Royal Robbins has posted a storied timeline of legendary founders, Royal and Liz Robbins. The timeline walks visitors through Royal’s childhood, his and Liz’s big wall climbs in Yosemite and the inception of their brand of much needed outdoor apparel when there were no options outside of army surplus gear.
“Royal Robbins has inherited this rich history that we feel is our duty to keep alive,” said Michael Millenacker, CEO of Royal Robbins. “We are excited to reinvigorate iconic rock climbers Royal and Liz Robbins’ beloved heritage apparel brand to its original potential.”
Robbins was one of the first and most vocal proponents of clean climbing. In 1967, he and his wife, Liz, made the first ascent of Nutcracker in the Yosemite Valley using only removable nuts for protection. It was the first climb of its kind in the United States. In May 1967, Robbins advocated using nuts rather than pounding pitons into the granite cracks in his seminal article in Summit Magazine.
Millenacker served as Royal Robbins’ director of sales and marketing in the 1990s, reporting directly to Royal. In late 2015, he returned to the heritage brand after serving as president of Eagle Creek and vice president of sales at The North Face. Millenacker is committed to re-awakening the brand’s storied history and sustainability efforts.
“We are excited to move forward with revitalizing the brand,” said Millenacker. “Paying homage to its legacy is an integral part of that.”
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