Petzl America to Open Technical Institute Facility

Petzl America announces the opening of the Petzl Technical Institute at its new headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. With a focus on connecting members of the different vertical communities, the Petzl Technical Institute aims to advance the standard of safety through training for those who work and play in the vertical world, says the company. That includes rope-access technicians and fire/rescue professional, arborists, military special operators, rock climbers, cavers, alpinists, routesetters and climbing gym employees, and more.

The new 15,000-square-foot facility features customizable and job-specific training facilities to recreate a wide variety of real-world scenarios. Key features include a 55-foot tall climbing wall with midway ledge for multi-pitch simulation and exposed support structure for tower climbing applications. Other work and rescue specific features include a 35-foot vertical confined-space apparatus, a 70-foot rooftop exterior rappel station for edge-transition rescue, and a three-story firefighter bailout simulator tower. Every joint and joist in the facility rated to 5,000 pounds, for a huge variety of rigging options and configurations, says Petzl. The facility is also equipped with a drop tower and tensile tester, for pushing gear and systems to their limits.

“I’m extremely excited to be heading up the Petzl Technical Institute in North America,” said Petzl Technical Institute Manager, Oliver McLeod. “This one-of-kind facility is a part of our dedication to Petzl solutions, which are made up of products, technical information, and training. It will allow us to better serve members of the various vertical communities by acting as a hub for learning, discussion, and the sharing of best practices.”

The new Petzl Technical Institute facility will also help Petzl support the Petzl Solutions Network in North America, providing a centralized training location and encouraging the communication and sharing of technical information and safety practices among training providers who partner with Petzl.

To learn more, sign up for training, or apply to become a PTP head to petzlsolutions.com