A Safer Rappel Knot. An alternative to the Euro Death Knot.

The Flat Overhand Bend, more commonly known as the Euro Death Knot (EDK), has been the rappel knot of choice for professional guides for many years now. Despite the naming misnomer it received shortly after its introduction to the climbing world by skeptical climbers, the EDK has proven time and time again to be more than safe enough for holding body weight and facilitating the easy retrieval of ropes on rappels.

However, I'm one of those climbers who is still a bit skeptical (Also, my wife made me swear an oath that I would never use the EDK...).

The flat overhand simply does not instil the sense of security many climbers would prefer when trusting their lives to a knots, many view the EDK as a sketchy at best. Not satisfied with the security of the knot, but still acknowledging its virtues as a no-snag knot that can roll and slide over flakes and cracks without getting stuck, I set out to develop a better, safer rappel knot.


The Ultimate Rappel Knot?


I'm simply calling it, "The Rappel Bend" or, "The Abseil Bend." It's a variation of the flat overhand, so it possesses pretty much all of the same virtues as the EDK, but it gives you that added sense of security. You tie it almost exactly the same as a flat overhand, except you add one extra loop in one of the strands. Instead of passing both strands through your single overhand loop, tie only one strand with a single overhand, then the second strand with a double overhand. The extra wrap adds only a minimal amount of bulk to the knot, but locks the knot tight, making it feel much more secure.