Our story

1951

Once upon a time, there was BÉAL

Pierre and Janine Béal founded the eponymous company in Vienne, in the Isère département in France. At the beginning, they produced shoe laces and various cords for clothing and interior design.

1974

Michel Béal launches ropes

Pierre and Janine’s son joined his parents’ company. In 1975, he went to the mountain sports fair in Grenoble to meet customers. It was then that he realized that the ropes used in the mountains bore a striking resemblance to the products manufactured by BÉAL.

1975

Summit meeting

The meeting of Michel Béal and the renowned mountaineer Yannick Seigneur marked a turning point for the company. Seigneur became Béal’s technical advisor, bringing his ultra-modern vision of climbing to the development of the brand’s first ropes.

1976

A dynamic rope... and fluorescent!

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 was presented a few months later at the mountain sports fair.

1977

The prodigy Patrick Edlinger joins BÉAL

An extraordinary personality, a crazy talent with a unique way of climbing. At the end of the 70s, it was Patrick Bérault who, with great humility, recommended that we work with the prodigy Patrick Edlinger. “The blond man’, as he is known in the industry, and “God” as he is known at BÉAL, will always be remembered for his smile, his sparkling eyes and the way he danced with the rock.

1986

On the top of the world

Ten years later, the meeting between industrialist Pierre Béal, passionate entrepreneur Michel Béal, visionary mountain guide Yannick Seigneur and climbing icon Patrick Edlinger bore fruit. Thanks to their joint efforts, BÉAL became the world leader in mountain and climbing ropes.

1990

The rope becomes specialized.

During the 1990s, BÉAL extended its range of ropes, producing specialized ropes according to their use. This led to the development of the Iceline ropes specifically adapted to ice climbing. Fluid and with a very low impact force, they quickly became essential for climbers. They were followed in 1993 by BÉAL’s first industrial rope designed for work at height.

1995

A family story

It was the turn of Philippe Béal, Michel’s eldest son, to join the adventure. He brought his increasingly innovative and modern vision to the family business and quickly converted it to the IT and digital age!

2000

Ropes... Yes, but not only!

BÉAL diversified by buying out 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 marked the launch of the Aerolight harness, the first buckle-free harness on the market!

2003

The latest addition...

In 2003, Philippe’s brother, Frédéric Béal, joined the family adventure. After having held various positions within our brand or its subsidiaries, he now focuses 100% on the commercial development of BÉAL!

2004

Always dry

DRY COVER and GOLDEN DRY are two major innovations in the world of ropes, which we are still proud of today! The first is a treatment that improves abrasion resistance and makes the rope water repellent. The second is a waterproof and incredibly durable rope. A real breakthrough for practice in all conditions.

2006

To the four corners of the world

We decided to set up our second workshop in Madagascar. In the heart of the red island, it is an exact copy of our first factory in Vienne, where Active Line ropes are produced. Its 12,000m² also houses our sewing workshop which produces lanyards, rings and harnesses.

2014

A founder, a legacy

On 1 April, our founder Pierre Béal passed away. We have received messages from all over the world to pay tribute to the man who created our brand. Just like his former workshop manager, we remember him as the first employee of BÉAL: dedicated body and soul, proud of his work and his products.

2015

Did you say light?

Pierre Béal’s legacy continues, our company is constantly pushing innovation further. In 2014 and 2015, we unveiled the Gully rope, the thinnest and lightest double rope on the market, as well as the Opera rope, the first single rope under 50g per metre. In the field of working at height, we launched the BÉAL PRO range to equip all professionals.

2021

The story continues…

Today, we are proud to see our family business and its values shine worldwide. All over the world, climbing, mountaineering and mountain enthusiasts, as well as many workers, use our products every day to challenge and excel themselves. We look forward to the next few years, but one thing is certain: we too will continue to explore and innovate!