Description
A revolution in big wall climbing.
The Black Diamond nForce Ascender uses a unique four-bar pivot system that gives you a 33% better grip than a standard ascender, and it comes packed full of features that make cleaning pitches easier than you ever thought possible. A unique trigger-actuated release makes it easier to slide up your bottom ascender when you're low on a pitch and you don't have any rope weight to help you yet. Since the nForce Ascender works on ropes all the way down to 8mm, it also makes a solid choice for expedition-style mountaineering with fixed ropes. Whatever you need it for, this ascender has you covered, and then some.
- The four-bar pivot system places your entire body weight on the cam for excellent grip, even on muddy and icy ropes
- This pivot system also reduces cam pressure when you slide the ascender up the rope
- Fits ropes from 8 to 13mm in diameter, which makes it ideal for big walls and mountains
- Large clip hole lets you rotate a locking carabiner 360-degrees if needed
- Quick-release trigger makes cleaning tricky traverses and lower-outs easy
- Large ergonomic grip for dexterity
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Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
Black Diamond nForce Ascender
? Share a...
BD ascenders
mbr5173162
Member since
- Gender: Male
- Familiarity: I've used it several times
Has everything you need in an ascender, but the ability to disengage the mechanism with the index finger is what swayed my decision to the BD rather than the petzl.
Black Diamond nForce Ascender
Backcountry Video
Member since
Black Diamond nForce Ascender
Backcountry Video
Member since
Slightly heavier than the Petzl Ascenders
Jeff Guest
Member since
I have used these BD Ascenders and the Petzl Ascenders. I really can't decide which one I think is better between the two but I have noticed that the Petzl Ascenders seem to weigh slightly less than BD. They are basically the same price too! If you are concerned about weight then I would go with Petzl.
CAN THIS ASCENDER BE USED FOR TOP ROPE...
GERRY PETROSKEY
Member since
CAN THIS ASCENDER BE USED FOR TOP ROPE SELF BELAY?
Arthur Debowski
Member since
If you are looking to use this as a self belay on a fixed line that is NOT advised as there is a very real possibility that you will shear the rope and lead to serious injury or death. You would want to look at a Soloist device for that purpose.
Get On Up
Cedar Wright
Member since
From bigwalls to high angle video shoots these have been my go to ascenders, and they have seen some serious miles. These are faster to take on and off the rope then the Petzl's and I feel like you can move up the rope a tad faster as well. Also, they are indestructable!!!
AWESOME
Best Ascenders
Jeff Guest
Member since
I have used my BD Ascenders multiple times and I love them! They are easy to put onto the rope and for the most part easy to take off the rope. They do kind of make your hands tired so make sure to wear gloves while ascending. I if you take them canyoneering, be sure to keep them in a dry bag to keep the sand off them as the sand will make the pivot joints not work so well, but you can wash them out with water. I've climbed 400ft of rope in one session and have only had a few times when the teeth didn't grab the rope, but it was rare and didn't bother me that bad. I would for sure recommend these ascenders to anyone!
Awesome Ascenders
dsh4683833
Member since
Who would have thought that climbing gear could be sexy? These are smooth, strong, and a breeze to go up the rope. I use 9.8 mm rope and BD mini pearbiners to lock on foot tapes. It's like climbing a ladder only more fun.
BD Ascender´s do the job !!!
Federico Garcia
Member since
These ascenders are great they slip very well on the rope, work on ropes from 8 to 13 mm, are light weight and ergonomic, and the switch is just simple and easy to operate, the only problem that i see is if you take a very strong fall the little teeth could really harm your rope, not really sure but it could happen, but right now these are just the best !!
Ropes from 8.0 to 13mm
Federico Garcia
Member since
Great Ascender.
Federico Garcia
Member since
good for the most part
joe4537291
Member since
at first appraisal it seems really cool. i use it while roofing and it works great for that even with a huge rope, add another and some foot straps and climbing a rope is made easy. the thing i didn't like about it is the little teeth that bit into the rope. i realize it has to grab on somehow but i get the feeling that it is killing the life of my rope. like i said i use it for roofing and when i use the company rope hey i'm all about it, but i don't wanna try it on my expensive climbing rope.
Amazing Ascender
Brian Muller
Member since
Extremely easy to use. Slides up rope easily, easy to operate after you get used to it. A little bit heavier then other ascenders, but I find it to be the safest ascender out there, and the carabiner hole at the bottom allows for 360 degree rotation of even large locking carabiners. Great plus
Easier Trigger Action than The Current Petzl Ascension Design
William Savada
Member since
For me big difference between the BD nForce and the Petzl Ascension ascenders is that with the nForce you can pull back on the cam release trigger with either the index finger or thumb of the grasping hand while with the nForce you can only pull back with your thumb, and I found this to involve more stretch and to be uncomfortable with the Ascension. The nForce has a longer cam (more contact area). The Ascension does have a slot up the center of the cam which is supposed to allow mud and ice to exit the contact area between the cam and the rope, but I have never used the Ascension so I don't know how well this works. Also, the nForce has shorter, straight (90-degree) teeth (over a larger area with what BD says is pressed against the rope with 30% more force, when under load, due to the the unique cam action.). The Ascension relies on teeth that are angled downward. Have not tried the nForce with gloves but they are roomier fit. I found the easier trigger action of the nForce to be my main deciding factor.
Love them
Jake McRae
Member since
Used these a whole buch and they worked perfect
Excellent!
KB
Member since
I picked these up to add to the gear and the climbing possibilities. Very happy I did! I do like these more than others because of the smooth operation. Even starting out at the end of the rope with a light pull of the "trigger" it glides up the rope nice and easy and locks solid. Have not tried with wet or icy ropes yet, but I would imagine the same performance. I paired mine up with the metolius easy aiders and wow what a perfect combo!
Heart palpitations .....
Anonymous
Member since
On one ascender I noticed the cam sticks and will not always lock down on the rope. It's especially bad when the dirt and dust gets into the pivot point. It's never been dropped and its only a few months old. I'm returning these to go with the petzl instead.
Chert21
Member since
I've been using various Petzl cammed ascenders for almost 20 years (caving). At some point, any ascender can slip on the rope. One of my Petzl Ascensions does it all the time. The only ascender I've ever used that never slipped was a Gibbs; most people don't like them, as they're difficult to put-on and take-off the rope.
Can someone with small hands (smaller...
Scott Sala
Member since
Can someone with small hands (smaller woman) use these? As compared to Petzl?
BostonSox311
Member since
Seeing how im not a smaller woman i couldnt give a 100% answer but i dont see where any problems would come into play whatsoever.
Jake McRae
Member since
yeah, they will work just fine
Awesome Ascenders
sethfinley2215466
Member since
I bought a pair of these at the beginning of this season, put a few ascents under my belt with them. They do a great job and they handle the rope better after about 15' of height. They are easy on the rope, and are beefier than the alternative name brand. I never regretted buying them, and the chicks like em too.

Reed Rombough
Member since