How to Tie a Rethreaded Figure of 8 Climbing Knot: 11 Steps

In climbing, there are a lot of things you can improvise. Your route beta? Sure. Your chalk-cloud drama? Absolutely. Your tie-in knot? Not even a little bit.

The rethreaded figure of 8 climbing knotalso called the figure 8 follow-throughis one of the most commonly taught climbing tie-in knots in the United States. It is popular for a simple reason: when it is tied correctly, dressed neatly, and checked by a partner, it is easy to recognize and easy to inspect. In other words, it does not try to be clever. It tries to be obvious, which is exactly what you want from something connecting you to a rope.

This guide breaks the process into 11 clear steps, explains why each move matters, and points out the common mistakes that turn a clean knot into a tangled little gremlin. It is written for beginners, refreshers, and anyone who has ever stared at their harness and thought, “I knew this five minutes ago.”

One important note before we start: no article can replace hands-on instruction from a qualified climbing instructor, guide, or gym staff member. Use this guide to understand the knot, practice it, and review itbut always confirm your system with an experienced partner or professional before climbing.

Why the Rethreaded Figure of 8 Is the Go-To Tie-In Knot

The rethreaded figure of 8 is widely used because it checks a lot of boxes that matter in climbing safety. It is strong, stable, visually distinctive, and relatively easy for a belayer or instructor to inspect at a glance. When tied well, the strands run neatly alongside each other, making mistakes easier to spot.

Another big advantage is that it ties directly into your harness using the two tie-in points, not the belay loop. That matters. Your harness is designed with those tie-in points in mind, and threading the rope through both creates the correct connection for climbing. If you remember only one phrase from this article, make it this: both tie-in points, not the belay loop.

Some gyms, competitions, and instructors also require a backup safety knot behind the figure 8. Other climbing educators prefer a clean, well-dressed figure 8 without an added backup because it is easier to inspect. The best approach is simple: follow your gym’s rules, your instructor’s teaching, and your local standard. Clean and correct always beats confident and wrong.

Before You Tie In

Before touching the rope, take five seconds and do the least glamorous but most useful thing in climbing: slow down. Most tie-in errors come from distraction, rushing, chatting, or trying to look cool while half-paying attention. The knot does not care how strong you are, how hard you climb, or whether your playlist is immaculate. It only cares whether you tied it correctly.

Stand where you can clearly see your harness. Identify the upper tie-in point at the waist and the lower tie-in point at the leg loops. Confirm that your harness is doubled back if required by the design, fitted properly, and sitting where it should. Then grab the rope end and begin.

How to Tie a Rethreaded Figure of 8 Climbing Knot: 11 Steps

1. Step 1: Measure a workable amount of rope

   Start with enough rope tail to tie the knot comfortably and still leave a visible tail at the end. Many instructors teach measuring out roughly two to three feet of rope before starting. You do not need laboratory precision here, but you do need enough tail to finish the knot cleanly without starving it halfway through.

2. Step 2: Form the initial figure 8

   Make a loop in the rope, cross the tail over the standing part, wrap it around, and feed it back through to create a basic figure 8 shape. Keep this first figure 8 a little loose. Think of it as drawing the outline before you color it in. If you cinch it too tight too early, the rethreading step becomes unnecessarily annoying.

3. Step 3: Locate your harness tie-in points

   Find the two points meant for tying in: the upper waist tie-in point and the lower leg-loop tie-in point. Do not thread the rope through the belay loop. That loop is important, but it is not the correct place for tying this knot. This is one of the most important visual checks in the whole process.

4. Step 4: Thread the rope through both tie-in points

   Pass the rope through both tie-in points on your harness. Many climbers and instructors prefer going from bottom to top because it can make both points easier to see while threading. The exact direction matters less than the outcome: the rope must pass clearly through both tie-in points and sit correctly against the harness.

5. Step 5: Slide the loose figure 8 close to the harness

   Pull the rope through until the original figure 8 sits close to your harness. You do not want the knot floating miles away like it is emotionally unavailable. A properly positioned knot stays close to the harness, which helps keep the system tidy and easier to inspect.

6. Step 6: Begin rethreading the knot

   Take the tail end and follow the original figure 8 backward, tracing the path of the rope in reverse. This is the “rethreaded” part. Your goal is to mirror the original knot exactly, strand by strand. Do not invent a shortcut. Do not freestyle. Just follow the existing path like you are outlining it with a second rope.

7. Step 7: Keep the strands parallel all the way through

   As you retrace the knot, keep the new strand snug beside the original one. The strands should run parallel, not cross over each other. A well-tied figure 8 follow-through should look neat, symmetrical, and easy to read. If it looks like rope spaghetti, pause and fix it now. Messy knots are harder to inspect and easier to misunderstand.

8. Step 8: Finish the rethread so the tail exits beside the standing rope

   Continue tracing the figure 8 until the tail comes out beside the standing part of the rope. This is the finished shape you want: a clean, doubled figure 8 with matching strands and a visible tail. At this point, the knot should clearly resemble two ropes running together through the same figure 8 pattern.

9. Step 9: Dress the knot carefully

   “Dressing” the knot means arranging it so every part lies neatly in place before tightening. Remove twists, eliminate crossed strands, and snug each section down gradually. A dressed knot is easier to check, easier to trust, and generally easier to untie later than a knot that was yanked tight in a chaotic lump.

10. Step 10: Check the tail and add a safety knot if your setting requires one

    Leave a clearly visible tail after the figure 8. Outdoor climbers often want several inches of tail; gyms and competitions may require enough tail for an overhand or double-fisherman-style safety knot. If your gym, course, or event requires a backup, tie it snugly and correctly. If your instructor teaches a clean figure 8 without a backup, leave an appropriate tail and do not improvise extra finishes just because they look fancy.

