Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

How to tie the alpine butterfly for a secure midline knot

This is a multi-purpose midline knot with almost endless uses around camp

By

The Alpine Butterfly knot is recognized as the most effective outdoor knot for tying an attachment point in the middle of a rope. This is one of the more difficult knots to get right, and many people find it confusing to start with. Once you've got to grips with the twists, though, I can guarantee that the Alpine Butterfly will become your go-to midline knot.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • A piece of rope

  • Patience

Sure, you can always tie your midline knot using a figure-eight knot, but only the alpine butterfly can give you a secure attachment point that can still be untied after being subjected to weight. But it's even better than that. The alpine butterfly knot is specifically designed for three-way loading, so you're not significantly weakening the rope like you would with alternatives. The alpine butterfly can take some practice to get right, so grab a rope and follow these steps.

This Knot is a GAMECHANGER! - The Alpine Butterfly Knot.

Alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to tie the alpine butterfly knot

Step 1: With one end of the rope toward you and the other going away, wrap the rope around your hand three times. Starting from your wrist, number these loops 1, 2, and 3.

Step 1 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Loop 2 — the middle loop — will be your working loop and is the only loop you should need to move. The alpine butterfly knot can also be remembered as the under, over, under knot. Begin by tucking loop 2 underneath loop 3.

Step 2 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Related

Step 3: From here, take that loop back over the top of the other loops for the over section of the knot.

Step 3 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Now take loop 2 back underneath loops 1 and 3 for the final under section.

Step 4 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: Hold the end of loop 2 and slide the knot from your hand. Pull on both ends and on the loop to dress your knot.

Step 5 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: You can adjust the size of your loop by feeding the rope through the knot in either direction.

Step 6 tying an alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When should you use the alpine butterfly?

As a secure midline knot that can be subjected to heavy loads, the alpine butterfly knot has any number of outdoor uses. Here are some of the most common:

  • Suspending your tarp shelter in camp.
  • Attach a line across your campsite to suspend lanterns and lighting.
  • As your midline knot when tying a trucker's hitch.
  • Tying multiple hikers or rock climbers into one rope. This is common practice for crossing glaciers, advanced rock climbing, or keeping groups together in poor weather conditions.
  • Isolate a damaged section of cord or rope while not limiting the strength of the rest of the rope — great for hanging bear bags securely if a rope becomes worn on a trip.

Once you've mastered the alpine butterfly knot, you'll suddenly find a lot of uses for it that you never thought of. As with all outdoor knots, it might not be used too regularly, but when it's the right knot for a task, no other will suffice.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tom Kilpatrick
Tom Kilpatrick
Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
How to make nutritious and delicious trail snacks: Your DIY guide
DIY trail snacks are less expensive and better for the environment
Date and cashew bars

Knowing how to properly feed yourself to stay energized throughout the day is essential to success on the trail. Whether you're out hiking for the day or on a multi-day thru-hike, nutrition will make or break your trip. There are loads of trail snacks on the market that you can take in your pack, but if you hit the trail every day, these can be costly.

We all want to be a bit more environmentally conscious. As outdoor enthusiasts, we have a much closer connection with the natural environment than most. Even some of the more environmentally aware companies still wrap their snacks in plastic packaging, and many snacks come individually wrapped for convenience. Save yourself money and look out for your environmental footprint in one move by learning how to make your own trail snacks at home. Here are six of our favorites.
Raisin, cherry, and honey flapjacks

Read more
Campfire cooking: This is the absolute best way to make a pot hanger
Make the most of campfire cooking with this ingenious pot hanger guide
A campfire pot hanger holds a kettle over a stone circle

Campfire cooking is an art form. Sure, you can always just skewer a sausage or a s'more and roast it directly over the heat, but with a little camping cooking gear, you can elevate your camp cooking to new heights. With the cooler nights of fall just around the corner, camp cooking becomes even more important, as you'll need the extra calories to stay warm overnight. There are plenty of styles of campfire cooking to explore, and a suspended pot over your fire is one of the most versatile.

By hanging a pot or a kettle over your fire, you can keep your dish away from direct heat, but retain a rolling boil or a gentle simmer. This means you can always have hot water ready and waiting for a cup of coffee, heat yourself a cowboy casserole of beans and ground beef to pour over a biscuit, or simmer a stew for a substantial meal under the stars.

Read more
Dust off your gear, it’s time to hit the trail: The spring hiking tips you need
These tips will keep you safe and comfortable on the trail
A person hiking

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that spring is here, and I can hit the trail again. I went out the other day without having to load up in all of my outdoor layers and enjoyed a trail run along some snow-free tracks. It's that time of year when you can dust off your hiking boots, dig out your trekking poles, and start to make some hiking plans. But spring isn't all sunshine and dry tracks. A little like fall hiking, spring trails can be muddy, and some of the wettest, coldest days I've had on the trail have come in springtime. Maybe it's not quite a time to pack away all that warm gear after all.

Spring is changeable. That's what I'm getting at. It's perhaps the toughest time of the year to pack a hiking pack because, on any given day, you might need to change layers four times. The days are long enough to get a good hike done, but you can still find yourself caught out after dark if you're not careful, and once that sun drops, the temperature goes with it. In return, though, spring rewards us with those golden hours at sunrise and sunset — the outdoor photographer's dream — raging waterfalls as the snow melts off, and the sounds and sights of nature coming back to life after a winter's hibernation. It's great if you get it right, and if you follow our spring hiking tips, you won't go far off track.
Dress and pack accordingly

Read more