Yvon Chouinard
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Yvon Chouinard (born 1938) (in Maine) is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business.
Chouinard is also a surfer, kayaker and fisherman. He is a writer, first on climbing issues and ethics, and more lately on mixing environmentalism and sound business practice in the concept of a slow company.
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[edit] Early life
Chouinard's father was a French-Canadian blacksmith, a vocation Yvon would eventually take up himself. In the late 1950's, he and his family moved from Maine to Southern California. An avid mountain climber, he had made numerous first ascents by his early twenties. His early climbing partners included Royal Robbins and Tom Frost. [1]. A Sierra Club member, in his youth he founded the Southern California Falconry Club, and it was his investigations of falcon aeries that led him to rock climbing. [2]To save money, he decided to make his own climbing tools using his blacksmithing background, and eventually started a business. [3]
In 1971, Chouinard met and married his wife, Malinda Pennoyer, who was an art student at Fresno State University.
[edit] Yosemite Rockclimber to Leading Alpinist
Chouinard was one of the leading climbers of the Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing. He participated in the second ascent of The Nose on El Capitan in 1960, and then the ascent of the North American Wall in 1964 (with Royal Robbins, Tom Frost and Chuck Pratt), using no fixed ropes. The next year, his and T. M. Herbert's ascent of the Muir Wall improved the style of previous first ascents. Chouinard became the most articulate advocate of the importance of style, the basis of modern rock climbing.
In 1961, he visited the Canadian Rockies with Fred Beckey, and made several important first ascents including the North Face of Mount Edith Cavell, the Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos, and the North Face of Mount Sir Donald. These climbs opened his eyes to the idea of applying Yosemite big-wall climbing techniques to mountain climbing, and his advocacy was important to modern, high-grade alpinism. Also in 1961, he visited the Gunks for the first time, freeclimbing the first pitch of Matinee (the hardest free climb done in the Gunks at the time); and introducing chromoly steel pitons to the area, which revolutionized climbing protection. In 1968, he climbed Cerro Fitzroy in Patagonia by a new route (The Californian Route, 3rd overall ascent of the mountain) with Dick Dorworth, Chris Jones, Lito Tejada-Flores and Douglas Tompkins. [4]
[edit] Chouinard Equipment, Ltd.
In 1957, he bought a coal-fired forge second-hand, and started making hard-steel pitons for use in Yosemite Valley. Between time spent surfing and climbing, he sold pitons out of the back of his car to support himself. The improved pitons were a big factor in the birth of big-wall climbing in 1957-1960 in Yosemite. The success of his pitons caused him to found Chouinard Equipment for Alpinists (CEA), Inc.
In the late 60's, Chouinard and business partner Tom Frost began studying ice climbing equipment, and re-invented the basic tools (crampons and ice axes) to perform on steeper ice. These new tools and his book 'Climbing Ice' (1978) started the modern sport of ice climbing.
Around 1970, he became aware that the use of hard-steel pitons made by his company were causing significant damage to the cracks of Yosemite. These pitons comprised 70% of his income. [5] In 1971 and 1972, he introduced new aluminum chockstones, call Hexentrics and Stoppers along with less successful steel Crack-n-Ups, for climbing, and committed his company to the advocacy of the new tools and a new style of climbing called "clean climbing". This concept revolutionized rock climbing and led to further success of his company, despite destroying the sales of pitons, formerly his most important product.
In 1989, the Chouinard Equipment Ltd. filed bankruptcy protection in order to protect it from liability lawsuits. The hard assets of Chouinard Equipment Ltd. were acquired by its employees through the Chapter 11 process, and the company was reborn as Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.. [6]
[edit] Patagonia and Environmentalism
Chouinard is most noted for the clothing and gear company, Patagonia. In 1970 on a trip to Scotland, he picked up some rugby shirts and sold them as a great success[7]. From this small start, the Patagonia company developed a wide selection of rugged technical clothing, and is noted for radical innovation in materials and design. [citation needed] Patagonia is considered one of the great successes of the outdoor industry.[citation needed]
With success came responsibility. Recognizing that the financial success of the company provided the opportunity to also achieve personal goals, Chouinard committed the company to being an outstanding place to work, and to be an important resource for environmental activism. In 1984, Patagonia opened an on-site, vegetarian cafeteria and started providing on-site child care. In 1986, Chouinard committed the company to "tithing" for environmental activism, committing 1% of sales or 10% of profits. The commitment included paying employees working on local environmental projects so they could commit their efforts full-time.
In the early 1990's, an environmental audit of Patagonia revealed the surprising result that cotton was the worst product for the environment. In 1994, Chouinard committed the company to using all pesticide free (aka organically-grown cotton), and this demand created the organic cotton industry in California.
[edit] Publications
Chouinard, Yvon (1982). Climbing Ice. New York, USA: Random House. ISBN 0871562073.
Chouinard, Yvon (2005). let my people go surfing. New York, USA: The Penguin Press. ISBN 1-59420-072-6.
[edit] References
Ottman, Jacquelyn A. (2004). GREEN MARKETING: OPPORTUNITY FOR INNOVATION. Charleston, SC, USA: BookSurge Publishing; 2nd edition. ISBN 0844232394.
- ^ http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200510/yvon-chouinard-2.html
- ^ http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200510/yvon-chouinard-2.html
- ^ http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?ISBN=1594200726&z=y Publishers note
- ^ Jones, Chris (1976). Climbing in North America. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, USA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02976-3.
- ^ http://www.fashion-planet.com/sept98/features/earth_watchers/patagonia.html
- ^ http://www.fashion-planet.com/sept98/features/earth_watchers/patagonia.html
- ^ Patagonia, Inc. (2006). Patagonia's History - a company created by climber Yvon Chouinard. Patagonia web site. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
