Tying loops in glacier ropes.

[Buckshot]

I keep seeing stuff online about tying loops between yourself and your partner while traveling on glaciers. I think the idea is that the knots slow the rope passing over the crevasse lip then the victim can use them to aid climb out of the crevasse. Is this a good technique?

[DPS]

I've done it and had a partner go into a crevasse. It works.

[kurthicks]

It works often, but not necessarily all the time depending on snow surface conditions.

 

Be sure to practice crevasse rescue with the butterfly knots in place. The 6:1 drop loop (a.k.a. Canadian Drop Loop) is often the easiest rescue method.

[genepires]

if anyone doesn't get it, if you tie knots in your rope, you had better have enough rope in the rescue coils to be able to setup the rescue. You need at a minimum, twice the amount of rope coiled over the shoulder as the length between the two climbers to build a standard 3:1 after dropping free in down. (for team of two which this is usually used for) More in rescue coils than twice between climbers is preferred though so you can build standard 6:1 or canadian drop c 6:1.

[DPS]

Having enough rope left over to effect a rescue is key. In my case I was carrying the other rope which I dropped in over the padded the lip. The rope with the knots was stuck so badly it had to be cut.