SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/climb-follow-through-retrace

After passing the rope through the harness, how do you finish a figure 8 follow through?

Retrace the first figure 8 with the tail, strand by strand.

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  1. Tie a new knot on top
  2. Clip it with a carabiner
  3. Retrace the first figure 8 with the tail ✔

Why: You tie a single figure 8, pass the tail through the harness, then follow the original knot back with the tail so every strand is doubled and parallel.

Huh, didn't know that: The AAC says it helps to start retracing on the outside of the knot.

The dad joke
The follow through is the only knot that does its homework twice.
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References

Answer: Retrace the first figure 8 with the tail. You tie a single figure 8, pass the tail through the harness, then follow the original knot back with the tail so every strand is doubled and parallel.

  1. AAC Gold Standard Curriculum: Belaying americanalpineclub.org/news/2016/3/15/9ifwyakbvdf826by6gv97y1uzk1mzb
    Use the original Figure 8 as a road map and retrace each turn of the knot with the tail.
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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