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How to tie a figure 8

Climbing / Popular

Tie a figure-8 follow-through into the harness and check it.

What coaches agree on

  • Thread the tail through both of the harness's tie-in points together - the leg loop and the waist loop, or both hard points.
  • Retrace the original figure 8 exactly, following the same path back through so the two ropes run parallel the whole way, like train tracks.
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  • Dress the knot before you finish: pull every strand snug and parallel with no twists or crossings, so it sits neat and close to your harness.
  • Check the finished knot by counting the strands: a correctly tied figure-8 follow-through has five pairs, or ten strands, running from the harness to the knot.

Common mistakes

  • A common beginner error is skipping the extra wrap when forming the first figure 8, which produces a plain overhand or square knot instead of a true figure 8.
  • Leaving too short a tail - less than about six inches, or a fist's width - is a common and genuinely risky error, since the tail can work its way back through the knot; too much tail, while not dangerous, becomes a nuisance that can snag or get grabbed by mistake.
Is your figure 8 knot going to kill you?
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Is your figure 8 knot going to kill you?

Coach's take: Best technical deep-dive here - real testing, not just opinions, and it clears up a debate that has genuinely confused a lot of climbers.

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