How to Use Ascenders

Video Transcript

JOSH HARING: Hi, this is Josh and today I'm going to talk to you about ascenders. Ascenders are often used in what we call aid climbing. Aid climbing is a way that you can climb without having to actually use the rock. People use ladders, aiders, and ascenders to do that. Oftentimes, they'll use aid climbing in certain pitches of a long route to where it's impossible, either the route is too sloped, too angular, too overhung, or there's just no good holds. When people do long, multi-pitch routes, sometimes they fix lines on that route, and they use ascenders to climb those lines the next day without having to re-trace and re-climb what they'd done the day before. It's a lot quicker way to get from the bottom to the first, second, or third pitch. Proper use of an ascender is very important. Instructions come with every ascender and it's important to read those. It's also important to talk to your local specialty retailer and get advice as to which ascender is right for you. Ascenders come in right and left hand versions and ascenders come in small and large sizes. Today, I'm just going to clip this ascender on the rope and give you an idea about how they actually work. It's important to always attach the ascender to your harness, so if the ascender were to somehow come disattached from the rope, it's not going to fall and hit the bottom. As I mentioned, there can be right and left handed ascenders. Today I'm just going to be using a right handed ascender. We attach the ascender to the rope here and we always back that up, as everything else in climbing, with another carabiner. That carabiner's important because if this ascender were to come loose, it's not--the rope will not fall out from the ascender. It will stay right in line there. So as you see, this ascender slides easily. There's little teeth right here, which create some friction, just enough friction though, to where it can pass through the rope. And the teeth are angular. So when you pull down on this ascender, it's not sliding at all. That's why it's good. So you can ascend but you're never going to fall.