Munter Hitch

Commonly used for belay in climbing, the Munter hitch is a Munter friction with an extra turn.

When to use it

The Munter hitch is a good alternative to the round turn and two half hitches for tying off floor bondage.

It’s very commonly used to tie off vertical lines during suspension. It’s easy to tie under tension, resists jamming, and can be used to lower a heavy load in a controlled fashion.

If you need something even more sturdy than the Munter hitch, consider the Super Munter hitch.

Step by step

A one inch gray pole crosses the frame vertically. A blue rope enters from the left and doubles back around the pole, going over and then under it. Eight inches of the tail of the rope are pointed back toward the left, just under the standing part.

1Go over and around the pole.

The working end crosses over the standing part, moving up the frame.

2Cross over the standing part.

The working end crosses under the pole, moving to the right. The rope now crosses the pole in three places of which this is the topmost.

3Go under the pole.

The working end doubles back over the pole, moving to the left. There are now four crossings, of which this is the topmost.

4Go back around the pole.

The Munter hitch is finished with a half hitch. The working end goes under the standing part, over the standing part, then under itself.

OPTION5aThe easiest way to finish a Munter hitch is to tie a half hitch around the standing part.

On its own, this isn’t secure enough to tie off a critical vertical line.

The Munter hitch is finished with a slipped half hitch. The working end goes under the standing part. It is then folded into a bight and the bight goes over the standing part and under the single part of the working end.

OPTION5bIf you like, you can tie a slipped half hitch instead.

This obviously also isn’t enough to tie off a critical vertical line on its own.

Notes for nerds

References and naming

This knot doesn’t appear in ABOK.

The Munter hitch is a Munter friction / crossing hitch (ABOK 1818) with an additional turn.

Riggers commonly use the name Munter to refer to both Munter Frictions and Munter Hitches.