MSR began in the spring of 1969 as the Mountain Safety Research newsletter written by founder Larry Penberthy, an engineer, inventor, and mountaineer. While independently testing safety gear for The Mountaineers nonprofit, Penberthy found that some climbing equipment failed at lower loads than their advertised specs.
Penberthy began independently evaluating climbing equipment and innovating ways to make it safer and easier to use, publishing his findings in his Mountain Safety Research newsletter and using the proceeds to support his fieldwork.
Soon after the company began designing and building its own climbing equipment, and in 1969 introduced MSR’s first-generation Snow Fluke anchors, a pair of Edmont cold-weather gloves, an Auto Belay Device that added shock absorption into a belay system, an ice screw that could hold 3,000 pounds, and a 10.5-millimeter double-braid climbing rope.
Today, MSR offers shelters, stoves and cookware, snow tools, water treatment, snowshoes and poles. It is owned by Cascade Designs, the parent company of MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Platypus, SealLine, and PackTowl outdoor brands.
Top Reviewed MSR Products
Contact
Mountain Safety Research
Cascade Designs Inc.
4000 1st Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134
USA
(206) 505-9500
(800) 531-9531
fax:
(206) 682-4184
blog: The Summit Register