If you own one of Petzl’s Grillon anchor systems, then you need to inspect it right now.
On Thursday, Petzl announced a safety problem with Grillon anchor systems sold between October 2023 and December 2023. An unknown number of the devices were sold with the rope incorrectly installed. That could have serious consequences for climbers unaware of the issue.
“In such a case, the product does not perform its blocking function, which can result in a risk of injury,” the company said in a warning posted to its website and social media channels.
Anchor systems like the Grillon, described as an “adjustable lanyard for work positioning” on Petzl’s website, are a critical tool for climbers and many high-altitude professionals.
Essentially, they tether the climber to something, freeing up the hands for other tasks. Often, they’re used by climbers as a primary form of safety while they build more complex anchors for their climbing partner below.
Petzl Grillon Safety Alert Details
The Petzl Grillon safety issue affects six different types of Grillon models across 22 serial reference numbers manufactured in 2023, including the Grillon, Grillon Anchor, Grillon Hook, and the Hook European version.
According to Petzl, however, there’s an easy fix for the problematic Grillons: Simply take out the rope and place it in the correct position. Full instructions are on the Petzl website. As such, they are not recalling the product, but do warn owners to stop all use until they inspect their units.
In 2021, Petzl recalled every Scorpio Eashook via ferrata lanyard that was sold that year, after discovering a safety issue with the carabiner.
