The Clearfield center became the first corporate owned distribution center outside of its own country (France). At the time Petzl depended upon 28 private firms for distribution outside of North America. Pigeon Mountain Industries was the former distributor of Petzl products in North America before the development of the Clearfield location. Petzl acquired the ice axe and crampon developer Charlet Moser in 2000, thereby expanding its production to include ice climbing technology. The first LED headlamps were produced in 2000 under the brand name TIKKA. As of 2001, Petzl had approximately 600 products. Later in 2002, the QUARK ERGO was developed and designed to be the first leashless, angled ice axe. In 2004, Petzl's first fall arrest device for work at height was developed. In 2006, the Petzl corporation introduced new general director Pascal Bonino, and the Petzl Foundation was also developed. The aim of the foundation is to promote low-impact outdoor activity as well as raise social and environmental awareness for outdoor sports such as mountaineering. This is accomplished through the Petzl Foundation's endorsement of ecological preservation projects, research in risk prevention, and general education in work at height and recreational activities at height. In 2006, Petzl America commissioned the recall of approximately 8,000 Carabiners due to the models’ susceptibility to failure. In January 2007, Petzl participated in safety and rescue demonstrations in Dubai at the world's largest security and safety fair Fernand Petzl died in 2003. His son, Paul, is the president and founder of the Petzl corporation. The Petzl Team The Petzl Team is a group of climbers and innovators who assist the company to develop and test its products. The team consists of the following: Josune Bereziartu Emily Harrington François Damilano Daniel Du Lac Dave Graham Lynn Hill Alexander Huber Robert Jasper Olivier Testa Chris Sharma Several members of the team are professional climbers. Some such as Chris Sharma have climbed some of the world's hardest routes. Such routes by Sharma include Jumbo Love (5.15ab) in 2008, La Rambla, Es Pontàs and Realization (considered to be first 5.15 class route) in 2001. Lynn Hill, another Petzl team member, was the first woman to set and ascend a route graded at 5.12+ or 5.13. In 1990, Hill was the winner of the IFSC Climbing World Cup. Hill also became the first person to free climb The Nose at Yosemite's El Capitan in under 24 hours. References External