Yosemite bowline form a highly dangerous slip knot. Additional safety is achieved by tying with a tail (see below). When finished, the working end forms a figure eight. Because of the danger of incorrectly tying the Yosemite bowline, it may be safer and less error-prone to use a standard or double bowline with a backup stopper knot added to the tail, such as a double overhand knot tied around the loop. The Yosemite finish can be applied to other bowline variants, such as the double bowline. While the knot's versatility suggests it as a convenient tie-in for attaching a climbing rope to
Yosemite bowline a climber's harness, the figure-of-eight follow through is the most common choice because it is more widely known and more easily checked. "The Mountaineering Handbook" is one of the few texts that suggest that the Yosemite bowline is better for this purpose. Suggested benefits of the bowline include being easier to untie after loading or when wet and frozen, and being possible to tie-in with only one hand. Testing found it a strong knot for the purpose. It is recommended that any knot which is used to attach a rope to a safety harness is always finished with a stopper