A696 Aluminium Alloy Chest Ascender

The A696 chest ascender combines an aluminium alloy frame with a toothed cam that can be specified in either steel or stainless steel. It accepts ropes from 8 to 13 mm and has a listed breaking strength of 4 kN. Like all toothed-cam rope clamps, it is rated on rope rather than as a connector, which is why the figure is far below that of a carabiner; it must never be exposed to dynamic loads.

A chest ascender is mounted at the sternum, linked to the harness and held upright by a chest strap, and is paired with a handled ascender and foot loop for rope climbing. Typical users are cavers, rope access technicians, arborists using rope-walking systems and rescue teams.

Buyers should state the cam material they require, the rope diameters to be covered and the standard their market calls for. Power Honour can produce A696 as private-label stock with anodised colours and logo marking, and can work from a customer drawing where frame or cam changes are needed.