A photo list of the best-known descenders and of the different models available on the market. These descenders and belay devices are normally used when abseiling.
A descender is defined as that belaying tool which can be used in mountain sports (mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, caving) or in many other kinds of work (making roads safe, pruning by treeclimbing). Descenders are used together with a rope.
The aim of this photo round-up is to help the beginner mountaineer or climber become familiar with the different types of descender.
We wanted to put together a photo list of the best-known descenders and of the different models available on the market. These descenders and belay devices are normally used when abseiling.
A descender is defined as that belaying tool which can be used in mountain sports (mountaineering, rock climbing, ice climbing, caving) or in many other kinds of work (making roads safe, pruning by treeclimbing). Descenders are used together with a rope.
The aim of this photo round-up is to help the beginner mountaineer or climber become familiar with the different types of descender.
| Camp figure-of-eight descender - Black Series |
 |
Salewa figure-of-eight descender |  |
| Petzl figure-of-eight descender |  |
Kong descender |  |
| Camp Stick 234 belay plate |  |
Camp Gigi belay plate |  |
| Kong Robot descender - Widely used by Mountain Guides |  |
Kong belay tube |  |
| Mammut belay tube |  |
Edelrid belay tube |  |
| Petzl Reverso tube descender |  |
Black Diamond ATC-GUIDE tube descender |  |
| Camp Lotus model tube descender |  |
Black Diamond ATC-SPORT single tube descender |  |
| Kong Ghost descender |  |
Petzl Gri-gri self-locking descender |  |
| Faders Sum self-locking descender |  |
Edelrid Eddy self-locking descender |  |
Frequently asked questions
What is a descender used for in the mountains?
A descender is a belaying tool used together with the rope, in particular when abseiling. It is used in mountaineering, rock and ice climbing, caving and in work such as making roads safe or treeclimbing.
What types of descender are there?
Among the best-known models are the figure-of-eight descenders by Camp, Salewa and Petzl, belay plates such as the Camp Stick 234, tubes such as the Petzl Reverso and the Black Diamond ATC, and self-locking devices such as the Gri-gri, Sum and Eddy.