In 1993, founder Danny Giovale set off on a climbing trip with his brother Mike in the Italian Dolomites. They set their sights on Campanile Basso, a thousand-foot spire. After a successful summit, they rappelled down and descended a steep gully on foot. Danny stepped on the icy snow and slid 600 feet down the treacherous chute. He narrowly avoided fatal injuries.

This experience left a lasting impression – miraculously unharmed, but severely shaken, he was compelled to address a critical safety gap in the mountain travel. While Danny's accident inspired him to create a safety solution, the experience moved him in more profound ways. Beyond simply creating products, he wanted his new company to create an even bigger impact in the world.

Kahtoola was born from this desire: to make people more capable in the outdoors through product innovation, and to build a company that acts as a responsible global entity, striving to make the world better overall.