Petzl

Founded back in 1970, Petzl has evolved into a standard-setting manufacturer of rock climbing gear, head torches and professional safety equipment. Their innovative, rugged gear is tailor-made for work-at-height rope access and work in confined spaces, and their current collection includes helmets, harnesses, ascenders, descenders and pulleys, Tikka, Myo, XP, Shunt, and Tikkina.
Founder Fernand Petzl discovered caving at the age of 17, and bitten hard by the bug, went on to create his own workshop where he designed and built innovative equipment to help him get even more from the caving experience. Things escalated pretty quickly, and a budding small business was soon born. The whole family pitched in, with son Paul brought on board to help the business grow, with Paul's wife Catherine soon joining them to take care of the money side of things.

Fernand Petzl revolutionised many techniques seen in caving at the time, and even developed the nylon rope that would go on to become a staple for outdoor sports enthusiasts the world over. This innovation continued at pace, and in 1970, the Petzl brand we know today was born. Within five years, they had their first company headquarters, established at the foot of the Dent de Crolles in France.

From there, the Petzl brand just grew and grew, and continues to be a family brand today, becoming the largest European manufacturer of personal protective equipment for those who work and play down in the darkness or up on the mountain. Still inventing and developing their products at their headquarters in the heart of the French Alps, Petzl continue to strive to create better tools with which to explore your passion; tools with superior performance and comfort, that you can rely on wholeheartedly; tools that enable you to access the inaccessible.