Samson Ice Tail Hand-Spliced Eye-to-Eye

Samson Ice Tail hand-spliced eye-to-eye is a friction hitch cord with a spliced eye on each end, ready for a Distel, VT or similar hitch on your climbing line. Spliced eyes are slim and flexible, so the hitch sits neatly and tends well with a rope runner or micro pulley.

How climbers use it

Hand-spliced eyes keep their flexibility, which helps the hitch grab and release smoothly and makes tending easier. Ice Tail is Samson's hitch cord for climbers, made to stand up to the friction and heat a hitch sees on long descents.

Tie your chosen friction hitch to suit your rope diameter, dress and set it before you weight it, and test it close to the ground. Small changes in cord, rope and hitch change how much grip you get, so check every new combination before you trust it aloft.

Carry a spare in your gear bag. Hitch cords wear out on their own schedule, and a glazed cord found at the base of the tree should not end the climbing day. Note when each cord goes into service so you learn how long cords last with your rope and your style of climbing.

Inspection and replacement

Hitch cord is a wear item. Heat and abrasion glaze and fuzz the cover, and the sewn or spliced terminations need a close look every day. Retire the cord at the first sign of glazing, stiffness, cuts, core showing or damaged stitching. This is life-support gear. Use it only within the manufacturer's instructions and ANSI Z133 practice, inspect it before every climb, and retire it when in doubt.

Match the cord to your climbing line and compare options in our eye-and-eye prusiks range.