Alpine Butterfly

This is an incredibly usefull knot for anchor building. It can also be tied anywhere on the rope without haveing to deal with either of the rope's ends. The bight of rope created doesn't slip and is no longer structurally imprtant to the rope, so it can be cut without consequence. Because of that fact, it has also been tied as a temporary protection against weak points in a rope, when it isn't wise to cut the rope and re-tie it.

Technique 1

There is another, possibly easier way to tie the alpine butterfly knot. First form three strands of rope by wrapping the rope around your palm twice as shown, making sure the strands are not crossing each other.

Pull the middle strand underneath the inside strand, forming a bight of rope.

Bring the bight of rope all the way to the outside strand, then pull the bight back underneath both the outside and inside strands.

Adjust the amount of rope in the bight, then tighten the knot by pulling on both ends of the rope.

The finished alpine butterfly knot.

Technique 2

First, take a length of rope (any diameter)

Make one loop

Now make a second loop

Take the outermost loop, expand it a bit, then turn it under the rope as shown. Make sure that you can see through the original loop still.

Pass the loop on the left hand side of the picture back through the original loop as shown.

This next picture is the same rope configuration as above, with my finger removed.

Keep pulling on the loop you pushed through.

Tighten the rope by pulling on the created new bight of rope, then by the two rope ends.

Related Pages

• Inline Figure Eight
• Knots