1818 The Grivel family of blacksmiths, started to transform their production of agricultural tools. So the ice axe came into being surrounded by scepticism.
1909 The English engineer Oskar Eckenstein was received with similar scepticism when in, he asked Henry Grivel to manufacture the first modern crampons.
1929 Henry's son Laurent made the brilliant invention of the two front points, allowing climbers to stand face on whilst attacking the steep ice and snow gradients.
1936 Amato Grivel, Laurent's younger brother, using the Chromolly alloy (Nickel-Chrome-Molybdenum), created a really strong crampon, not as thick and therefore lighter, 360 grams a pair.
These crampons, the Super Leggero Grivel, have been used to conquer the 3 highest peaks in the world, the Everest, the K2, and the Kangchenjunga.
1982 New management led by Gioachino Gobbi was convinced that over a hundred years of tradition, the brand name and the company's location were a recipe for future success.
1982 Grivel's Super Courmayeur system, with its spare and inter-changeable picks and shovels, established itself as market leader.
1986 Grivel was the first manufacturer to present an ergonomic, curved shaft: the Rambo ice axe was born and numerous examples are still in circulation...
1986 Grivel first Carbon fibre shaft!
1993 Rambo crampon: a rigid crampon with a stable platform and no vibrations. Forged front points were added for the first time, a huge improvement.
1994 Grivel presented its new crampons with four different binding systems, suitable for all types of boots and different functions. The use of plastic for the first time would find many imitators!
1996 the Machine: the ice axe that revolutionised the design of technical tools. From now on this was the shape that all manufacturers would use. In 1998 experience gained from competitions spread the idea of climbing without leashes, Grivel was the first to present an ice axe with a crook in it aiding leashless climbing: ''top machine''.
1999 the Rambo Comp crampon was born in designed for competition climbing, it was the first to use backward facing points adding friction and hooking up to the crampon's list of uses.
2003 Grivel resolves the problem of snow build up under crampons with the first pro-active anti-balling plate. This gets rid of the snow with every step taken, using its flexibility and the alpinist's movement. Other manufacturers have tried to find an alternative to this Grivel patent but the truth is that no other real alternative exists!
2004 Monster and its flexible shaft appears in. Manic competitioners, boulderers, dry toolers and total-dry fanatics all adopt Monster that isn't just a step forward in ice axes but an extremely efficient extension of hands for anchoring on the most difficult terrains.
2006 the ultra lightweight Matrix ice axes and Rambo evolution 4 crampons: easier to fit, lighter and better for the latest generation's new posturing.
2007 the new Quantum range continues this cutting edge tradition introducing a carbon composite material used in the aerospace industry. Our composite Quantum ice axes are the lightest in the world, lighter than those in carbon fibre, lighter than those made with any other material.