Yale 8mm Bee Line Split Tail

The Yale 8mm Bee Line split tail is a length of hitch cord made for tying a friction hitch to your climbing line. A split tail separates the hitch from the end of your climb line, so you can replace the hitch cord without cutting the rope.

What a split tail does

Before split tails, many climbers tied the hitch with the tail of their climb line. Heat and wear from the hitch then chewed up the end of the rope. A split tail moves that wear onto a separate, cheaper piece of cord that you can swap out on its own.

Bee Line is a good split tail material because it handles friction heat well and keeps its shape. Pair it with a pulley or tending device to make advancing easier.

The split tail is also cheap insurance for your climb line. Replacing a worn hitch cord costs a fraction of a new climbing rope, and it means the end of your line stays clean and strong for knots and terminations.

Inspect it before every climb for glazing, stiffness and cut fibers.

Setting it up safely

Tie terminations as taught by your trainer or use a pre-sewn or spliced version, and match the cord to your climb line. Test the hitch close to the ground and adjust wraps until it grabs and releases cleanly. Compare with spliced cords in our eye-and-eye prusiks section.

Anything you hang your life on must meet the applicable standard, be used per the manufacturer's instructions and ANSI Z133, and be inspected before every climb by a trained user.

Keep a spare split tail in your kit. Hitch cords wear quickly on long descents and in sandy or gritty conditions, and having a replacement ready means you can swap it at the tree instead of driving back to the shop.