Petzl
Encyclopedia
Petzl is a world leading manufacturer of climbing
gear, caving
gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamp
s based in Crolles
(near Grenoble
), France
. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl
in the mid-1970s. Their three specialties are:
In 1943, Chevalier designed and tested the first nylon rope to replace caving ladders. This technology provided the foundation for nearly all vertical safety methods to come. Chevalier’s innovation led to the first 1,000 meter cave descent when Petzl explored the gouffre Berger
in France in 1950 .
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Petzl began experimenting further with vertical safety technology, and in 1968 he produced his first rope ascenders, then marketed as “Produits Fernand Petzl (Fernand Petzl Products)” . Five years later, in 1973, Petzl developed his first mountaineering headlamp.
In 1975, the Petzl corporation was born as Fernand Petzl established the first company headquarters in Crolles, France. “This [was] the beginning of Petzl manufacturing.” . The initial workshop was approximately 7200 square feet (668.9 m²), and located at the base of Dent de Crolles
“Tooth of Crolles” close to Grenoble.
Two years after establishing a base, Petzl produced its first vertical safety harness in 1977. In the early 1980s the company began expanding its products from caving to vertical sports such as rock climbing and mountaineering, as well as to rescue. The company’s first brand name head lamp, the ZOOM, was produced in 1981. Later, in 1986, Petzl developed its first R&D department and testing tower.
In 1990, Petzl’s first products for work at height were produced, and the Petzl Securité department was developed. Petzl’s first self braking device, the Grigri, was produced a year later in the United States. The Grigri is still produced and sold today http://en.petzl.com/petzl/frontoffice/corporate/Petzl-corporate-brochure.pdf. Also developed in the 1990s was a modification of Fernand Petzl's initial rope ascender design. The TIBLOC, which is still sold today, was developed in 1998.
In 1998, Petzl moved its North American distribution center from La Fayette, Georgia, USA,to Clearfield, Utah, USA. . The Clearfield center became the first corporate owned distribution center outside of its own country (France). At the time Petzl depended upon 28 private firms for distribution outside of North America. Pigeon Mountain Industries was the former distributor of Petzl products in North America before the development of the Clearfield location .
Petzl acquired the ice axe and crampon developer Charlet Moser in 2000, thereby expanding its production to include ice climbing technology. The first LED headlamps were produced in 2000 under the brand name TIKKA.
As of 2001, Petzl had approximately 600 products . Later in 2002, the QUARK ERGO was developed and designed to be the first leashless, angled ice axe . In 2004, Petzl’s first fall arrest device for work at height
was developed. In 2006, the Petzl corporation introduced new general director Pascal Bonino, and the Petzl Foundation was also developed.
The aim of the foundation is to promote low-impact outdoor activity as well as raise social and environmental awareness for outdoor sports such as mountaineering . This is accomplished through the Petzl Foundation’s endorsement of ecological preservation projects, research in risk prevention, and general education in work at height and recreational activities at height .
In 2006, Petzl America commissioned the recall of approximately 8,000 Carabiner
s due to the models’ susceptibility to failure.. In January 2007, Petzl participated in safety and rescue demonstrations in Dubai at the world’s largest security and safety fair
Fernand Petzl
died in 2003. His son, Paul, is the president and founder of the Petzl corporation.
Several members of the team are professional climbers. Some such as Chris Sharma have climbed the world’s hardest routes. Such routes by Sharma include Jumbo Love (5.15a/b) in 2008, La Rambla, Es Pontas and Realization (considered to be first 5.15 class route) in 2001.
Lynn Hill, another Petzl team member, was the first woman to set and ascend a route graded at 5.12+ or 5.13. Hill also became the first person to free climb The Nose
at Yosemite’s El Capitan
.
Branches: Crolles, Eybens, Rotherens (European). Clearfield, Utah (United States)
ISO 9001 Certification
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
gear, caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamp
Headlamp (outdoor)
A headlamp is a light source affixed to the head for outdoor activities at night or in dark conditions such as caving, orienteering, hiking, backpacking, camping, mountaineering or mountain biking...
s based in Crolles
Crolles
Crolles is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France. It is located in the Isère valley, 20 km north-east of Grenoble, upstream on the Isère River...
(near Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl was a caver and manufacturer of outdoor equipment under the brand name Petzl.Petzl lived most of his life in the village of Saint-Ismier , France at the foot of the mountain Dent De Crolles. He first went caving in Trou du Glaz in 1933, and was immediately captivated by the idea of...
in the mid-1970s. Their three specialties are:
- Vertical sports: equipment for mountaineeringMountaineeringMountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, climbing, caving, etc. - Work at height and rescueRescueRescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
: solutions for progression and safety in difficult-access worksites and in technical rescueTechnical rescueTechnical rescue refers to those aspects of saving life or property that employ the use of tools and skills that exceed those normally reserved for fire fighting, medical emergency, and rescue. These disciplines include rope rescue, swiftwater rescue, confined space rescue, ski rescue, cave rescue,...
. - Headlamps/head torches that provide hands free lighting.
History
Fernand Petzl, born in 1912, began his caving career in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1936, Petzl was introduced to, then small-time caver, Pierre Chevalier. The two began work on improving the technology behind their sport.In 1943, Chevalier designed and tested the first nylon rope to replace caving ladders. This technology provided the foundation for nearly all vertical safety methods to come. Chevalier’s innovation led to the first 1,000 meter cave descent when Petzl explored the gouffre Berger
Gouffre Berger
The Gouffre Berger is a French cave discovered on 24 May 1953, by Joseph Berger, Bouvet, Ruiz de Arcaute and Marc Jouffray. From 1953 to 1963, it was regarded as the deepest cave in the world at , relinquishing this title to the previous contender, Pierre Saint Martin in 1964, after further...
in France in 1950 .
