Stone Hitch

Part of me is hesitates to call the Stone Hitch an essential knot, but a larger part believes its underrated and deserves more recognition.  I love this knot not only because it’s easy to tie, but more importantly, because it isolates both strands of the rope.

This means one person can rappel using SRT (Single Rope Technique) independently from the other person.  Unlike other knots, which don’t isolate the strands, this allows two people to rappel simultaneously without affecting each other.  Their weight, size, or technique (they finish rappelling before or after you) won’t impact the other person – for example, whether one person weights 300 pounds and the other weights 60 pounds, they remain unaffected.

The primary use of this knot in canyoneering is for sequencing, where is significantly speeds up rappels.  This is especially valuable in canyons with numerous rappels, when managing large groups, or with a mix of beginners and experts.  Practiced effectively, the Stone Hitch can save critical daylight, addressing one of the biggest time-wasters in canyoneering.

Pros:

• Allows for two people at the same time to rappel independently of each other.

• Allows for releasable toggles to be used (such as FiddleStick/Smooth Operator/etc.)

• In conjunction with other practices, this is used in “Ghosting” techniques for Canyoneering.

Cons:

• Must have an extra carabiner (or releasable toggle) to use.

• Cannot be used to lower stuck rappellers.

Caution:

• This hitch HAS to be untied before the last rappeller goes! If you don’t, you will need to ASCEND the rope (hopefully you have the experience!) and untie it. Otherwise you are stuck!  

• Verify knot dressing/integrity before starting a rappel.

Canyoneering Usage Examples:

• Isolating rappel strands for group descents, allowing simultaneous rappelling on either strand of the rope (regardless of other factors such as person’s weight, descender device, whether they are at the top or finished the rappel)

• Setting up a system for faster group efficiency when managing multiple rappellers in a canyon.

  • Overlap rappellers getting on the rappel and getting off the rappel, which can speed the total descent time.

Additional Reading:

• CanyoneeringUSA.com: “The Stone Knot (aka Stein Knot):  A Canyoneering Secret Weapon”

• Ropewiki.com: “Stone knot”

• DyeClan.com: “Stone Knot (Stein Knot)”