The Book of Climbing Knots

Rating:
Summary: This book is dangerous
Review: As climbing on the wrong knot may get you killed, only proper knots should be in a book of climbing knots.

The sheepshank is discussed in the section SHORTENINGS and is suggested as a way to take up a piece of damaged rope. Climbing on a damaged rope that has been taken up by a sheepshank could get one killed as this knot is very likely to untie in the stresses of climbing, fall the length of the taken up rope, put a large stress on the damaged rope that could break it. There are much safer knots for this use.

The section ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR KNOTS is introduced by saying that the section contains knots that "may be used in all situations" (including climbing this reader guesses). This section discusses the reef (or square knot) and the sheet bend. These two knots should never be used in climbing. The author does not provide this caution. They are used to join two ropes. Climbing ropes may be joined by much safer knots, even when the two ropes are of different diameters.

One gets the impression while reading this book that the author may be a very good knot tier, but he does not climb much, if at all. If he has climbed using the sheepshank, reef knot and the sheet bend, then he has been lucky. One has the option of buying several of the other books on climbing knots that are written by experienced climbers. I have over 10 such books and I trust all of them more than this one.

Rating:
Summary: This book is not dangerous
Review: The book carries very clear warnings about knots and climbing. The following warning appears on the title page - "The instructions herein are intended to help you learn to tie knots in a safe environment. DO NOT use any of these knots in the field without the supervision of a climbing instructor."

The section on the sheepshank knot clearly states that it is a knot for "a climbing emergency". Both the reef knot and sheet bend are included in the ESSENTIAL OUTDOOR KNOTS section, a section for general outdoor use and divided off from the climbing knots sections.