pool of water and it’s too muddy to find it; or you when you are connecting to the rope, your descender falls off the cliff.  How will you continue through the canyon now?  If there aren’t any more rappels, you are lucky. How will you rappel? Enter the Munter Hitch.)

IMPORTANT NOTE – the Munter Hitch should never be used a primary way of rappelling.  It puts incredible force and wear and tear on the rope. Some claim that it destroys the rope with extended usage.  This is to be used essentially for emergencies, only.  Losing your descender device in a slot canyon is more common than one might think.  (I have lost one in pothole and another off a cliff while connecting into the rope.)

This is an easy knot to tie and is just a slight variation from the clove hitch.  But instead of putting the loop on top of the other loop to make the clove-hitch, you just put the two loops face-to-face and have the carabiner got through both loops.  That’s it.

Pros:

• Provides a way to rappel when there is no descender/rappel device (either with a carabiner or not).

• Simple to learn and use in emergencies.

Cons:

• If not paying close attention, it can get confused with the Clove Hitch.

• Causes significant rope twisting and sheath damage with repeated use.

• Offers less friction control than dedicated devices.

Caution:

• Reserve for emergencies; avoid prolonged use to prevent excessive rope wear and rope damage.

Canyoneering Usage Examples:

• Emergency rappelling when a device like a descender device is unavailable (dropped in a pothole, forgotten or misplaced, etc.)

• Can belay a partner with minimal equipment during rescue or unexpected scenarios.

Additional Reading:

• Canyoneering.net: “Need-To-Know Canyon Knots”

• Wikipedia.org: “Munter hitch”

• Dyeclan.com: “Munter Hitch (Italian Hitch)”

• RopeWiki.com: “Munter hitch”