Climbing classes will teach you everything you need to know and provide you with the opportunity to practice what you learn. Knot tying is one of the basics you'll learn and while you may think that it's not that important, learning different techniques and practicing them with ensure your safety on the mountain.

You'd be surprised at how many different types of knots exist. Each one serves a different purpose. Here are some of the basic knots.

The figure 8 knot is one of the most common and as the name suggests, the rope forms a figure 8. First, make a loop and cross the end of the rope over the straight part. Now wind the end around the straight portion and bring it through the first loop. The end, or ?tail?, is then looped through your harness loop, fed back into your figure 8 knot and pulled to secure. Ensure the tail is several inches long to prevent the knot from coming undone under load. To make the knot easier to undo you can double the rope.

Stopper knots are another category of knots. The overhand knot is one of the simplest and most common. Form a circle by crossing one end of the rope over and then loop the end through the circle. Pull both ends to secure and tighten it.

Another stopper knot is the double overhand knot. It's less likely to pull through but it's also harder to untie. Form a circle as you would for the overhand knot but make a second circle and place it behind the first. Now pull the end of the rope through both loops and pull both ends tight to secure.

You'll often need to tie two ropes together when climbing. The fisherman's knot is one of the ways to do this. With the ropes parallel, take the first rope and turn it around the second rope. Turn it another time and pass the end of the first rope through the two loops you've made. Now pull the long ends of the both ropes to tighten and secure.

If you have two ropes of different diameter you should use a double fisherman's knot. Follow the instructions for the Fisherman's knot but use the second rope to make another Fisherman's knot thread that one through the first knot.

Taking a climbing class will ensure you learn the basics. Practicing to tie knots is extremely important; it will prevent injury and fatalities.