Acting

Paul Petzoldt

Paul Kiesow Petzoldt (January 16, 1908 – October 6, 1999) was an American mountaineer and wilderness educator known for establishing the National Outdoor Leadership School in 1965. Petzoldt was born in Creston, Iowa. The youngest of nine children, he lived on an Iowa homestead but his father, Charles, died in 1911. He left with his mother, Emma, to farm in Idaho. 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. 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. Along with Glenn Exum, he founded what is now Exum Mountain Guides, the oldest Alpine guiding service in the U.S. He developed several techniques mountaineers still use such as specific voice signals and a snow-climbing belay system.