BEAL, a story of family and friendship
Janine & Pierre Beal founded the company BEAL in 1951, it produced cords and shoe laces. In 1974, their son Michel joined the family business to develop its activity. He went to the mountain show in Grenoble in 1975 and immediately noticed that BEAL cords looked like mountaineering ropes. With audacity, he decided that BEAL would now produce ultra-colorful climbing ropes. To accompany him, Michel met Yannick Seigneur, an immense French guide and engineer. From this crazy bet, and during the development of this new product, a friendship was born between the two men. Their shared passion was combined with a quest for excellence and technical avant-gardism. A year later, in 1976, at the mountain show in Grenoble, BEAL presented its first climbing rope.
BEAL is a family story, but also a story of friendship. These are the values of sharing, respect and commitment that we have inherited and that we wish to pass on to future generations. This is also what we wish to embody, for athletes and professionals in the vertical world, through our products. At BEAL, we advocate a life of adventure and conviviality, while ensuring that our customers' lives are protected and simplified.
We believe in Friendship
Highly Friendly, a philosophy more than a signature.
“Highly Friendly” is:
Be respectful and respected by our partners and customers.
Developing products that work together harmoniously.
Work with complete transparency and honesty.
A tribute to VERTICALITY in all its forms:
climbing, rope access, mountaineering, fall protection, and many more.
A tribute to our roots, where it all began.
A story of FAMILY. A story of FRIENDSHIP.
Michel Beal, Yannick Seigneur, Patrick Edlinger and many others.
BEAL is a story that has been going on since the 1950s.
From our first prototypes to our latest innovations for mountain sports and high-altitude activities, discover our success story!
Once upon a time there was BEAL
Pierre and Janine Beal founded the company of the same name and settled in Vienne, in Isère. At the beginning, they produced shoe laces and various cords intended for clothing or interior design.
Michel Beal throws himself into the ropes
Pierre and Janine's son joined his parents' company. In 1975, he went to the mountain show in Grenoble to meet customers. It was at this time that he realized that the ropes used in the mountains strangely resembled the products manufactured by BEAL.
Summit meeting
The meeting of Michel Beal and the renowned mountaineer
Yannick Seigneur marks a turning point for the company. The latter will become
Beal's technical advisor, bringing his ultra-modern vision of climbing
to the development of the brand's first strings.
A dynamic… and fluorescent rope!
Pierre, Michel and Yannick worked tirelessly to produce their first mountain rope. One Saturday, they ran out of white thread and chose a colored thread to continue their tests. It was a success! And it was this first dynamic fluorescent rope that would be presented a few months later at the mountain show.
Prodigy Patrick Edlinger joins BEAL
An extraordinary personality, a crazy talent and a unique way of climbing. At the end of the 70s, it was Patrick Bérault who, with all humility, recommended that we work with the prodigy Patrick Edlinger. "The blond" as he is nicknamed in the milieu, "God" as he is nicknamed at BEAL always remains in our memories for his smile, his sparkling eyes and his way of dancing with the rock.
On the top of the world
Ten years later, the meeting between industrialist Pierre Beal, passionate entrepreneur Michel Beal, visionary high mountain guide Yannick Seigneur and climbing icon Patrick Edlinger is bearing fruit. Thanks to their joint work, BEAL has become the world leader in mountain and climbing ropes.
The rope specializes
During the 1990s, BEAL developed its ranges of ropes and specialized them according to their use. This is how the Iceline ropes were born, adapted to ice climbing. Fluid and with a very low impact force, they quickly became essential for mountaineers. They were followed in 1993 by the first BEAL industrial rope dedicated to working at height.
Ropes… Yes, but not only that!
BEAL diversifies by acquiring its Austrian competitor Edelweiss and developing new products dedicated to activities and work at height. Always at the forefront when it comes to innovation, the year 2000 marks the birth of the Aerolight harness, the first buckle-free harness on the market!
Always dry
DRY COVER and GOLDEN DRY are two major innovations in the world of ropes, and are still our pride today! The first is a treatment that improves abrasion resistance and makes the rope hydrophobic. The second makes it possible to obtain waterproof and incredibly durable ropes. A real breakthrough for practicing in all conditions.
Around the world
It is in Madagascar that we decided to establish our second workshop. In the heart of the red island, it is an exact copy of our first Viennese factory, which notably produces Active Line ropes. Its 12,000 m2 also house our sewing workshop which produces lanyards, rings and harnesses.
One founder, one legacy
On April 1st, our founder Pierre Beal passed away. We received messages from all over the world to pay tribute to the man who created our brand. Like his former workshop manager, we remember him as BEAL's first employee: devoted body and soul, proud of his work and his products.
Did you say light?
Pierre Beal's legacy continues and our company continues to push innovation further. In 2014 and 2015, we unveiled the Gully rope, the thinnest and lightest double rope on the market, as well as the Opéra rope, the first single rope under 50g per meter. For working at height, we launched the BEAL PRO range to equip all professionals.
