Whether mountain climbing or going down a cave, you need rope, but an essential accessory you need along with rope is an ascender.
An ascender helps you maintain your balance and control your position. Once you climb a rocky mountain, you require an ascender to get down from that mountain.
So for your safety and assistance, you must buy the best ascenders available.
Why Is Ascender Used For?
Ascender is one kind of accessory that climbers use for ascender down from a rocky mountain. While climbing a hill, people put clamps and attach ropes to that clamp.
After one reaches the height point, they attach an ascender to that rope and go down from it. You can also use an ascender to maintain the speed of your ascend.
Also, if you need to stop in the middle, you can do that by tying the rope to your ascender. This accessory helps you avoid falling accidents and have a good climbing experience.
Moreover, you can also use these ascenders for other outdoor activities, not only for climbing.
- User choice: Piston Climbing Hand Ascender for Rock Climbing Arborist
- Budget-Friendly: Lixada Rock Climbing Ascender Rope Grip Clamp for Climbing
- Our recommendation: kissloves Climbing Hand Ascender Outdoor Mountaineering
Review of top 10 Best Ascenders
However, without proper guidance, a climber may not choose the right ascender for him. So, considering some criteria, we have gathered some ascenders that will amaze you with their features.
Our enlisted top 10 best ascenders are durable, flexible, and user-friendly. Moreover, all these top-class ascenders we have listed are suitable for both traditional and speed climbers.
Besides, whether you are a sport or a boulder climber, you can also use this top-class ascender without any problem.
Overall, you can make use of these ascenders in other types of climbing too, and they will not disappoint you.
1. Piston Climbing Hand Ascender for Rock Climbing
The Piston is a renowned bard that produces the best quality climbing accessories. Most climbers consider Piston climbing hand ascender climbing arborist as one of the best ascenders for their safety.
This ascender came with two pieces, right and left. The ideal rope size for these ascenders is 8 to 12 mm. Again, due to its stylish design and durably built quality, people get attracted to this ascender.
Furthermore, this ascender consists of one hand holding design; and its comfortable holding grip ensures a better grip. For this reason, this ascender is suitable for rock climbing.
Besides rock climbing, you can also use these ascenders for different purposes. You can also use these ascenders in all the seasons without any hassle, whether it’s winter, summer, or rainy season.
Key Features
- Suitable for rock climbing as well as for other climbing activities.
- Its rope cam is capable of holding rope perfectly.
- The ascender supports 8-12 mm thick ropes.
- Economical construction provides better flexibility.
- This ascender comes with two years of warranty.
2. Wild Country Ropeman 1 Ascender
If you are looking for a small, lightweight but durable ascender, you can take a look into wild country Ropeman 1 ascender.
These ascenders may seem small, but a person can compare them to premium quality ascenders. This ascender consists of stainless steel construction, which claims how strong this ascender is.
Ropeman 1 consists of an aluminum cam with horizontal ridge cam teeth for better traction. It has 14 sets of cam teeth that help you get a better grip while ascending.
Moreover, attaching this ascender to the rope is an easy task. You can use the rope with 8 to 13 mm thickness.
Key Features
- Suitable for lightweight and heavyweight climbing.
- It consists of a stainless steel body.
- The cam and its cam teeth provide better traction.
- These ascenders support 8-13 mm thick rope.
- Small in size but durable as like a premium ascender.
3. NewDoar Hand Ascender Rock Climbing Gear
Ascender is a piece of essential equipment for rock climbing, tree climbing, or going down a cave.
To ensure your safety and make you’re ascending more comfortable, you need a quality full ascender.
In that case, the NewDoar hand ascender is the best quality accessory that you can use for such purposes.
Its stainless steel construction makes it durable as well as its other components are made out of hard alloy.
Besides, this ascender consists of an aluminum claw that provides good traction while you ascend.
Its hand bar consists soft cover for a better comfortable grip. Therefore, you can use these ascenders in any situation.
Also, its design allows you to attach the necessary tools to it.
Key Features
- The ascender supports 8 to 12 mm thick rope.
- Suitable for any situation.
- It’s made of stainless steel construction.
- The aluminum cam claw provides a better grip.
- Comfortable grip and can take weight up to 4KN.
4. EPIC PEAK Right Hand Ascender Climbing Equipment
While most ascenders come as a two-piece set, finding a single-hand ascender is difficult. Taking the hassle of users, EPIC PEAK manufactures right-hand ascenders.
Although, you can find left-hand ascenders also. These ascenders built quality and durability are similar to a premium quality ascender.
One of the best parts of these ascenders is attaching multiple accessories. Moreover, this ascender can take a load up to 4KN in terms of rope support.
One can use 8-12 mm thick rope in this ascender. Besides, its well-designed handle consists of a rubber cover that gives you comfort.