11. Step 11: Perform a final partner check before climbing

    Before anyone leaves the ground, do a full belay check with your partner. Confirm that the knot is tied through both tie-in points, the figure 8 is dressed and complete, the tail is adequate, the harness is secure, the belay device is loaded correctly, and the carabiner is locked if one is in use. The best knot in the world still deserves a second pair of eyes.

What a Correct Figure 8 Follow-Through Should Look Like

Once finished, your knot should look balanced and obvious. The rope strands should lie neatly side by side through every turn. The knot should sit close to the harness. The tail should be visible and appropriate for your setting. Most importantly, the rope should run through the waist and leg-loop tie-in pointsnot the belay loop and not just one point.

A good mental test is this: if your partner glanced down for two seconds, would the knot be easy to understand? If the answer is yes, you are on the right track. If the answer is “well, it has character,” start over.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Tying into the belay loop

This is one of the most serious beginner errors. The rope should go through the harness tie-in points, not directly into the belay loop.

2. Crossing strands inside the knot

Crossed strands make the knot harder to inspect and can turn a clear knot into a confusing one. Dress the knot until the lines are clean and parallel.

3. Leaving too little tail

Do not finish with a tiny mystery nub of rope and call it confidence. Leave enough tail for your environment and for any required safety knot.

4. Rushing while talking or gearing up

Tie-ins often go wrong when climbers are distracted mid-conversation, halfway into their chalk bag, or trying to multitask. Tie first. Joke second.

5. Skipping the partner check

Even experienced climbers double-check each other. Familiarity is not the same thing as immunity.

Helpful Tips for Learning Faster

The fastest way to learn this knot is repetition with feedback. Tie it slowly ten times in a row. Then untie it and do it again. Practice while naming the parts out loud: figure 8, both tie-in points, retrace, dress, check. That kind of repetition helps the sequence stick under pressure.

It also helps to learn what a bad knot looks like. Make one with crossed strands. Make one that misses a tie-in point. Make one that is too loose. Then compare those mistakes with a correct version. You will build inspection skills faster, which is half the point of using this knot in the first place.

When You Might See Different Standards

Climbing culture is funny: everyone agrees safety matters, and then they lovingly argue about the details forever. In many gyms and competitions, a safety knot behind the figure 8 is required. In many outdoor instructional contexts, a clean and well-dressed figure 8 may be considered complete on its own. Neither situation means you should improvise. It means you should know the rules of the place where you are climbing.

That is why the smartest climbers are not the ones with the flashiest knot vocabulary. They are the ones who can tie a clean figure 8 every time, inspect it quickly, and adapt to local standards without drama.

Conclusion

Learning how to tie a rethreaded figure of 8 climbing knot is one of the first real milestones in climbing. It is the moment you stop seeing the rope as just gear and start understanding it as a system that depends on precision, repetition, and trust.

The knot itself is not complicated, but it does demand respect. Tie a loose figure 8. Thread the rope through both harness tie-in points. Retrace the knot carefully. Keep the strands parallel. Dress it neatly. Leave an appropriate tail. Add a safety knot if your setting requires one. Then do a partner check before you climb.

Once you can do that calmly and consistently, you are not just tying a knot. You are building one of the most important habits in climbing: doing the simple things correctly, every single time.

Experience on the Wall: What This Knot Teaches You After the First Few Tries

The first time many people learn the rethreaded figure of 8, it feels weirdly high-pressure for something that takes less than a minute. Your hands know they are holding rope, but your brain is busy hosting a full committee meeting. One part is trying to remember the sequence, one part is wondering whether the belayer is watching, and one part is pretending this all feels very natural and athletic. It does not. Not at first.

Then something interesting happens. After enough repetitions, the knot starts to become familiar in a way that feels deeper than memorization. You stop seeing a random set of turns and start seeing a pattern. The figure 8 becomes recognizable at a glance. The retrace makes sense. The tail length stops being a guess. Your hands settle down. The knot becomes less of a test and more of a ritual.

That ritual matters more than people think. In a gym, tying in often marks the psychological shift from standing on padded flooring to committing to the climb. Outdoors, it can become the moment that centers your attention before the route starts. You check your harness, thread the rope, dress the knot, and suddenly the noise drops away. It is just you, your partner, and the system.

Climbers also learn quickly that a knot is never just a knot. It is a communication tool. A clean, well-dressed figure 8 tells your belayer, your instructor, or your partner that you are attentive and methodical. A sloppy, half-dressed knot says the opposite. That is why experienced climbers love partner checks. They are not about mistrust. They are about teamwork. One person ties, the other confirms, and both people leave the ground with better odds.

There is also a confidence boost that comes with being able to tie this knot smoothly under normal climbing conditions. Maybe the gym is loud. Maybe people are waiting. Maybe the sun is in your eyes at the crag and your fingers are chalky. When you can still tie in correctly without rushing, you start to feel like you belong in the process rather than merely visiting it.

And yes, there is a humbling side too. Almost everyone ties an ugly one at some point. Almost everyone forgets to dress it once. Almost everyone has a partner say, “Looks close, but re-tie it.” That is not failure. That is climbing education in its purest form. You learn, you fix it, and next time your knot looks less like confused rope origami and more like something a climber would actually trust.

In the end, the experience of learning this knot is really the experience of learning climbing itself: precision before ego, process before speed, and repetition before confidence. It is a small skill with a very big lesson attached to it.

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