Bob-CO...

The device well definitely work on the descent as well.

Climber (rock climbers) have very specializied gear for every action and situation. They have both ascenders and descenders. You need only purchase the ascender that I describe and enough quality rope for the number of fixed postion stands that you are going to use. You will need only ONE ascender though. Read on.

Here' s the deal:

The ascender that I noted works by grabbing the rope. You slide it up and it has a cam that is forced against the rope when you let go of it after sliding it up. If you pull down on it, it will not go down because the cam is wedging against the rope.

However, it can be released for the descent by simply taking your thumb and moving the spring-loaded cam away from the rope momentarily as you slide the ascender down the rope on your way down. The moment take your thumb away from the device it cams against the rope again. So you simply climb down a few steps, slide the device down, climb down a few more step, slide the device down, and so on.

Bottom line: It is and extremely simple device (although any written description of a how any simple device works sounds complicated) and it will definitely provide a very, very high degree of safety as you both ascend and descend your treestand. It is far superior to any thing I' ve seen anywhere, and I' ve spent a lot of time researching this because I' m too old to be bouncing off the ground even once.

My son is an avid rock climber. He has spent the last 18 months or so in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range and in Utah climbing with some very accomplished and very experienced rock climbers and mountaineer types. In addition to that, he, like me, is a gear-head, and is therefore, aware of what is currently available. Believe me, he owns it all and knows how to use it. (He called me yesterday to share the fact that he just finished a " first ascent" with his crew, one of which is a world-class climber. A first-ascent is a rock-climbing route that has never been done before.)

I may have mentioned this before, but I' ll mention it again. My son, Nathan, watched me hanging a stand early last year. The first thing he said was, " You need to get an ascender right away, if this is what you do when you bow hunt."

I used the ascender with quality ropes (one rope per stand) on all of my permanently installed fixed position stands. It completely eliminates the risk of falling and the peace of mind is as valuable as you would think that it is...invaluable.

Lastly, you do not need the amount of rope they described. You need enough rope to tie it around the tree at the top of the tree and also to tie it around the tree at the bottom.

You will still need to use caution as you hang your stands and install the rope on each stand. After that, you use your harness (I use mine while hanging the stand also, of course) and attach it to the rope via the ascender, and your in business for the entire season.

The rope I use is climbers static line, which has some stretch or " bounce" to it if you happen to fall. That way you will not be jolted if you do fall, which is the reason that rock climbers use it also. It is about a dollar a foot, but I spent the extra money for the safety and peace of mind that the better rope provides.

The ascender itself is relatively inexpensive, very lightweight and extremely quiet...silent in fact.

If you or anyone else has any difficulty in acquiring one please email me. I am absolutely certain that this device is precisely what bow hunters and gun hunters need if they are going to hunt from tree stands.

Let me know if you have any questions. If you email me we could talk on the phone if necessary.