Hi everyone!
I've got a basic question for you all...what is the rescue knot all about between the saddle connection and the friction hitch? How would it be used?
Thanks!
-Gerry

My undertanding is that it makes it easier for a rescuer to cut the bridge if they need to quickly release a disabled climber from their tie-in. The knot provides a "stop" for the knife blade on the bridge. This cut location leaves the rest of the victims rope system intact.

The rescuer in the tree would be tied in to a separate system and would secure the victim with a pick-off strap before cutting the bridge. Cutting the victim's tie-in is used only if they can't be lowered on their own system.
-moss

Thanks for that info; I never would have guessed.
-Gerry

Also, and maybe more importantly, the knot serves as a visual cue as to WHICH rope should be cut.

I always use a bridge/hitch cord of a different color, just for that purpose.

love
nick

I always figured it was simply the stopper knot for the main saddle attachment knot- that way, if you cut the bridge (near the friction hitch), you already have a stopper knot in place for the main attachment knot. I always have my rescue knot much closer to the saddle than to the friction hitch, I want any cut to be on the correct side of the rescue knot- the friction hitch side.

I hope a rescuer could identify the bridge with or without the knot.

Cutting the bridge is considered a “last ditch” effort. I was very round about when describing it in the video because I did not want to have it viewed as a standard operating procedure.

Here’s something else about this knot. Let’s say a climber gets stuck in the tree, like a heart attack or something. The 911 call is put out and up rolls the fire department. I have utmost respect for these folks, but by far they are not trained in aerial rescue like a professional arborist might be. When the fire department arrives, it is their rescue event and they will not take any outsider’s advice (with good reasoning). They generally go up and belay the climber down from the ground. This usually involves severing the rope. So the rescue knot is quite useful for firemen. A trained arborist would probably not even consider using a knife unless the climber’s rope was mangled and unusable, like cut from a hand saw or chainsaw.

Firemen should be able to identify the bridge. But making a cut on a rope under load can create an unpredictable situation.