Petzl America has opened the Petzl Technical Institute at their new headquarters in Salt Lake City, which will focus on connecting rope-access technicians and fire/rescue professional, arborists, military special operators, rock climbers, cavers, alpinists, routesetters and climbing gym employees and others to advance safety standards and training for those who work and play in the vertical world.
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. 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.