Highly Friendly
A new milestone has been reached: new identity, new headquarters. Our new premises have been designed to reduce our carbon footprint and modernize our production tools. We have reaffirmed our origins and our identity with a new signature, 'Highly Friendly.' This new phase reflects our commitment to excellence while remaining true to our roots, friendship.
Sharing Our Expertise with You
In 2024, BEAL is proud to announce the opening of its first training center in France and its first physical store in Sarajevo.
The opening of our first BEAL boutique reflects our desire to get closer to our customers and offer our community a unique experience.
Our center (IRATA) will offer rope access training allowing professionals working at height to benefit from the expertise of a manufacturer and to fully exploit the potential of our innovations and techniques.
Once upon a time there was BEAL
Pierre and Janine Beal founded the company of the same name and settled in Vienne, in Isère. At the beginning, they produced shoe laces and various cords intended for clothing or interior design.
Michel Beal throws himself into the ropes
Pierre and Janine's son joined his parents' company. In 1975, he went to the mountain show in Grenoble to meet customers. It was at this time that he realized that the ropes used in the mountains strangely resembled the products manufactured by BEAL.
Summit meeting
The meeting of Michel Beal and the renowned mountaineer
Yannick Seigneur marks a turning point for the company. The latter will become
Beal's technical advisor, bringing his ultra-modern vision of climbing
to the development of the brand's first strings.
A dynamic… and fluorescent rope!
Pierre, Michel and Yannick worked tirelessly to produce their first mountain rope. One Saturday, they ran out of white thread and chose a colored thread to continue their tests. It was a success! And it was this first dynamic fluorescent rope that would be presented a few months later at the mountain show.
Prodigy Patrick Edlinger joins BEAL
An extraordinary personality, a crazy talent and a unique way of climbing. At the end of the 70s, it was Patrick Bérault who, with all humility, recommended that we work with the prodigy Patrick Edlinger. "The blond" as he is nicknamed in the milieu, "God" as he is nicknamed at BEAL always remains in our memories for his smile, his sparkling eyes and his way of dancing with the rock.
On the top of the world
Ten years later, the meeting between industrialist Pierre Beal, passionate entrepreneur Michel Beal, visionary high mountain guide Yannick Seigneur and climbing icon Patrick Edlinger is bearing fruit. Thanks to their joint work, BEAL has become the world leader in mountain and climbing ropes.
The rope specializes
During the 1990s, BEAL developed its ranges of ropes and specialized them according to their use. This is how the Iceline ropes were born, adapted to ice climbing. Fluid and with a very low impact force, they quickly became essential for mountaineers. They were followed in 1993 by the first BEAL industrial rope dedicated to working at height.
Ropes… Yes, but not only that!
BEAL diversifies by acquiring its Austrian competitor Edelweiss and developing new products dedicated to activities and work at height. Always at the forefront when it comes to innovation, the year 2000 marks the birth of the Aerolight harness, the first buckle-free harness on the market!
Always dry
DRY COVER and GOLDEN DRY are two major innovations in the world of ropes, and are still our pride today! The first is a treatment that improves abrasion resistance and makes the rope hydrophobic. The second makes it possible to obtain waterproof and incredibly durable ropes. A real breakthrough for practicing in all conditions.
Around the world
It is in Madagascar that we decided to establish our second workshop. In the heart of the red island, it is an exact copy of our first Viennese factory, which notably produces Active Line ropes. Its 12,000 m2 also house our sewing workshop which produces lanyards, rings and harnesses.
One founder, one legacy
On April 1st, our founder Pierre Beal passed away. We received messages from all over the world to pay tribute to the man who created our brand. Like his former workshop manager, we remember him as BEAL's first employee: devoted body and soul, proud of his work and his products.
Did you say light?
Pierre Beal's legacy continues and our company continues to push innovation further. In 2014 and 2015, we unveiled the Gully rope, the thinnest and lightest double rope on the market, as well as the Opéra rope, the first single rope under 50g per meter. For working at height, we launched the BEAL PRO range to equip all professionals.
Highly Friendly
A new milestone has been reached: new identity, new headquarters. Our new premises have been designed to reduce our carbon footprint and modernize our production tools. We have reaffirmed our origins and our identity with a new signature, 'Highly Friendly.' This new phase reflects our commitment to excellence while remaining true to our roots, friendship.
Sharing Our Expertise with You
In 2024, BEAL is proud to announce the opening of its first training center in France and its first physical store in Sarajevo.
The opening of our first BEAL boutique reflects our desire to get closer to our customers and offer our community a unique experience.
Our center (IRATA) will offer rope access training allowing professionals working at height to benefit from the expertise of a manufacturer and to fully exploit the potential of our innovations and techniques.
