Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors
  3. How tos

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
Alpine butterfly knot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

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

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.

Tom Kilpatrick
Tom Kilpatrick
Former Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as… Read Full Bio
Topics
Outdoors
Arc’teryx x BEAMS: The blend of Alpine tech and Tokyo style
Arc'teryx x Beams

The new Arc’teryx x BEAMS collection celebrates the brands’ 25-year collaboration and the blending of technical function with street-savvy style. The line highlights a re-creation of the 1998 Arc’teryx Theta hardshell, a Gamma softshell jacket, and Jogen bouldering pants. All come in the signature Kōyō color palette, modeled after Japan’s autumn leaves. 

I wore the Gamma Jacket and Jogen pants during the fall changeover in Virginia’s picturesque Shenandoah Valley, testing for warmth, wind resistance, and style. Here’s my take.

Read more
Outdoors
More than a name: Meet Eddie Bauer, the true-life explorer behind your outdoor brand
Clothing, Hat, Face

From the time I was a little man, I excitedly tugged at the shirt tails of my father and grandfather every time they left the house to do anything relatively outdoorsy. They would leave the house hauling gun cases, fishing poles, camping gear, hiking packs. The men of my life loved everything adventurous, and they would do it every chance they could. When I was big enough, I would be allowed to come with them. I got my own boots. I procured my own active wear that could resist the weather. I opened my own parka for Christmas. Not only was I now in the same boat with them, in the same tent with them, and in the same deer stand with them. I also wore the same brand as them. Eddie Bauer was their go-to, and it had become my go-to.

But what was it about that brand? What was it about the man behind the brand that became the man’s best friend in the wilderness? Well, here is what you need to know about the guy who ditched the work world to open an outdoor brand simply so he could go outdoors all the time. And made it possible for my grandfather, my father, and then me.

Read more
Outdoors
Plug In, Ride Out: KTM’s Freeride E Gets Sharper for 2027
2027 KTM Freeride E

Austrian motorcycle company KTM’s dirt bikes have a reputation for ripping horsepower and world-title-winning performance. Across the world’s motocross tracks and enduro courses, the brand’s orange bikes win titles and provide the thrill of riding off-road. But for the most part, those bikes use 2-stroke and 4-stroke combustion engines. 

Now, looking toward the future, the organization’s latest electric off-roader, the 2027 Freeride E, optimizes power, handling, and range, with a variety of improvements over prior versions. Here’s the rundown on the bike’s improved specs.

Read more