However, stainless steel frame and aluminum claw make it perfect accessories for rock climbing. You can use these for an arborist, climbing a tree, or on any climbing activities.
Key Features
- Hard Stainless steel construction ensures durability.
- Its cam claw provides better traction.
- The ascender comes with an economic handle.
- One can attach multiple accessories to it.
- You can purchase them separately or two-piece in one set.
5. kissloves Climbing Hand Ascender Outdoor Mountaineering
If you are looking for the best ascenders, you can look into Kiss loves climbing hand ascenders. Kiss loves a well-known manufacturer that provides certified climbing tools.
You can use these ascenders to go down a cave, climb a mountain, or a tree. It can take a maximum of 4kn pressure with an 8 to 12 mm thick rope.
Moreover, you can use this ascender in any situation, even in the rainy season. Its cam claws consist of a non-slippery design, and its small aluminum spike provides traction perfectly.
Besides, its thermo-molded handlebar and stainless steel construction make it comfortable to use.
Key Features
- The ascender comes in stylish black color.
- Its economical Handel consists of a thermo-molded cover.
- Well suited for various conditions.
- The cam claw has a non-slippery design with good traction.
- Stainless steel body with aluminum cam claw.
6. GM CLIMBING Climbing Hand Ascender Tree Climbing
Most of the ascender that we see today arrives in one single color, but GM’s climbing hand ascender includes two different colors.
This stylish ascender has a color combination of red and black. Again, it looks not only stylish, but it also has a top-notch construction.
A stainless steel frame and aluminum cam claw make it one of the best durable ascenders. These ascenders acquired CE and UIAA certification for safety.
You can use this ascender for various purposes, such as climbing a rocky mountain or climbing a big tree.
The maximum force capacity of this ascender is 4KN, and it’s recommended to use ropes with thickness between 8 and 12 mm.
Key Features
- Its handle consists hard, durable plastic cover.
- This ascender is suitable for any weather.
- A lot of webbing holes for better accessibility.
- Stainless steel cam with proper traction.
- The ascender consists of a two-color combination.
7. PETZL Ascension Gold Ascender Yellow Right
PETZL makes the best quality ascender that performs best in any situation. You should check the PETZL ascension gold ascender if you look for a stylish but good-quality ascender containing a distinctive color. This ascender has a yellow color with a golden touch. Due to its looks and durable design, you can consider it as one of the best ascenders in recent days.
Moreover, the upper section of this ascender is molded for better grip and provides a lot of space for your fingers. Its handle consists of both plastic and rubber cover, which gives you a better grip and reduces the risk of sleeping hands. You can use these ascenders for all types of climbing.
Key Features
- These ascenders can perform outstandingly in any situation.
- The top molded section provides a better grip.
- It can take a maximum of 4KN weight.
- More space for the hand, which ensures flexibility.
- It consists of a unique yellow color design.
8. Climbing Technology Quick Step Foot Ascender
Quickstep foot ascender is one of the safest climbing ascenders. If you are new to rock climbing, you can buy this ascender.
Its strap design stays attached to the lower end of your hip. Besides, this ascender provides more stability than other ascenders of recent times.
They work best if you want to do any work at a height or climb a tree. Also, you can use them for climbing a rocky mountain.
Moreover, you can fit it perfectly despite your size and weight due to its adjustable design. It can take a maximum of 15o kg of weight, and for rope accessibility, it supports 8 to 13 mm of thick rope.
Key Features
- This ascender provides the best stability.
- It consists of a robust strap design.
- Stainless steel construction makes it durable.
- Its weight lifting capacity is 150 kg.
- The ascender supports 8 -13 mm thick rope.
9. PETZL – PANTIN, Foot Ascender
PETZL is a famous manufacturer that makes accessories for mountain climbing. PANTIN foot ascender is their best tool liked by climbers.
Especially new people like them very much. While other types of ascender are made for hand use, PANTIN ascender stays attached to your lower part.
For its design, you can ascend vertically. Therefore, it’s best suited to go down a cave or climb a tree.
Moreover, it includes a double back buckle belt system, so you can adjust its size according to your boot size and wear them easily.
Besides, its main body consists of stainless steel, and the cam claws are alloy materials. Furthermore, its cam claw can grip the slippery rope with perfection.
Key Features
- This foot ascender is suitable for vertical ascend.
- Stainless steel construction makes it durable.
- It consists of a double-back buckle safety system.
- The cam claw consists of stainless steel, which ensures better traction.
- Suitable for any harsh weather.
10. Lixada Rock Climbing Ascender
Lixada produces lightweight ascenders with a lot of features. They are small in size, but one can compare them to high-quality ascenders in terms of durability.
These ascenders consist of anodized hard aluminum substance, which allows them to take a load up to 100 kg. They support ropes with a maximum of 8 to 12 mm thickness.
Moreover, it includes a barrier safety design that ensures safety while ascending but is recommended not to excite the maximum weight.
