![Head Lamp Petzl e+Lite with case](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Head_Lamp_Petzl_e%2BLite_with_case.jpg)
Petzl is a French manufacturer of
climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...
gear,
caving
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
gear, work-at-height equipment, and
headlamp
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
s based in
Crolles
Crolles () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is located in the Isère valley, 20 km northeast of Grenoble, upstream on the river Isère. It has given its name to the Dent de Crolles mountain (2,062 m), which s ...
(near
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
), France. The company was created by the cave explorer
Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl (April 7, 1913 – May 31, 2003) 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 (near Grenoble), France at the foot of the mountain Dent De ...
in the mid-1970s. Their three specialties are:
*Vertical sports: equipment for
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
, climbing, caving, etc.
*Work at height and
rescue
Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation.
Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...
: solutions for progression and safety in difficult-access worksites and in
technical rescue
Technical rescue is the use of specialised tools and skills for rescue, including vehicle extrication, confined space rescue, rope rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, water rescue, and wilderness search and rescue. These often requi ...
.
*Headlamps/head torches that provide hands free lighting.
History
Fernand Petzl, born in 1912, began his
caving
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
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
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
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
The Gouffre Berger is a French cave discovered on 24 May 1953 by Joseph Berger, Bouvet, Ruiz de Arcaute and Marc Jouffrey. From 1953 to 1963, it was regarded as the deepest cave in the world at , relinquishing this title to the previous contender, ...
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 , and located at the base of
Dent de Crolles
The Dent de Crolles () is a karstic mountain (2,062 m) of the Chartreuse Mountains range, north east of Grenoble, Isère, France. It has a characteristic "tooth-like" profile and is easily recognizable in the Isère Valley (Grésivaudan) in the G ...
“Tooth of Crolles” close to Grenoble.
Two years after establishing a base, Petzl produced its first vertical
safety harness
A safety harness is a form of protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards a ...
in 1977. In the early 1980s the company began expanding its products from caving to vertical sports such as
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
and
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
, as well as to rescue. The company's first brand name
head lamp
A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
, 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
A Grigri (styled as GriGri or GRIGRI) is an assisted braking belay device manufactured by Petzl designed to help secure rock-climbing, rappelling, and rope-acrobatic activities. Its main characteristic is a clutch that assists in braking u ...
, was produced a year later in the United States. The Grigri is still produced and sold toda
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
LaFayette ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Walker County, Georgia, Walker County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,888. It was founded as Chattooga.
LaFayette is part of the C ...
, United States, to
Clearfield, Utah
Clearfield is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 31,364 at the 2020 census. The city grew rapidly during the 1940s, with the formation of Hill Air Force Base, and in the 1950s with the nationwide increase in suburb a ...
, United States.
[‘’Jones’’] 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.
[Petzl Foundation Endorses ROCTRIP](_blank)
/ref> 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
A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken' ...
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 [‘’Arabia2000’’]
Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl (April 7, 1913 – May 31, 2003) 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 (near Grenoble), France at the foot of the mountain Dent De ...
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 Bereziartu
*Emily Harrington
Emily Harrington (born August 17, 1986) is an American professional rock climber and mountaineer. She is a five-time US National Champion in sport lead climbing, runner-up in the 2005 IFSC Climbing World Championships, and has made the female f ...
*François Damilano
François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis.
People with the given name
* Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters"
* Francis II of France, King ...
*Daniel Du Lac
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...
* Dave Graham
*Lynn Hill
Carolynn Marie Hill (born January 3, 1961) is an American rock climber. Widely regarded as one of the leading competitive climbers, traditional climbers (and particularly big wall traditional climbers), sport climbers, and boulderers in the ...
*Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968), is a German rock climber and mountaineer. He became a professional climber in 1997, and was widely regarded as the world's strongest climber in the late-1990s, and is an important figure in rock climbin ...
*Robert Jasper
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
*Olivier Testa
Olivier Testa (born April 1, 1977) is a cave explorer, known for his discovery of the orange cave-dwelling crocodiles of Gabon, the Iroungou burial cave in Gabon, the discovery of unexpected caves in the volcanic Bamboutos mountains in Cameroo ...
*Chris Sharma
Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April, 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of '' Real ...
Several members of the team are professional climbers. Some such as Chris Sharma have climbed some of the world's hardest routes. Such routes by Sharma include ''Jumbo Love
''Jumbo Love'' is a long sport climbing route on remote limestone cliffs on Clark Mountain in the Mojave Desert. Bolted by American climber Randy Leavitt in the 1990s, he invited Chris Sharma to attempt it in 2007. When Sharma completed the ...
'' (5.15ab) in 2008, '' La Rambla'', ''Es Pontàs
Es Pontàs ("The big bridge" in Catalan language) is a natural arch in the southeastern part of the island of Mallorca. The arch is located on the coastline between the Cala Santanyí and Cala Llombards in the municipality of Santanyí. The arc ...
'' 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. In 1990, Hill was the winner of the IFSC Climbing World Cup
The IFSC Climbing World Cup is a series of climbing competitions held annually and organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). The athletes compete in three disciplines: lead, bouldering and speed. The number of competit ...
. Hill also became the first person to free climb The Nose at Yosemite's El Capitan
El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granit ...
in under 24 hours.
References
External links
{{Climbing-nav
Caving equipment
Climbing equipment companies
Manufacturing companies of France
Mountaineering equipment manufacturers
Companies based in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Sporting goods manufacturers of France