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How to Braid a Climbing Rope

When it comes to braiding climbing rope, two types of rope are the most common: a three-stranded braid and a four-stranded. While the four-stranded braid is far stronger and more secure, it is also more difficult to assemble and generally requires two sets of hands to properly wind and tighten each braid. Always determine first the length of the finished product to accurately know how long each strand should be. Usually the ratio is about 1 foot of braided rope for every 1.5 feet of individual strand length.

Things You'll Need

Electrical tape or lighter
3 to 4 individual strand of rope

Instructions

Three-Strand Rope
- 1
  Lie the three rope strands side by side by side and mentally label them as strand A, B and C.
- 2
  Cross strand A over B so that the order is now B-A-C.
- 3
  Cross strand C over A so that the new order is B-C-A.
- 4
  Cross strand B over C so the order becomes C-B-A.
- 5
  Continue to cross the outer strands in alternating succession over the middle strand until all of the slack is used.
- 6
  Singe either ends of the braid with a lighter to form a tight bond or used duct or gorilla tape.
Four-Strand rope
- 7
  Place the four loose strands flat and mentally label them as A, B, C and D.
- 8
  Begin the braiding process known as "under 2, over 1." Cross strand A behind strand B and C and then wrap it back over strand C. After this first move the strand should be B-A-C-D.
- 9
  Cross strand D behind strands C and A and wrap it around the front of strand A, leaving a B-A-D-C formation.
- 10
  Continue taking the strand at the far left and right and performing the behind-two, over-one technique until all of the rope is used.

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