I’ve seen a variety of ways to mechanically advance your Blake’s Hitch using pulleys and prusik cords as slack tending devices. I’m a minimalist when I climb and I prefer to use the gear I have on hand to get the job done. Only after mastering the basics will I indulge in other tools that might make my life easier in the canopy. So when Abe Winters of Tree Climbing USA showed me this no-frills method of advancing the friction hitch, I was sold.

The beauty of this method is that it is so simple. There is no new equipment to buy, so there’s nothing new to clutter your saddle, or to risk losing in the forest. It adds no unwanted noise. There are no new knots to learn or new equipment to trust. All it takes is an extra two feet of your climbing rope and tying two more knots – familiar knots you already know. This is the simplicity that I look for when I try out new techniques.

This system works marvelously well, too. It's especially helpful for climbers who have different physical abilities, for young climbers, and for top-heavy climbers. And it’s great any time you want both hands free, like when you are maneuvering around a branch.

To create the Self-Advancing Blake’s Hitch, begin with an extra long tail (two extra feet) at the end of your bridge system, where you would normally tie a stopper knot. Bring that tail around to your “up” rope and tie another Blake’s Hitch above the primary Blake’s on the “up” rope. Now you have two bridges on your climbing system and two Blake’s Hitches. As you pull down on the “down” rope, your primary Blake’s will automatically advance. When you’re ready to come down just descend as usual by pulling down on your primary Blake’s Hitch.