Belay and Control Your Descent with the Munter Hitch

ITS Tactical: On today’s Knot of the Week I’ll be covering the Munter Hitch, which is mainly used as a friction device for controlling descents in a belay system, but can also be used for lowering a load under control or preventing a fall. A Munter Hitch is a primary knot to know within the spectrum of climbing knots and can facilitate belaying with nothing more than a good pear shaped carabiner and a climbing harness. One of the biggest benefits of the Munter is its reversibility, meaning that it can be pulled from either side and still work just as efficiently.