Advertisement

How to Tie an Alpine Butterfly Knot

Advanced
🧗 Climbing🏔️ Mountaineering⛷️ Glacier

The alpine butterfly creates a fixed mid-rope loop without using the rope ends — used to clip middle climbers into a rope team, isolate damaged rope sections, and create load-bearing mid-point attachments.

How to Tie a Alpine Butterfly Step by Step

Step 1 of 5
Loading…
Use the buttons below to navigate.

Advertisement

Written Instructions — Alpine Butterfly

  1. Start mid-rope Hold the rope in both hands away from the ends.
  2. Wrap around hand twice Drape rope over hand and make two wraps around your palm.
  3. Pull middle strand over top wrap Move the middle (second) wrap upward over the top wrap.
  4. Tuck through remaining wrap Pass that middle strand through the remaining wrap on your hand from back to front, then slide off hand.
  5. Pull both ends simultaneously Pull both rope ends apart to cinch the butterfly into a neat fixed loop.

Tips for Tying a Alpine Butterfly

  • The hand method is fastest — learn it rather than trying to tie it step-by-step without the hand.
  • The loop can bear load from either direction — or both simultaneously — without distorting the knot.
  • Used to isolate a damaged section: clip the section inside the loop, load the outside strands.
  • Tie practice butterflies on a climbing rope over and over — this knot requires muscle memory to tie under stress.

Advertisement