What is the Prusik Knot used for?

Ascend a fixed rope using two alternating Prusiks (foot and waist); Act as a safety backup brake during rappel; Attach a haul or pull line as a sliding grip; Provide a temporary lock in rescue and hauling systems; Rig a lifeline or attach gear to a main rope.

How do you tie the Prusik Knot?

The Prusik Knot is a self-locking hitch tied around a fixed rope: push it and it slides, but load it and it locks itself in place. Made with a prusik cord (a thinner auxiliary cord) wrapped around the main rope, it's one of the most useful tools for ascending, descending, and backing up a rappel. Simple to learn and hugely versatile. Follow the illustrated step-by-step, with a photo for every stage, on Desbravai.

Is the Prusik Knot hard to tie?

The Prusik Knot is rated easy, in the Hitches category and is taught with a photo at every stage on Desbravai.

What precautions apply when using the Prusik Knot?

The prusik cord should be thinner than the main rope (usually 5 to 7 mm) to lock well; A Prusik can slip if it's wet, icy, dirty, or made of incompatible material; Under very high loads and falls, the knot can melt or glaze the cord; always inspect it; Don't use it as the sole point of safety on critical loads without redundancy.

Prusik Knot

Q: What other names does the Prusik Knot have?

It is also known as Prusik Knot, Prusik Hitch, Nudo Prusik, Nó prússico, Prússico, Nó autoblocante Prusik. (ABOK #1763)

Bidirectional self-locking hitch for ascending and descending a fixed rope and as a rappel backup

Also called: Prusik Knot, Prusik Hitch, Nudo Prusik, Nó prússico, Prússico, Nó autoblocante Prusik · ABOK #1763

What it is for

Ascend a fixed rope using two alternating Prusiks (foot and waist)
Act as a safety backup brake during rappel
Attach a haul or pull line as a sliding grip
Provide a temporary lock in rescue and hauling systems
Rig a lifeline or attach gear to a main rope