On this day in 1908, legendary mountaineer and wilderness outdoor education pioneer Paul Petzoldt was born in Creston, Iowa. He developed several specialized climbing practices that are now considered standard. Examples include the ‘call and reply’ voice commands that are practiced all over the world (note the title of this article). And the ‘Sliding Middleman’ is a climbing practice that allows larger expedition teams to more safely traverse snow and ice fields.
In 1930, he formed Exum Mountain Guides (later known as Exum School of American Mountaineering), and in 1934, Paul led the first single-day double traverse of the Matterhorn (on the Swiss/Italian border). He was also a member of the First American Karakoram Expedition (also known as K2) in 1938.
By World War 2, most of the major combatants had specialized mountaineer units. The Americans were lagging behind in mountain warfare expertise, so in 1943, the US Army developed the elite 10th Mountain Division. Paul entered the unit as a sergeant (at age 36) bringing years of hard-earned mountaineering and survival skills. He was then deployed with the unit on the Italian Front in 1944.
He was Colorado Outward Bound’s first Chief Climbing Instructor in 1963. In 1965, Petzoldt founded NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). His work in adventure education raised the training bar to new heights (yes, that was intentional). In the mid 1970s he (along with Dr. Frank Lupton, Robert Christie and Charles Gregory) formed the Wilderness Education Association.
I am very fortunate to have met Paul on 2 different occasions. He spoke as a guest lecturer in several of my classes in the Recreation and Park Administration department at Western Illinois University. The anecdotes were filled with wisdom and wit that will stay with me forever. I also got to buy him breakfast at my residence hall cafeteria in 1988. As a 1987 graduate of the Environmental Conservation and Outdoor Education Expedition (ECOEE), I was certified as an Outdoor Leader in Paul’s curriculum. I have read and re-read his New Wilderness Handbook and Teton Trails many times over.
In 1994, several prominent mountaineers organized a Grand Teton climb in honor of the 70th anniversary of Paul’s first ascent. Just short of the summit, inclement weather began to roll in. Paul then announced that being 86 years old, and nearly blind, he ought to exercise some of that judgment he’d been teaching all these years, and turn around now. As they say, “There are old mountaineers, and there are bold mountaineers. But there are no old, bold mountaineers.”
Paul died on October 16, 1999 at the age of 91, leaving a legacy that continues to shape the experiences of climbers, adventurers, and experiential educators alike.
“On belay?” “Belay on, Paul!”
-Toph