{{Short description|American mountain climber}} {{Infobox person | name = Paul Petzoldt | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|01|16}} | birth_place = Creston, Iowa, US | death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|10|06|1908|01|16}} | death_place = Topsham, Maine, US | other_names = | known_for = Founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS); involved in the introduction of Outward Bound to the US | occupation = Mountaineer | nationality = }}

'''Paul Kiesow Petzoldt''' (January 16, 1908 &ndash; October 6, 1999) was an American mountaineer and wilderness educator known for establishing the National Outdoor Leadership School in 1965.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Wren|first=Christopher S.|date=1999-10-09|title=Paul Petzoldt Is Dead at 91; Innovator in Rock Climbing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/09/us/paul-petzoldt-is-dead-at-91-innovator-in-rock-climbing.html|access-date=March 5, 2026|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Early life == Petzoldt was born in Creston, Iowa. The youngest of nine children, he lived on an Iowa homestead but his father, Charles, died in 1911.<ref name="alpine club">{{cite web |last1=Wise Carson |first1=Nancy |title=Paul Kiesow Petzoldt, 1908-1999 |url=https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200043100/Paul-Kiesow-Petzoldt-1908-1999 |publisher=American Alpine Club |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=2000}}</ref> He left with his mother, Emma, to farm in Idaho.<ref name="alpine club" /> From 1929 to 1932, Petzoldt attended the University of Idaho, the University of Wyoming, and the University of Utah but did not earn a degree.<ref name=":0" />

== Career == Along with friend Ralph Herron, he made his first ascent of the Grand Teton in 1924 at the age of 16, likely only the fourth or fifth ascent.<ref name="100 years">{{cite web |last1=Leverone |first1=Kyle |title=Petzoldt’s first ascent of the Grand turns 100 |url=https://exumguides.com/petzoldt-first-climb-grand-teton-100-years-later/ |website=Exum Mountain Guides |publisher=Jackson Hole News & Guide |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=July 9, 2024}}</ref> Along with Glenn Exum, he founded what is now Exum Mountain Guides, the oldest Alpine guiding service in the U.S.<ref name="devotion">{{cite web |last1=Quinn |first1=Henry |title=Devotion to the craft: Alpine guiding heritage in the Tetons |url=https://buckrail.com/devotion-to-the-craft-alpine-guiding-heritage-in-the-tetons/ |publisher=Buckrail |access-date=5 March 2026 |date=October 16, 2025}}</ref> He developed several techniques mountaineers still use such as specific voice signals and a snow-climbing belay system.<ref name="alpine club" />

In 1931 Petzoldt made the fourth ascent of Exum Ridge in order to create a video documenting the new route.<ref name="Alpinist">{{cite web |last1=Waters |first1=Tim |title=1931 Exum Ridge Video |url=https://alpinist.com/features/1931-exum-ridge-video |publisher=Alpinist |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=August 27, 2007}}</ref> Created by Park Ranger George Waters, it is some of the earliest North American climbing footage in existence.<ref name="Alpinist" />

In 1934 he traversed the Matterhorn, then retraced the route on the same day.<ref name=":0" /> He and Dan Bryant, from New Zealand, were the first climbers ever to traverse the Matterhorn twice in one day.

In 1938 he was a member of the first American team to attempt a climb on K2.<ref name="Alpinist" /> During the climb he went to 26,000 feet without supplementary oxygen, a record height at the time.<ref name=":0" />

During World War II Petzoldt served in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division,<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = Mountaineers Books | isbn = 0-89886-725-8 | last = Ringholz | first = Raye Carleson | title = On Belay!: The Life of Legendary Mountaineer Paul Petzoldt | date = May 2000 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/onbelay00raye_0 }}</ref> fighting on the Italian Front. He also helped train the ski and mountaineering troops.<ref name="alpine club" /> A documentary, ''Fire on the Mountain'', chronicles the creation of the division, their time in Italy, and their post-war lives.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |title=Heroes on Skis, Courageous and Cold |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/06/movies/heroes-on-skis-courageous-and-cold.html |publisher=New York Times |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=December 6, 1996}}</ref>

In 1955 Petzoldt sold his portion of the guide school to Exum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Glenn Exum; Climped peaks of Alps, Rockies |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/04/03/glenn-exum-climbed-peaks-of-alps-rockies/ |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=April 3, 2000}}</ref>

