The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
1440.2018.1
Petzl Shunt (early version)
08/05/2018
Hermione Cooper
08/05/2018
Petzl Shunt with attached rope
aluminium alloy
11(L) x 8(H) x 6(W) cms
1
"F.PETZL SHUNT BREVETE MADE IN FRANCE"
blue, silver
Brevete
France
Ferdinand Petzl was a caver who designed many new and innovative ideas for the caving fraternity and later, the general world of mountaineering. Outdoor folk from the latter part of the 1900’s will forever remember the Petzl Zoom headtorch which just about everybody had at the time - they must have made millions of them.
The Petzl Shunt seems to have appeared around 1990, designed as an ascender for cavers and the, then new, industry of Industrial Rope Access, much used in North Sea oil exploration. It works on a simple system whereby two metal bars squeeze the rope when weighted; the more you pull, the more they squeeze. Unfortunately, the system became controversial pretty early on since the simple release lever could be pulled accidently in some cicumstances making it potentially unsafe. Check out the Petzl website if you need to know more.
The version we have here is an early circa 1995/6 version which was kindly donated by Bob Smith, one time leader of the Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team.
Donated by Bob Smith
08/05/2018
08/05/2018
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
08/05/2018
Petzl Bolt/Rock Drill
Petzl Bolts and Hangers
Petzl headtorch
Petzl Headtorch
Petzl Rack Descender