Yvon Chouinard was born on November 9, 1938. He is an American rock climber, environmental protector, and business owner. His company, Patagonia, sells items for outdoor activities, clothing, and food. In 2023, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

Early life

Yvon Chouinard's father was a French Canadian handyman, mechanic, and plumber. In 1947, Yvon and his family moved from Lewiston, Maine, to Southern California. They practiced the Catholic religion.

As a young man, Yvon climbed with Royal Robbins and Tom Frost. He was a member of the Sierra Club and founded the Southern California Falconry Club. Studying where falcons nested helped him discover rock climbing. To save money and create better climbing gear, he learned blacksmithing and made his own tools. Later, he started a business.

Yosemite rock climber to leading alpinist

Chouinard was one of the most important climbers during the "Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing." He was one of the main people in the movie Valley Uprising (2014), which is about this time. In 1964, he helped climb the North America Wall for the first time with Royal Robbins, Tom Frost, and Chuck Pratt, without using fixed ropes. The next year, he and TM Herbert climbed the Muir Wall on El Capitan, which changed how people did first ascents. Chouinard became a clear leader in explaining the importance of climbing style, which is the foundation of modern rock climbing.

In 1961, he traveled to Western Canada with Fred Beckey and made several first ascents, including the North Face of Mount Edith Cavell (in the Rockies), the Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower (in the Bugaboos, Purcell Mountains), and the North Face of Mount Sir Donald (in the Selkirk Mountains). These climbs showed him how to use Yosemite big-wall climbing methods for mountain climbing, which helped develop modern, advanced mountain climbing techniques. That same year, he visited Shawangunk Ridge for the first time, freeclimbed the first part of Matinee (the hardest free climb at Shawangunk Ridge at that time), and introduced chrome-molybdenum steel pitons to the area. These pitons changed how climbers protected themselves during climbs. In 1968, he climbed Cerro Fitzroy in Patagonia using a new route called the Californian Route (the third overall climb of the mountain) with Dick Dorworth, Chris Jones, Lito Tejada-Flores, and Douglas Tompkins.

Chouinard also traveled and climbed in the European Alps and in Pakistan.

Chouinard Equipment, Ltd.

In 1957, he purchased a used coal-fired forge and began creating strong steel pitons for climbing in Yosemite Valley. While spending time surfing and climbing, he sold pitons from the back of his car to earn money. These improved pitons played an important role in the development of big-wall climbing in Yosemite between 1957 and 1960. The success of his pitons led him to start a company called Chouinard Equipment, Ltd.

In the late 1960s, Chouinard and his business partner, Tom Frost, studied ice climbing tools and redesigned basic equipment, such as crampons and ice axes, to work better on steep ice. These new tools and his book, Climbing Ice (1978), helped create the modern sport of ice climbing.

Around 1970, he noticed that the steel pitons made by his company were causing serious damage to the rock cracks in Yosemite. These pitons made up 70% of his company’s income. In 1971 and 1972, Chouinard and Frost introduced new aluminum chockstones called Hexentrics and Stoppers, along with the less successful steel Crack-n-Ups. The company promoted these tools and a new climbing style called "clean climbing." This idea changed rock climbing and brought more success to the company, even though it reduced sales of pitons, which had been the company’s main product.

They applied for a U.S. patent on Hexentrics in 1974. The patent was approved on April 6, 1976. These tools are still made by Black Diamond Equipment.

In the late 1960s, Chouinard made several changes to ice climbing technology and techniques after visiting the Alps in Europe and ice gullies in the Sierra Nevada. He made crampons more rigid for better performance. He sharpened the tip of a rock hammer for better grip on ice. He increased the size of ice screws while using lighter materials. He tested different designs for ice axes. Before these changes, ice climbing was often seen as simple step cutting. He also tried replacing hand ice picks with a small ice axe head called a Climaxe.

In 1989, Chouinard Equipment, Ltd. filed for bankruptcy protection to avoid legal liabilities. The company’s physical assets were bought by its employees through a legal process called Chapter 11. The company was then reorganized as Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

Patagonia and environmentalism

Yvon Chouinard is best known for starting the clothing and gear company Patagonia. He began selling clothes by accident to help support his not very profitable equipment business. In 1970, during a trip to Scotland, he bought some rugby shirts and sold them successfully. This small beginning led to the growth of Patagonia, which now offers a wide range of strong, durable clothing designed for harsh conditions found in places like Patagonia.

Chouinard believed that the company’s financial success could also help achieve personal goals. He made Patagonia a great place to work and a valuable resource for environmental efforts. In 1984, Patagonia opened a cafeteria on-site that served "healthy, mostly vegetarian food" and provided child care for employees. In 1986, Chouinard decided the company would give 1% of sales or 10% of profits, whichever was greater, to support environmental causes. This included paying employees who worked on local environmental projects so they could focus fully on their work.

In the early 1990s, an environmental review of Patagonia found that corporate cotton, even though it is a natural material, had a large impact on the environment. In 1996, Chouinard committed the company to using only organic cotton.

In 2002, Yvon Chouinard founded 1% for the Planet, and Patagonia became the first business to pledge 1% of its annual sales to environmental causes.

In 2014, Patagonia supported a documentary film called DamNation, which discusses changing views about dams in America. Chouinard was the executive producer of the film and appeared in it to share his thoughts about dams.

In 2018, Yvon Chouinard received the Sierra Club’s highest award, the John Muir Award, for his work promoting sustainability and responsible practices.

In 2022, Chouinard announced he would donate ownership of Patagonia to a trust to ensure profits are used to address climate change. His family keeps control of the company’s voting stock through the Patagonia Purpose Trust.

Personal life

In 1971, Chouinard married Malinda Pennoyer, who was studying art and home economics at California State University, Fresno. They have a son named Fletcher and a daughter named Claire, both of whom work for Patagonia.

In 2008, Chouinard received an honorary doctorate from Bowdoin College. In 2021, he received an honorary doctorate from Bates College.

Notable ascents

• In 1961, the North Face of Mount Edith Cavell in the Canadian Rockies was first climbed with Fred Beckey and Dan Doody.
• In 1962, the Northeast Face of Disappointment Peak in the Teton Range, Wyoming, was first climbed with Tom Frost. The climbing grade was IV 5.9 A3.
• In 1964, the North American Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley was first climbed with Royal Robbins, Tom Frost, and Chuck Pratt. The climbing grade was VI 5.8 A5, and the route was 3000 feet long.
• In 1965, the Muir Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley was first climbed with TM Herbert. The climbing grade was VI 5.10 A3.
• In 1968, the Southwest Ridge (also known as the California Route) of Cerro Fitzroy in Patagonia was first climbed with Doug Tompkins, Lito Tejada-Flores, Chris Jones, and Dick Dorworth. This was the third time the mountain was climbed.
• In 1975, the Diamond Couloir (direct finish) on Mount Kenya in Kenya was first climbed with Michael Covington. This was the first time the direct finish route was used.