Icicle Hitch

A completed icicle hitch on a three inch diameter gray pole. The icicle hitch is tied around the pole, with the standing part of the rope hanging down below it. This knot is confusing to inspect visually. Three snug wraps go around the pole at the top of the knot, lying next to each other. The rest of the knot is spread out over several inches, with the standing part going down the pole and crossing under a single strand of rope and through a bight.

The icicle hitch works very much like the Prusik knot and we tend to use them interchangeably. In our experience it’s hard to predict which one will work better in a given situation.

The Prusik is easier to tie and inspect, and we find it more attractive.

When to use it

The icicle hitch is sometimes used to suspend bamboo poles horizontally, which makes us nervous. It’s really only designed to take load along the axis of the pole.

Step by step

A vertical three inch diameter gray pole divides the frame in half. A single blue rope enters from the right and makes three complete turns around the pole, starting by passing under the pole. There are three complete 360 degree wraps around the pole, each one stacked directly above the previous one. After the last complete wrap, the rope makes a final 180 degree turn so that it is returning to the right.

1Go behind and around the pole four times, moving up the pole with each wrap.

The working end of the rope crosses behind the standing part.

2Cross behind the standing part.

The working end passes behind the pole, makes a 180 degree turn around it, and comes out on top of the pole, facing to the right. The working end is below the rest of the rope.

3Go behind and around the pole, this time below the standing part.

The working end passes under the standing part, to the right of the previous crossing. It makes a larger arc that mirrors the arc of the original crossing.

4Cross behind the standing part again.

This part is tricky.The working end goes over the pole, stacked directly beneath the three original wraps around the pole. It makes a 180 degree turn around the pole, directly next to the lowest wrap, and exits to the right, snug against the standing part. Following the standing part, it crosses over the two parts of the rope that originally crossed under the standing part.

5Go around and behind the pole.

This wrap should lie right below the wraps you made in step 1 and should exit just below the standing part.

A completed icicle hitch on a three inch diameter gray pole. The icicle hitch is tied around the pole, with the standing part of the rope hanging down below it. This knot is confusing to inspect visually. Three snug wraps go around the pole at the top of the knot, lying next to each other. The rest of the knot is spread out over several inches, with the standing part going down the pole and crossing under a single strand of rope and through a bight.

6The icicle hitch is only secure when loaded vertically.

When fully loaded, the wraps will tend to spread out along the pole.

Notes for nerds

References and naming

This knot doesn’t appear in ABOK.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
0
NEXT NEWS ABOUT

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.