Alpine butterfly knot
Names	Alpine butterfly knot, Alpine butterfly loop, Lineman's Loop, Butterfly Loop
Category	loop
Origin	Ancient
Related	Farmer's loop, Manharness knot, Artillery loop, Span loop
Releasing	Non-jamming
Typical use	Used by climbers and mountaineers. Can be used to isolate a worn section of rope.
ABoK	#331, #1053

The Butterfly Loop, also known as the Lineman's Loop or alpine butterfly loop, is a "non-jamming loop on the bight", a loop which may be tied in a rope with two fixed ends, and can take loads on both ends of the original rope, and on the loop. The addition of "alpine" to the name appears to be fairly recent and superfluous. Image File history File links Alpine_butterfly_loop. ... This article contains a list of loop knots. ... Cornell University professor Howard W. Ripley published an article on this knot in 1912, having discovered it being used on American farms. ... Categories: Knot stubs | Knots ... Categories: Knot stubs | Knots ... A span loop is a non-jamming loop that can be tied away from the ends of the rope. ... The Ashley Book of Knots is an encyclopedia of knots written in 1944 by Clifford Ashley. ... A loop is one of the fundamental structures used to tie knots. ...

Tying an alpine butterfly on the bight.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x2304, 471 KB) Description: Tying an alpine butterfly loop on the bight. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x2304, 471 KB) Description: Tying an alpine butterfly loop on the bight. ...

Usage

The Butterfly Loop has a high breaking strength and is regarded by mountaineers as one of the strongest knots to attach climbers to the middle of a rope, such that they have room to move around even when the main rope goes tight, and they can be supported in either direction from the main rope. The loop is typically attached to a climbing harness by carabiner. The word comes from the German expression Karabinerhaken. Yet German climbers would always call it shortly Karabiner. Note that, in German, Karabiner also means carbine (a short rifle). ...

It can also be used to isolate a worn section of rope, where the knot is tied such that the worn section is used for the centre of the loop.

Advantages

• Does not reduce the strength of the rope by very much
• Will not slip (after initial settling)
• Allows for the knot to be loaded three ways (each end of the main line and by the loop)
• Relatively easy to undo after loading (more difficult if wet)

Disadvantages

• Difficult to adjust the size of the bight
• Difficult to tie one-handed
• Requires some training/practice to master

See also

• List of knots

This list of knots includes many alternate names for common knots. ...

External links

• Butterfly Loop
• Butterfly Loop animation