11/9/2016 2:13 AM
The first printed reference to the Alpine Butterfly occurred in 1914 within Burger’s work “Rope and Its Uses”. In this work it was called the lineman’s rider, in the explanation he discussed the knot’s security and ability to withstand tension in any direction. When Clifford Ashley (Ashley Book of Knots) wrote of the Alpine Butterfly in 1944, he gave reference to J.M. Drew and an article called “Some Knots and Splices” from 1912 (although this article was republished in 1913 and does not mention the Butterfly).
The Butterfly was associated with mountaineering in a 1928 article in the Alpine Journal. Typical uses include; mid-rope rigging, multi-directional tie-in point, traverse lines, anchors, shortening rope slings, isolating damaged rope, edge transition for urban ascending, glacier travel, and many others.
Element Rescue Knot Series 08/16/2015