He testified in favor of the Wilderness Act which created a formal mechanism for designating wilderness.<ref name="wgfd">{{cite web |title=Paul Petzoldt |url=https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Get-Involved/Outdoor-Hall-of-Fame/Paul-Petzoldt |publisher=Wyoming Game & Fish Department |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=2005}}</ref> The growing interest in the wilderness paired with little training inspired Petzoldt to create his own school.<ref name="wgfd" />

From 1963 to 1965,<ref name=":0" /> Petzoldt was the chief instructor for Outward Bound Colorado prior to establishing NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Olson|first=Martha Stevenson|date=2001-05-27|title=PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Roughing It, And Not for TV|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/travel/practical-traveler-roughing-it-and-not-for-tv.html|access-date=2021-12-13|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Noted in his introduction to ''The New Wilderness Handbook'', his experience in NOLS, Outward Bound, and love of the wilderness evolved into the Wilderness Education Association. Started in 1977,<ref name="wgfd" /> the courses, certification and knowledge of the WEA are still helping many advocates of the environment learn to have low-impact adventures in the environment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nols.edu/alumni/leader/95fall/paultellshisstory.shtml |title=The Unauthorized Eckankar Page |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026233847/http://geocities.com/eckcult/ |archive-date=2009-10-26 }} Outward Bound, and his own NOLS.</ref>

Petzholdt climbed Grand Teton more than 300 times.<ref name=":0" /> His last successful ascent was in 1984.<ref name="alpine club" /> He pioneered numerous, now classic routes in the Tetons, Wind River Range, Sawtooths and in Columbia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.<ref name="alpine club" /> He died October 6, 1999 in Maine.

==Legacy== He was given an honorary doctorate by Kansas State University and by Unity College in Maine.<ref name="alpine club" /> He received the Conservation Award from the Department of Interior for his search of ''The Tribesman II'' plane crash on Mount Moran.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of NPS Awards for Heroism |url=https://npshistory.com/newsletters/ranger/ranger-v8n2.pdf |publisher=Ranger |access-date=7 March 2026 |pages=27 |date=Spring 1992}}</ref> He received the Banquet of the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.<ref name="alpine club" />

He was inducted into The Explorers Club.<ref name="alpine club" /> He received the Eddie Bauer Award for conservation.<ref name="alpine club" /> The American Mountain Guides Association honored him as a senior guide.<ref name="alpine club" />

In January 2026 a Wyoming PBS documentary “A Life Outside: American Mountain Guides” premiered at AlpinFilm festival in Jackson, Wyoming.<ref name="film">{{cite web |last1=Stout |first1=Monica |title=Film on mountaineering history, Petzoldt’s legacy to debut at AlpinFilm |url=https://buckrail.com/film-on-mountaineering-history-petzoldts-legacy-to-debut-at-alpinfilm/ |publisher=Buckrail |access-date=6 March 2026 |date=December 16, 2025}}</ref> It highlights the legacy of Petzoldt and follows Exum guides on the Grand Teton and NOLS students in the Wind River Range.<ref name="film" />

==See also== *Ramshorn Dude Ranch Lodge: a National Register of Historic Places property associated with Petzoldt

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== *Howard, Jane. "Survival Expert Paul Petzoldt: So Long as He Can Help It, He'll Never be the Last Mountain Man". Life Magazine December 19, 1969, Page 48. *Jones, Chris. ''Climbing in North America''. Mountaineers Books. 1997. *Petzoldt, Patricia. ''On top of the world; My adventures with my mountain-climbing husband''. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1953. *Petzoldt, Paul, Raye Carlson Ringholz. ''The New Wilderness Handbook''. WW Norton & Company. New York: 1975. *Petzoldt, Paul K. ''Teton Tales and Other Petzoldt Anecdotes''. ICS Books, Inc. Merrillville, Indiana: 1995.

==External links== *[http://www.nols.edu/ National Outdoor Leadership School] *[http://www.weainfo.org Wilderness Education Association] *[http://wilderdom.com/Petzoldt.htm Paul Petzoldt: brief biography and quotes] *[https://archive.org/details/TheMountain_201608 The Mountain] a 1947 silent film on mountain-climbing featuring Petzoldt

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Petzoldt, Paul}} Category:1908 births Category:1999 deaths Category:American mountain climbers Category:Outdoor educators