DOUGLAS, MASSACHUSETTS

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A sheep shank has two uses. First, you may use it to shorten a rope and maintain its
strength for pulling. This is extremely handy when you don't want to cut your rope, but
you have a need for it to be shorter. This knot also was used in the past in places were it would
be impossible to retrieve the rope after, (repelling down a tree or cliff)***. By snipping the
center line in the middle, one could give a rope a flip when they reached the bottom and the
knot would come loose leaving behind only a short piece. REMEMBER climbing and
repelling down trees and cliffs is dangerous and done under trained adult supervision only.

ATTENTION: The sheep shank is NO LONGER USED as a climbing knot because today's
rope materials slip too easily for this knot to be trusted in climbing applications.
BE SAFE, DON'T TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR SAFETY.