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Petzl began experimenting further with vertical safety technology, and in 1968 he produced his first rope ascenders, then marketed as “Produits Fernand Petzl (Fernand Petzl Products)” . Five years later, in 1973, Petzl developed his first mountaineering headlamp.
In 1975, the Petzl corporation was born as Fernand Petzl established the first company headquarters in Crolles, France. “This [was] the beginning of Petzl manufacturing.” . The initial workshop was approximately 7200 square feet (668.9 m²), and located at the base of Dent de Crolles
Dent de Crolles
The Dent de Crolles is a karstic mountain of the Chartreuse Mountains range, 17 km north east from Grenoble, Isère . It has a characteristic "tooth-like" profile which is well-known sight of the Isère Valley seen from the Grenoble area...
“Tooth of Crolles” close to Grenoble.
Two years after establishing a base, Petzl produced its first vertical safety harness in 1977. In the early 1980s the company began expanding its products from caving to vertical sports such as rock climbing and mountaineering, as well as to rescue. The company’s first brand name head lamp, the ZOOM, was produced in 1981. Later, in 1986, Petzl developed its first R&D department and testing tower.
In 1990, Petzl’s first products for work at height were produced, and the Petzl Securité department was developed. Petzl’s first self braking device, the Grigri, was produced a year later in the United States. The Grigri is still produced and sold today http://en.petzl.com/petzl/frontoffice/corporate/Petzl-corporate-brochure.pdf. Also developed in the 1990s was a modification of Fernand Petzl's initial rope ascender design. The TIBLOC, which is still sold today, was developed in 1998.
In 1998, Petzl moved its North American distribution center from La Fayette, Georgia, USA,to Clearfield, Utah, USA. . The Clearfield center became the first corporate owned distribution center outside of its own country (France). At the time Petzl depended upon 28 private firms for distribution outside of North America. Pigeon Mountain Industries was the former distributor of Petzl products in North America before the development of the Clearfield location .
Petzl acquired the ice axe and crampon developer Charlet Moser in 2000, thereby expanding its production to include ice climbing technology. The first LED headlamps were produced in 2000 under the brand name TIKKA.
As of 2001, Petzl had approximately 600 products . Later in 2002, the QUARK ERGO was developed and designed to be the first leashless, angled ice axe . In 2004, Petzl’s first fall arrest device for work at height
Self-locking device
Self-locking devices are devices intended to arrest the fall of solo climbers who climb without partners. This device is used for back rope solo climbing for 'ground-up climbing' or 'top rope self belaying'. To date, several types of such self-locking devices have evolved.-Prusik sling:The earliest...
was developed. In 2006, the Petzl corporation introduced new general director Pascal Bonino, and the Petzl Foundation was also developed.
The aim of the foundation is to promote low-impact outdoor activity as well as raise social and environmental awareness for outdoor sports such as mountaineering . This is accomplished through the Petzl Foundation’s endorsement of ecological preservation projects, research in risk prevention, and general education in work at height and recreational activities at height .
In 2006, Petzl America commissioned the recall of approximately 8,000 Carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
s due to the models’ susceptibility to failure.. In January 2007, Petzl participated in safety and rescue demonstrations in Dubai at the world’s largest security and safety fair
Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl was a caver and manufacturer of outdoor equipment under the brand name Petzl.Petzl lived most of his life in the village of Saint-Ismier , France at the foot of the mountain Dent De Crolles. He first went caving in Trou du Glaz in 1933, and was immediately captivated by the idea of...
died in 2003. His son, Paul, is the president and founder of the Petzl corporation.
The Petzl Team
The Petzl Team is a group of climbers and innovators who assist the company to develop and test its products. The team consists of the following:- Josune BereziartuJosune BereziartuJosune Bereziartu is a Basque rock climber. She has been climbing since 1989.*She is the first female to have climbed the grade 9a/5.14d . Bain de Sang in St Loup, Switzerland, had its first ascent by Fred Nicole and was the third 9a route in the world...
- Francois Damlano
- Danial Dulac
- Dave Graham
- Lynn HillLynn HillLynn Hill is a United States rock climber, known as a top sport climber of the 1980s and famous for making the first free ascent of the Nose Route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley....
- Alexander HuberAlexander HuberAlexander Huber , is a German physicist, climber and mountaineer. He lives in Traunstein.When they were still young Alexander Huber and his brother Thomas Huber were taken into the mountains by their father, Thomas Huber, himself a noted climber known for early fast ascents of now classic climbs...
- Robert Jasper
- Chris SharmaChris SharmaChris Omprakash Sharma is an American rock climber.-History:Chris Omprakash Sharma was raised in Santa Cruz, California, son of Gita Jahn and Bob Sharma. He started rock climbing when he was 12 at the Pacific Edge climbing gym...
Several members of the team are professional climbers. Some such as Chris Sharma have climbed the world’s hardest routes. Such routes by Sharma include Jumbo Love (5.15a/b) in 2008, La Rambla, Es Pontas and Realization (considered to be first 5.15 class route) in 2001.
Lynn Hill, another Petzl team member, was the first woman to set and ascend a route graded at 5.12+ or 5.13. Hill also became the first person to free climb The Nose
The Nose
"The Nose" is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol. Written between 1835 and 1836, it tells of a St. Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own.-Part one:...
at Yosemite’s El Capitan
El Capitan
El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers.The formation was...
.
Locations
Headquarters: Crolles, FranceBranches: Crolles, Eybens, Rotherens (European). Clearfield, Utah (United States)
ISO 9001 Certification