Ascenders and Rope Locks

Rope Ascenders and Rope Locks 

Ascenders, get their name from the fact that they help you ascend up a rope. The basic functionality of a rope ascender is that it clamps on to the rope and can move up, but not down the rope. This means as you travel up the rope it captures your progress and prevents you from sliding down.

There are three main types of ascenders: hand, foot, and chest. The foot ascender allows you to “climb” up the rope and use a hand or chest ascender as a backup progress capture device. A chest ascender connects to a sternal D-ring of your harness. It can be used with either a foot ascender or a hand ascender. The last option, a hand ascender, is used with a foot loop to help you climb the rope. This ascender is almost always used with other forms of ascenders.

Our selection of ascenders and rope locks feature hand ascenders, foot ascenders, chest ascenders and foot loops from manufacturers like Petzl and ISC.

If you have any questions about ascenders or rope locks or if you need help finding something specific, click here to contact one of our Gear Experts®.