How to tie the climber’s double bowline

From ArticleWorld

The double bowline bowline can be used as an alternative to the figure 8 for tying-in, pulled tight and with a safety knot for back-up. The double bowline has an advantage, in that it is quick to untie (useful for when your arms are tired at the end of a climb).

How to tie

Hold your harness at about chest height, and thread the rope through. The end should be allowed to hang down to just below your knees.

Make a pair of loops in the main piece of the rope (not the tail end), one on top of the other.

Turn the loops, so that the main rope is rising out of the ground (like a snake out of a basket), and the loops are at the top of this.

Now bring the end (hanging to your knees, remember), and thread it through the loops, around the main rope, and back down through the loops.

Remember to make sure that everything is pulled tightly.

Be sure that you know how to tie this knot before you use it on a climb. As an alternative knot, the double bowline is alright, but it is not as easy to tie as the figure-8, and many climbers do not like to use it for this reason.

Have your climbing partner check all the knots that you tie. This is standard climbing safety, and you should always make sure that you are both confident in the knots.