Front	Rear

Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my GrandWall uAscend from GrandWall Equipment in 2015. I acquired two more in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection.

The GrandWall uAscend is 73 mm. tall, 87 mm. wide, 27 mm. thick, and weighs 121 g. 5 g.

The uAscend consists of a pivoting lever and an anvil mounted between two pear-shaped aluminum side plates. Each side plate has a 16 mm. attachment hole at the right side of the ascender. One side plate is stationary, while the other pivots on the 6 mm. diameter lever axle so that it may be opened to admit the rope. The left side of the lever has cutouts to reduce weight, while the right side, which contacts the rope, is flat. The lever is spring-loaded so that the lower tip closes against a smooth anvil. The anvil is attached to the rear face plate with two stainless steel pins, one of which is extended to engage a notch in the front face plate.

The front of the ascender is stamped with "CE1019," "EN353-2," and the GrandWall logo. The rear is printed with "201207" and stamped with the Reading-Is-Dangerous icon and "WBS4KN." The inside of the rear plate is stamped with the "Sieg Heil" icon, "ROPE," and "8-12mm."

Comments

The uAscend is a small, reliable (but inefficient) ascender. There is a significant lost motion with each step as the entire ascender rotates under load.

To rig this ascender, bring the standing rope down to the right of the lever, passing it between the lever and the anvil. Close the swinging side gate, and insert a carabiner through the holes. When load is applied to the carabiner, the rope exerts a counter-clockwise torque on the lever, and the left side of the lever squeezes the rope against the knurled post.

The Brasovia and GrandWall uAscend are essentially identical; no surprise since GrandWall used to be Brasovia.