Front View: Closed	Rear View: Closed
Front View: Open for Rigging	Rear View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

Артём Бабин sent me a right-handed Vertical Big Wall ascender in 2023, but it dates from an earlier time.

The Vertical Big Wall (Большая стена) is 221 mm. tall, 89 mm. wide, 33 mm. thick, and weighs 349 g. The rope channel is 14 mm. wide. The cam axle is centered 58 mm. from the inside of the rope channel. The cam radius, measured from the axle axis, increases from 40 to 60 mm. over an angle of 48°, giving a 26° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (3.4)^7.

The Vertical Big Wall is 221 mm. tall, 89 mm. wide, 33 mm. thick, and weighs 349 g. The shell is milled from a custom aluminum extrusion and painted. The extrusion direction is oriented parallel to the vertical axis of the ascender and contains two opposing channels. One channel is rounded and becomes the rope channel; the other is square and holds the cam. The rope channel is 14 mm. wide. The angled hand hole is huge by handled ascender standards. There is a rubberized plastic grip with a milt projection below the index finger position. A 20 mm. hole and a 13.6 mm. hole are drilled at the bottom and a 15.7 by 19.5 mm. hole is milled through both sides of the rope channel.

The cam is a plated s steel casting with a (3.4)^7 conical tooth count. The cam radius increases from 40 to 60 mm. over an angle of 48°, giving a 26° cam angle. The tooth axes are perpendicular to the cam face. The teeth are well-formed but fairly short. The cam, cam spring, and a cam housing are mounted on a 5 mm. semi-tubular rivet. The cam axle is centered 58 mm. from the inside of the rope channel. The cam safety is a spring-loaded piece of 4 mm. painted aluminum mounted on a 3 mm. stainless steel rivet placed through two tabs on the base of the cam. A small extensible thumb knob is threaded to a post staked to the safety. The knob is knurled to give a contoured grip. The safety is placed so that it does not interfere with one’s hand in the handle.

The front of the rope channel is printed with "9 kN." The front of the grip has the Vertical logo and "vertical" molded into it.

Comments

The Vertical Big Wall is a copy of the ISC Big Wall and Yates Big Wall ascenders. The Vertical is larger than the others and has a larger handle opening. Surprisingly, the Vertical is the lightest of the three, but the difference is minor.