Brand Spotlight: Petzl

Petzl 

Born from a spirit of exploration

Fernand Petzl was a young mechanic who grew up at the feet of the Alps in Saint-Ismier, France.  At 17, Fernand began exploring caves near his home and fell in love with the endless possibilities for adventure, exploration and natural wonders beneath the surface. He went on a caving trip into the Trou du Glaz entrance to the Dent de Crolles cave system in 1933 that affected him and instilled in him a hunger to reach unseen depths and push the limits of the sport. In his free time after work, Fernand used the tools and resources in his workshop to tinker with various products and systems for caving, including rope ladders, hardware and ascending/descending gear. He also began exploring major sections of the caves beneath the Dent de Crolles with his friend, Pierre Chevalier. As the men continued to push the limits of caving, Fernand continued innovating. He invented the first climbing pole and broke with caving convention and started using nylon ropes in place of fixed ladders. 

 Fernand Petzl 

Fernand and his partners opened new passages beneath the Dent de Crolles, connecting other caves in the Chartreuse massif to form the Réseau de la Dent de Crolles, which was the deepest cave in the world at the time of its discovery. In the 1950s, Fernand led a team to the Gouffre Berger cavern. A few years later, he participated in the 1956 world depth record setting expedition there, which reached -1122 meters. This amazing feat, combined with his many other expeditions, garnered Fernand a prestigious reputation in the caving community. While elite alpinists were exploring the summits of the highest mountains in the Himalayas, Fernand Petzl and his friends were exploring the deepest depths of the Earth. 

While Fernand was participating in groundbreaking expeditions, he was also pioneering new equipment. In the late 1960s, Fernand worked to improve and produce a new design for an ascender, and later a descender in the 1970s. Combined with his work with nylon ropes, these two tools effectively allowed cavers to eliminate any reliance on ladders. These innovations were quickly adopted by rescue personnel, as well as other recreational outdoor sports enthusiasts. Fernand expanded his hard goods production in the 1970s with the aid of his sons, Pierre and Paul, applying his manufacturing and practical usage knowledge from caving to the growing sport of mountaineering. Fernand had produced some of the first viable caving lamps, so in 1973, he translated this expertise to climbing and released the new brand's first mountaineering headlamp. These early inventions and innovations were the foundations of the Petzl brand, and soon after, Fernand and his business partners established the Petzl headquarters in Crolles, France.

Fernand Petzl in his workshop

A commitment to innovation, performance and quality

In the mid-1970s, the Petzl brand grew quickly, always riding on waves of new products that were high performance and met a lofty standard of quality. Petzl grew through the late 1970s and into the 80s and developed a core focus on rope access sports like climbing, mountaineering canyoning and caving, as well as technical professional and rescue work. In 1986, Petzl built a cutting-edge test tower to measure forces on equipment and to develop new gear, as well as a new R&D department. This devotion to the combination of innovation and safety has always informed and continues to define the brand.

Petzl has grown to occupy a major role in the climbing market today. Over the years the company devoted energy and resources to the sport and built a trusted reputation as a climbing hard goods manufacturer. In 1977, encouraged by the success of their mountaineering specific headlamps, Petzl produced its first line of climbing harnesses and other gear, which allowed the brand to grow as a contender in the climbing market. In 1991, Petzl ushered in a new wave of innovation with the paradigm-smashing GriGri belay device. As the first assisted-braking device, the GriGri added a new standard of safety to climbing, a standard that other brands rushed to imitate. 

 In 2000, Petzl acquired Charlet Moser, a premium manufacturer of mountaineering and ice climbing axes and crampons. This led to the release of the Petzl Quark Ergo, the first leashless ice tool with a molded, angled grip. The Quark Ergo was also the precursor to the popular Quark ice tool that is still in the Petzl line today!

Petzl also began tapping into the professional market in 1990, with a focus on rope-work professionals and work at heights. Products such as the Tibloc ascender and ASAP mobile fall arrester,  arborist focused rope work systems, professional grade lighting and more have established Petzl as a leader in the market. 

Petzl Today

Today, Petzl continues to be a leader in the climbing industry. The spirit of exploration that drove Fernand Petzl is alive in the company today. Every product that Petzl makes is at once high-performance and uncompromisingly safe.  Petzl has released many climbing products recently that display their brand hallmarks of quality and innovation. The Petzl Reverso 4 has a reputation as one of the lightest and most versatile belay devices for trad and multipitch climbing. For sport climbing and safe belaying, the GriGri 2 is an updated model of the first assisted braking device, now capable of accepting a wider range of rope diameters. Petzl has also continued to make harnesses, including the versatile Adjama. Featuring adjustable leg loops and unbelievable comfortable construction, the Adjama is one of the finest harnesses on the market and is perfect for all types of climbing.

The Sirocco helmet from Petzl, with its bright orange color and unconventional all-foam design is quickly becoming an iconic product. As one of the lightest helmets on the market, the Sirocco is ideal for alpine climbing and mountaineering, and at such a light weight even some sport climbers are convinced and starting to wear helmets again!  Petzl also has a bold new line of ropes in a variety of diameters for ice climbing, mountaineering and rock climbing that feature high performance design and quality construction. The Petzl Nomic carries on the brand's reputation as a premium ice tool manufacturer, with an aggressive, modern shape that is great for steep ice or mixed routes. Finally, the Petzl Tikka RXP is an elite headlamp for mountaineering, climbing, ultra running and more, featuring their innovative Reactive lighting, that adjusts to the environment. Petzl broke into the market with a headlamp, yet with the Tikka RXP and other Reactive lighting headlamps, they now drive the standard in the industry.

Petzl is truly one of the elite climbing hardware manufacturers in the world. With innovative designs, a commitment to safety and quality, and the drive to continue pushing the limits of climbing gear, Petzl can take you from the depths of the deepest caves to the tops of the highest mountains, or anywhere in between!

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