Petzl Ascension Ascender Review

After getting used to the big 360-degree clip-in hole on the Black Diamond nForce, Chris Mac now really wishes the Petzl had it. Instead, the Petzl has an extra small hole for a quick link. This might be good for caving applications, but Chris has never used it on a big wall nor has he seen anyone else us it. He thinks Petzl should dedicate that real estate at the bottom of the ascender to a bigger clip-in hole. Also, when down jugging, it takes a lot of practice to keep the Petzl from locking up. It is not a big big deal because down jugging is not nearly as common as jugging up. But after using the nForce ascender, it is noticable how much more skilled and practiced you need to be to make the Petzl down jug fast. But that is a small point. The Petzl does the crucial stuff well.