One can use these ascenders for rock climbing, tree climbing, or other climbing purposes.
Key Features
- Suitable for all kinds of climbing activities.
- Lightweight and flexible ascender.
- It can take a maximum of 100 kg/ 220 lb of weight.
- They consist of hard-anodized aluminum materials.
- This ascender comes with a barrier safety system.
Buying Guide
One must ensure complete safety for rock climbing, tree climbing, or other climbing activities. Therefore, before buying any ascender, you need to research these accessories because a bad ascender can cause a fatal accident.
Moreover, the number of ascenders is enormous; buying the best ascender from them is not an easy task.
Taking this in mind, we brought the detailed buying guide for you with all the necessary information you need to know before buying an ascender.
Type
You can find three types of the ascender. One is an arm ascender, and the others two are a hand ascend and waist ascender. All of them provide different safety, and their workability is also different.
Such as, arm ascenders stay connected to your arm with minimum stability. On the other hand, waist ascender provides perfect stability.
And a hand ascender is commonly used for hands, and people mostly prefer to use these ascenders. So choose the right kind of ascender that suits your requirements.
Left or Right Hand
Usually, in one set, you can find two-piece of ascender one is for the left hand, and the other is for the right hand.
Though most ascenders come in a set, some come separately. The manufacturing factory does this for the betterment of users.
Because while using the ascender, if one gets damaged, you need to buy the whole set, which is a loss of money.
To reduce that, they make separate climbing ascenders. However, it’s recommended to buy the entire set for those new to climbing.
Materials
Construction materials are one of the most important elements because, without hard substance, you might not get the full potential of your ascend.
In recent days, most of the ascenders consist of stainless steel bodies, but some ascenders contain an aluminum frame.
All the ascender includes aluminum for the cam claw, but stainless steel is best for the construction.
Because stainless steel is a more hard substance than aluminum, you can choose an aluminum frame for lightweight ascenders.
Maximum weight
Weight limit is the most crucial part for ascenders because every ascender has a range of bearing weight. If your weight exceeds the tag’s mentioned weight, there is a chance that your ascender will break.
Usually, most of the ascender can take 4KN force or 222 lb of weight, but small-sized ascender has a limit of 100 kg. You must check the maximum weight capacity labeled on the ascender.
Rope Diameter
All type of ascender supports different diameter rope. Some support 8 to 12 mm diameter rope, and some support 8 to 13 mm thick rope.
Therefore, while buying an ascender, it is essential to consider the diameter supportability. Without knowing the rope supportability, one might not understand which ascender will fit best on their rope.
You can see the diameter labeled on the ascender body. So check these details before you buy that ascender.
FAQs
Q: What does an ascender do?
Ans: Ascender is a mechanical device that helps one to ascend with the help of a rope. You need to attach the ascender to a rope and then use its cam claw for traction and climb up.
People use these ascenders to climb a straight rocky mountain or climb a high tree. These ascenders are also used in rescue missions.
Q: Do I need two ascenders?
Ans: The required number of ascenders depends on what type of ascender you are using. There are three types of ascenders;
If you want to use a hand or arm ascender, you need two ascenders for climbing, but you need one if you use a waist ascender.
There is a saying that two are better than one. Two ascenders can provide more safety and stability than one ascender.
Q: Is ascender bad for ropes?
Ans: No, an ascender is not bad for ropes because, to work, they need the help of rope. So the manufacturers designed the ascender to provide a good grip without damaging the rope.
Usually, ascenders use a cam claw to get a grip from the rope, these claws are not that sharp, but they are capable of getting traction.
Q: Can I climb a tree using ascenders?
Ans: Yes, you can climb a tree using an ascender. Not only for a climbing tree, but you can also use an ascender for all types of climbing.
To climb a tree, you need to attach a rope to the tree and then set your ascender to that rope.
Ascenders can provide more stability than other tree-climbing accessories, but make sure you take the advice from a professional.
Q: How does a foot ascender work?
Ans: The foot ascender works exactly like other ascenders, but the main difference is that you need to attach these ascenders to your feet.
When you climb up the rope, the cam claw releases the rope, and when you set foot, the cam claw drops backward, and the ascender stops.
Although the ascenders process is similar, a foot ascender is not preferable to climb a high rocky mountain.
Final Verdict
If you are thinking of saving energy and reducing the burden of rock climbing, then ascenders are the best solution.
Because of their design and built quality, they provide safety and assistance while climbing. Besides, to enjoy climbing with full potential, you need the best ascenders also.
However, it is obvious that you might not be able to choose the right one without proper knowledge about ascenders.
Therefore, we have shared a buying guide in this article to reduce your hassle. Also, you can consider any of our recommended ascenders to buy that we have reviewed in this article.
We ensure that any ascenders from our recommendation will prove loyal to provide you safety and comfort during climbing.