Left, Front	Right, Front
Left, Rear	Right, Rear
Left Front, Open for Rigging	Right Front, Open for Rigging
Left Rear, Open for Rigging	Right Rear, Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Kailas Foot Up ascenders from Kailas via Amazon.com in 2021.

The Kailas Foot Up is 58 mm. tall, 65 mm. wide, 29 mm. thick, and weighs 87 g.

The rope channel is 15 mm. wide. The cam radius increases from 34 to 52 mm. over an angle of 36°, giving a 35° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (3.4)(1S1.2S2)^2(1S1.2.3).

The ascender consists of a CNC-milled, anodized aluminum shell, a cam assembly, and a set of straps and buckles. The rope channel is 15 mm. wide, and is 43 mm. from the cam pivot. Slots in the back of the shell accept webbing straps for the foot harness supplied with the ascender. One piece of webbing circles the ankle, another goes under the instep.

The cam is a plated skeletonized steel casting. The cam radius increases from 34 to 52 mm. over an angle of 36°, giving a 35° cam angle. The pivot is centered 43 mm. from the inside of the rope channel. The cam has number of small conical teeth. The teeth are parallel to the top of the cam. The tooth pattern is (3.4)(1S1.2S2)^2(1S1.1.2) where the "S" represents a single vertical mud slot. A spring-loaded plastic manual safety bar is riveted to the cam. The normal action of the spring holds the safety against the cam. When the cam is opened, the shell interferes with the safety bar, thus preventing opening the cam. If the safety bar is moved away from the cam (opposing the spring), it will clear the shell and the cam will open. At full open the safety can be released and the spring will hold the safety against the back of the shell. This provides a means of locking the cam open.

The outside of the rope channel is engraved with "ROPE 8≤Ø≤13," an up-pointing arrow, "UP," and "L" (resp. "R"). The spine is printed with "KAILAS," a book-with-an-"I" icon, and "Y01 1019." The cam has "KAILAS" cast into it on both sides. The cam safety has "KAILAS" molded into it on the rear side.

Comments

The Kailas Foot Up uses a CNC-milled shell rather than a stamped one. The result is a more rugged ascender. This is arguably less important on a foot ascender than a handled ascender, but I'll take it, especially since there is no great weight penalty.

The webbing attachment points are nicely designed so that the webbing does not interfere with the cam movement like it does on some other foot ascenders.