Petzl

Petzl is one of the leading manufacturers of headlamps, work at height equipment, caving gear and climbing gear. Based in Crolles, France, the company was established during the 1970s and since then, has gone from strength to strength. Petzl's three main specialities include headlamps that offer bright, hands-free lighting, high tech work at height and rescue tools, that make it safer to work in sites that are difficult to access and vertical sports equipment for caving, mountaineering and climbing.

The making of Petzl:

Fernand Petzl, who founded the company, was born in 1912 and began to take an interest in climbing during the late 1920s. About fifteen years after this, Petz had begun to experiment with making his own vertical safety equipment and in 1968, he created a rope ascender. Then, in 1973, he developed a headlamp for mountaineering. Soon after he established the company Petzl; the business's first workshop was 670 metres squared and situated at the Dent de Crolles base.

Modern day Petzl:

Thirty years later, Petzl had more than six hundred products, including climbing harnesses, chalk bags, belay devices, screwgates, carabiners and quickdraws. In 2003, the company developed the Quark Ergo, an innovative ice axe that was angled and leashless. One year later they introduced the first fall arrest device to the market. Not long after this, the company hired a new general director by the name of Pascal Bonino and under his leadership, the Petzl Foundation was established. The aim of this foundation is to raise environmental and social awareness for outdoor sports such as climbing and to promote outdoor activity. This aim is accomplished by the foundation's endorsement of research in risk prevention and ecological preservation projects. The foundation is also heavily involved in the provision of general education about recreational sports and working at heights.