Grivel (company)

Grivel S.r.l
IndustryMechanics
Founded1818 (1818)
HeadquartersItaly, Courmayeur and Verrayes
ProductsClimbing Equipment
Climbing Gear
Increase€ 5 million
Number of employees
25 (2008)
Websitewww.grivel.com

Grivel Srl is an Italian-based company that produces tools and equipment for alpinism, climbing, and outdoor activities. The company is the oldest manufacturer of tools for alpinism in existence.[1]

The company has been certified GS TUF since 1992, ISO 9001 since 1996, ISO 1400 since 2004.

History

Grivel was founded in 1818 in Courmayeur, Italy. Grivel is the surname of the original founders, in particular Henry Grivel who was succeeded by his son Laurent Grivel.[2] It was Laurent who, in 1932, added two points to the front of mountaineering crampons, thus creating the 12 point crampon which revolutionised ice-climbing and was used throughout the rest of the 20th century.[3]

In 1982, the company was purchased by Gioachino Gobbi and his family.[1][4] The company has offices in Courmayeur and Verrayes in the Aosta Valley, and is also present in Vivaro and Chamonix.

The company was awarded a Compasso d'Oro design prize in 2016 for its "Twin Gate" carabiner.[5][6]

In November 2024, Gioachino Gobbi, who was still acting as President of Grivel at the time, died.[7]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 "Grivel celebrates 200-year anniversary". Trek and Mountain. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  2. ↑ history Grivel website – Histoire (in French).
  3. ↑ Chouinard, Yvon (1978). Climbing Ice. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 18. ISBN 9780340232835. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Hansen, James; Tribune, International Herald (1994-08-15). "High-Tech Tackles High Altitudes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  5. ↑ "Grivel Twin Gate carabiner wins Compasso d'Oro – ADI". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  6. ↑ "TWIN GATE". ADI Design Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  7. ↑ "Farewell to Gioachino Gobbi, grand Grivel president". PlanetMountain.com. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 2025-03-18.