A fall arrester for use in a climbing protection system to protect a user of a ladder, a platform or the like from falls wherein the fall arrester is adapted to be used with, and to be movable along, a guide rail having catching stops engageable by the fall arrester in response to a fall by the user, the fall arrester comprising: a body configured to be movable along a guide rail; a pawl comprising a pawl tooth, the pawl mounted to the body for movement relative to the body between an engaging position wherein the pawl tooth will engage a catching stop in the guide rail and a disengaged position wherein the pawl tooth will not engage the catching stops in the guide rail; a connecting element operably connected to the pawl and configured to transmit force to the pawl from a user attached to the connecting element; wherein the pawl and the connecting element are operably connected to each other such that: (a) the pawl and the connecting element rotate in a common direction as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position in response to a first predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a first direction, and (b) the pawl rotates away from the connecting element as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaging position in response to a second predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a second direction that is different than the first direction, and wherein the connecting element and the pawl are pre-loaded against each other, the pawl is mounted to the body to rotate about a first axis between the disengaged and the engaging positions, the connecting element is mounted to rotate about a second axis spaced from the first axis, and the pawl rotates about the first axis in response to the second predetermined force being applied to the connecting element in the second direction. a body configured to be movable along a guide rail; a pawl comprising a pawl tooth, the pawl mounted to the body for movement relative to the body between an engaging position wherein the pawl tooth will engage a catching stop in the guide rail and a disengaged position wherein the pawl tooth will not engage the catching stops in the guide rail; a connecting element operably connected to the pawl and configured to transmit force to the pawl from a user attached to the connecting element; wherein the pawl and the connecting element are operably connected to each other such that: (a) the pawl and the connecting element rotate in a common direction as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position in response to a first predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a first direction, and (b) the pawl rotates away from the connecting element as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaging position in response to a second predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a second direction that is different than the first direction, and (a) the pawl and the connecting element rotate in a common direction as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position in response to a first predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a first direction, and (b) the pawl rotates away from the connecting element as the pawl moves from the disengaged position to the engaging position in response to a second predetermined force applied to the connecting element in a second direction that is different than the first direction, and wherein the connecting element and the pawl are pre-loaded against each other, the pawl is mounted to the body to rotate about a first axis between the disengaged and the engaging positions, the connecting element is mounted to rotate about a second axis spaced from the first axis, and the pawl rotates about the first axis in response to the second predetermined force being applied to the connecting element in the second direction.