Bowline knots: Simple bowline, improved bowline, double bowline.

The bowline knot is used in many different climbing applications. It is often used to secure a rope to a natural anchor such as a tree or boulder at the top of a multipitch climb or to create an extended master point on dedicated anchor material when setting-up a top rope. This video shows how to tie the bowline on the end or in the middle of the rope, and features the simple bowline, improved bowline, and double bowline knot.

[@ellavateify]

I need this knot for my RCI course. No one could explain it to me in a way that made sense ( mainly tying the initial knot) including my RCI instructor. After watching literally 5 thousand videos and months of failure I FINALLY came across this video and now I can do it! Bravo! You’ve saved my life 😂

[@skillsforclimbing]

Thanks for the high praise @ellavateify! So happy the video helped you out!

[@SilverGrizzly]

Awesome video

[@kachingwohoo]

One of the clearest instructions I've seen on how to do a bowline! Thank you so much!

[@alarkthakkar1499]

Definitely true!

[@sangch8124]

Thank you. Your instruction are informative and simple to understand.

[@ubman13]

Great video, thank you! It’s nice to see the bowline on a bight in use; tied around something 👍

[@fitdoc565]

Excellent video! Very well demonstrated! Really appreciate your teaching :)

[@skillsforclimbing]

Thanks so much for the support!

[@brianrockclimb9811]

Finally an easy to understand and easy to follow video with all 3 variants. Can you use the tail, after the barrel knot, as an instructor tether or no?

[@jeffreydlazar]

Great video. Thanks!

[@davidwarren719]

For those who have trained-emphasis on that-on the correct tying of the Yosemite finish, one can use that finish while tying a bowline-with-a-bight and you get a forward facing loop that can be useful for rig-to-raise, and tethering.

[@troopygino]

Im liking the vid man but isnt that "double bowline" you got there actually a triple bowline?

[@michaelpflieger1512]

It would be the more common version of a Triple Bowline if the working-end loop were actually "working". As used, that loop served no real purpose except to "double" the standard bowline. BUT, that makes it a "doubled" bowline, not a Double Bowline. A Double Bowline is actually what, here, is called an Improved Bowline. I have seen 5 different names for this bowline variant (Double, Jam, Round Turn, Double Loop, and Double Knotted) but this is the only place I have seen it (or any bowline variant) called an "Improved Bowline". (Note: There are well over 100 different variants of the basic bowline.)

[@Chilly69420]

Great video. Is the improved bowline around a tree suitable for rappelling off small cliffs using a grigri?

[@maggiepowell1000]

how long of a rope do you typically think is necessary for setting up a top rope anchor around a tree on a ledge?

[@greggapowell67]

Would prefer a Yosemite finish as a safety vs. the barrel knot

[@pol528]

Super useful tutorial!! By the way, when we are doing the top rope anchor, what kind of rope is recommended to use (dynamic, static, more than x mm ...) ??? Thank you..

[@pol528]

@@skillsforclimbing super thankful 🙏

[@xsuperbmentality]

I was always taught the rabbit comes up from the hole and around the tree and back through the hole. Yours was the opposite. Same result though

[@GabrielCharette]

Easiest to remember for me is that the rope enters the hole from the opposite side the rope going around the anchor is. I.e. if your initial loop is such that the rope going left around the tree is under, then the rope enters from the top (over-under-over-under to tie). If your initial loop is such that the rope going left around the tree is over, then the rope enters from the bottom (under-over-under-over to tie)

[@sethkaser2144]

Why say flipping the start of the overhand in one direction is incorrect? Can't you just construct the same thing upside down?

[@Tobuuto]

you kinda sound like norm macdonald

[@skillsforclimbing]

I'll take that as a compliment :)

[@BrunoUS]

Please don't step on the rope : 0.52