The Half Gibbs Offset Bend can join two ropes of unequal diameter, and is easy to untie after loading. It is also less prone to rolling than a Flat Overhand Bend. All of this makes it a good solution for joining two climbing ropes (or a climbing rope and a skinnier tagline) for rappels (abseils). But, can you tie it on the tenth rappel, in the dark, and hypoxic? Here is how we tie this knot.

Like top rope belaying has the pull-brake-under-slide method of managing your hands and the climbing rope to maximize safety, so is there a preferred technique when using a terrain feature as the friction add on a belay. Here's how to do it.

Another method of climbing with a shortened rope is to carry the excess line in your pack. If you are going to do that, it is important that you stack the rope carefully to avoid having it tangle as you pull out extra as it's needed. Here's how I ensure that rope stacks neatly inside my pack.

It isn't really practical to coil your climbing rope this way out in the field, but you certainly could start your day with the Bird's Nest Coil, which lets you feed out rope free of any tangles or snags. Here's how to make the coil.

On multi-pitch climbs, being able to manage the rope when block leading (having the same leader lead multiple pitches in a row) requires a little rope management. Here's how we perform the "pancake flip," to facilitate better pitch transitions while on the ascent.

I am often climbing in a team of three, so we needed a way to rappel (abseil) that was safe and efficient. Here is how we pre-rig our rappel setup so that we increase speed while also increasing safety.

On a multi-pitch climb, if you drop a piece of gear you simply have to do without it for - what could be - quite a bit more climbing. Climbing gear that we call upon as we do lots of different important tasks, like our belay device, becomes even more crucial to keep hold of. Here is how we remove our belay devices from the rope to reduce the likelihood of dropping it.

The single question I have probably been asked the most is if it is "better" to use an overhand on a bight or a figure eight on a bight in many climbing applications. Like all things in climbing, "it depends." Here are some of the considerations that run through my mind when deciding which knot to use.