Petzl Ascension Handled Ascender - 2007 BCS

I bought my first one of these in 1995. Since then, I've been through 3 or 4. The handle is comfy, and the second hole to attach a tether or footloop is super convenient. Climbs well on a range of rope sizes (at least 8mm-11mm), and does not get jammed badly up with mud, even excessive mud. Lighter than some alternatives. Note that its made in 2 versions, left (gold, shown) and right (blue); as a lefty, I have used both and prefer the left. The teeth on the cam can be a little grabby when new, but 500' of rope should break them in fine...

Been using both types for 7-10 years - in extreme environments. Caves - wet, muddy, dragging on rocks, falling on rocks, squeezing and scraping rock as I crawled through tight openings. Never failed. Still work beautifully. 100+ ascents on rope, some 500'+. I oil once in a while. Keep clean and dry, but have left them weeks in bags of muck only to pull them out, clean up and use.

I haven't used BD (which looks good for gloves/ice/winter). But I've used other lesser-known brands and simply didn't find any reason ever to switch.

I too bought both, easy to control. Had no problem in wet conditions but one lever got a little stiff at freezing temps. I would highly recommend these ascenders.

Petz's version of this ascender if leaps and bounds better than others; it's light, very functional, easy to use, and doesn't hurt after hours of jugging. So far I haven't found anything I don't like about this piece of equipment. This ascender, I'm sure, will last me as long as I'm climbing. Would recommend this ascender to anyone looking for one.

It works great, used in in cold weather on Denali, and in the summer. Does not get jambed up with snow, very durable.

The Petzl Free Spirit carabiners do not fit into the Petzl Ascender safety lock hole. Of course this was a mix of alpine equipment and aid gear but it was surprising considering they are from the same manufacturer. Not a big deal. Quality product otherwise and timely service from BackcountryStore.com. It arrived just in time for a weekend outing!

Quality items, good packaging, nice serialization, and the best price I could find. Items were shipped timely and I'm ecstatic with the entire experience at BackcountryStore.com.

Products arrived in great condition and well packed. I bought both the left and the right at the same time. The only thing that would have made me happier was if there was a discount offered for buying both...but overall, a good transaction. I will likely shop here again.

Works flawlessly and I love the picture of the Petzl guy on the side so I don’t get confused.

This ascender is rock solid. It has a very comfortable ergonomic grip, which really matters on a long big wall. The thumb catch is easy to operate with one hand, to either release the teeth for sliding it up the rope, or for completely removing the ascender (important for being able to pass a piece). For anchoring this to yourself, there is either a hole big enough to clip a biner into, or a smaller hole which can take pre-tied cord. I've used this ascender on dry, wet, and icy ropes, and it held well in all 3 conditions. For traverses, I like to use these in combination with a grigri.

The ascender I purchased was a right-handed unit. I took it out on my last caving venture, and loved it. The quality of the cam looks kind of cheap because it is chromed over but that didn’t affect the performance when ascending out. The chrome makes one curious about the material of the cam itself. It proved itself reliable with 230 lbs of weight dangling on the device. The hand grip is comfortable. I recommend getting the left-hand unit as well, especially if placing dependency primarily at the hands to climb. I plan on purchasing the left-hand unit next week. Both would really make a climb safer for those depending mainly on the ascender and having limited grip at the feet. I was able to shoot out of muddy cave entrance with great ease using the Ascension.

Great product - comfortable, seem to be built strongly, so far have worked flawlessly. Great price.

They get the job done and perform just as expected.

These ascenders are comfortable to jug with, easy to manipulate with one hand, and grip the rope well even if it's icy or muddy. It is a bit of a drawback that you can only clip one carabiner through the handle, but you can just clip your daisy to the ascender and clip your aider to the daisy's carabiner.