Munter hitch Munter hitch The Munter hitch, also known as the Italian hitch or the Crossing Hitch, is a simple knot, commonly used by climbers, cavers, and rescuers as part of a life-lining or belay system. To climbers, this knot is also known as HMS, the abbreviation for the German term "Halbmastwurfsicherung", meaning "half clove hitch belay". This technique can be used with a special "pear-shaped" HMS locking carabiner, or any locking carabiner wide enough to take two turns of the rope. The Munter hitch is named after a Swiss mountain guide, Werner Munter, who popularised its use in mountaineering around 1970.
Swing hitch parts both must hang from the same side of the branch, otherwise there will be forces rotating the swing seat right and left. Swing hitch reduces such forces by having the end pull the main part towards the middle of the beam and fixing it there; Using a simple clove hitch would cause more of these disturbing rotational forces. If the swing is attached to a living tree, protecting the sap carrying live layers of the inner bark may be necessary; Suitable measures of tree protection while attaching a swing include Swing hitch Swing hitch is a way to tie