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The Munter Mule Overhand (MMO), Why is it Important?

April 22, 2023 fmg-adminGuides' Tech Tips Rock Climbing

The Munter Hitch

The munter hitch or Italian hitch is a foundational tool that serves many purposes in the rock and alpine environment.

The munter can work as a belay tool, to lower a climber or even to rappel. The munter-mule-overhand (MMO) is the munter hitch tied off with a mule hitch then backed up with an overhand. The MMO is a great releasable hitch that is integral to effecting any rescue involving a rope.

The MMO is material efficient, requiring an HMS style carabiner and a rope, and is easy to construct with practice. 

How to Tie the MMO

Tying the MMO is simple yet should be practiced many times before being used in an actual scenario. You’ll start by tying a munter hitch in the loaded position, or lowering position, instead of the belay position. Next, you’ll use the brake strand to create a mule hitch around the load strand. Once you’ve created the mule hitch, you’ll need to pull enough slack through to then finish with an overhand around the load strand.

Now you have a MMO which fixes the load strand of rope yet allows it to be released under load. This ability is what makes the




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