Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard
Chouinard teaching an ice climbing class on Mt. Hood, Oregon, in 1979
Born	(1938-11-09) November 9, 1938 (age 78) Lewiston, Maine
Occupation	Rock Climber, Equipment Manufacturer
Known for	Founder of Black Diamond Equipment and Patagonia (clothing)

Yvon Chouinard (born November 9, 1938) is an American rock climber, environmentalist, and outdoor industry businessman. His company, Patagonia, is known for its environmental focus.

Chouinard is also a surfer, kayaker, falconer and fly fisherman, particularly fond of tenkara fly-fishing. He has written about climbing issues and ethics and on mixing environmentalism and sound business practices.

Chouinard's father was a French-Canadian handyman, mechanic, plumber. In 1947, he and his family moved from Maine to Southern California. His early climbing partners included Royal Robbins and Tom Frost. A Sierra Club member, in his youth he founded the Southern California Falconry Club, and it was his investigations of falcon aeries that led him to rock climbing. To save money, and make adaptations for the way he was climbing, he decided to make his own climbing tools, teaching himself blacksmithing, and eventually started a business.

In 1971, Chouinard met and married his wife, Malinda Pennoyer, who was an art and home economics student at California State University, Fresno. They have a son (Fletcher) and a daughter (Claire).

Chouinard was one of the leading climbers of the 'Golden Age of Yosemite Climbing'. He was one of the protagonists of the film made about this era: Valley Uprising. He participated in the first ascent of the North America Wall in 1964 (with Royal Robbins, Tom Frost and Chuck Pratt), using no fixed ropes. The next year, his and TM Herbert's ascent of the Muir Wall on El Capitan improved the style of previous first ascents. Chouinard became the most articulate advocate of the importance of style, the basis of modern rock climbing.

In 1961, he visited the Canadian Rockies with Fred Beckey, and made several important first ascents, including the North Face of Mount Edith Cavell, the Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos, and the North Face of Mount Sir Donald. These climbs opened his eyes to the idea of applying Yosemite big-wall climbing techniques to mountain climbing, and his advocacy was important to modern, high-grade alpinism. Also in 1961, he visited Shawangunk Ridge for the first time, freeclimbing the first pitch of Matinee (the hardest free climb done at Shawangunk Ridge at the time); and introducing chrome-molybdenum steel pitons to the area, which revolutionized climbing protection. In 1968, he climbed Cerro Fitzroy in Patagonia by a new route (The Californian Route, 3rd overall ascent of the mountain) with Dick Dorworth, Chris Jones, Lito Tejada-Flores and Douglas Tompkins.