Thank you for your kind words. Happy to know you enjoyed the video.

Might just be my thick accent, Augie, but I said "would be", not "could be". :-)

You are very perceptive. 😁

@@CanyonsCrags I’m also “slightly above average intelligence “:😂😂😂😂😂😂😂good stuff. Love your videos

😎

Thank you for your compliment, Shane. And thank you for your thoughtful question. I do understand what you are describing. Another video is in the works about the stone knot. What you are describing is kind of a cross between a stone knot and a marlin spike hitch. Seems like it should work, but I haven't tested it, so can't recommend one way or the other. Maybe something I should put on my pull-test rig.

I just played with variations for a bit, realized it's probably not a good idea. Reliable in one direction but not the other.With the wrong working end under enough tension and/or small enough rope, and an unsecured/untensioned free end, it inverts and becomes a useless overhand. Oh well. Guess it's the constrictor for me.

Trial and error is a great way to learn. As long as our trials and our errors occur in a safe, controlled environment where there are no dire consequences. Kudos for coming up with the idea. And double kudos for testing it out.

Effective system, isn't it? ;-) Thank you for checking out my videos.

The configuration you are asking about appeared in a Petzl catalog years ago and I will admit to using it myself. People tend to regurgitate what they see so I’m not surprised if you are seeing it in other places. Since you used the term “tag line” I can guess where at least one of those places was. LOL If you understand the idea behind blocks (and it ain’t complicated) you know the knot needs to be big enough and the rappel ring small enough that it CANNOT FAIL. I am amused when people ask things like, “Yeah, but what if the ring is too big?” Uh, change the ring. “Yeah, but what if I didn’t bring an extra ring?” Uh, switch to a carabiner block or another form of rigging. It ain’t complicated. Now the direct answer to your question ... Having used knot blocks and carabiner blocks for three decades, I have never seen one fail by the knot getting pulled through the ring - when the ring is of appropriate size. It’s more common for people to rappel on the wrong side of the block, in which case this closed configuration is of no value. So if you are concerned, instead of clipping the carabiner back to the rappel strand, clip it into the anchor so you protect yourself agains the imagined problem and the more common problem. Where the clipped rope becomes a real problem is upon retrieval. In a waterfall the rig tends to spin like a propellor and twist the rope so it can’t be retrieved. In other cases the cross-bar in the capital letter A that you create is also prone to snagging on things. Hope this helps.

The configuration you are asking about appeared in a Petzl catalog years ago and I will admit to using it myself. People tend to regurgitate what they see so I’m not surprised if you are seeing it in other places. Since you used the term “tag line” I can guess where at least one of those places was. LOL If you understand the idea behind blocks (and it ain’t complicated) you know the knot needs to be big enough and the rappel ring small enough that it CANNOT FAIL. I am amused when people ask things like, “Yeah, but what if the ring is too big?” Uh, change the ring. “Yeah, but what if I didn’t bring an extra ring?” Uh, switch to a carabiner block or another form of rigging. It ain’t complicated. Now the direct answer to your question ... Having used knot blocks and carabiner blocks for three decades, I have never seen one fail by the knot getting pulled through the ring - when the ring is of appropriate size. It’s more common for people to rappel on the wrong side of the block, in which case this closed configuration is of no value. So if you are concerned, instead of clipping the carabiner back to the rappel strand, clip it into the anchor so you protect yourself agains the imagined problem and the more common problem. Where the clipped rope becomes a real problem is upon retrieval. In a waterfall the rig tends to spin like a propellor and twist the rope so it can’t be retrieved. In other cases the cross-bar in the capital letter A that you create is also prone to snagging on things. Hope this helps.

@@CanyonsCrags Thanks. As a relative newbie it's interesting to hear the different points of view. Here are two recent videos I've seen which may tell you if your guess was correct. :) One from an AMGA certified instructor and the other from Brette Harrington: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mtJ7g7SQlcyakX0.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b5Z2aJBlvLWVfqM.html

No dude. Not in the last 4 years.

Thank you for your post, but you are comparing apples to oranges. Proper use of a static block involves sending the tail of the rope down and keeping the reserve rope on top. The accident you referenced involved a block rigged near the tail of the rope.

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion. But I am a bit confused about the points you are attempting to make. You mention using a knot block and clipping the loop to the rappel rope with a carabiner. I address this in the video. It DOES NOT add any safety to the system - unless you are concerned that your block might slip through the rappel ring. It DOES create a much greater risk of getting the rope stuck. There is a downside with no upside, so it makes no sense. Beyond that ... Many of the points that I make in the video are specifically directed at issues created by the way some people are rigging blocks. Please clarify what you mean by “better options exist” because the one example you provided is absolutely not a better option.