Petzl Zillon Lanyard

The Petzl Zillon is an adjustable work-positioning lanyard built with tree care in mind. Its adjuster lets you shorten and lengthen the lanyard with one hand, so you can set your position on a stem or limb and get back to work fast.

Why climbers like the Zillon

The Zillon handles the thing positioning lanyards do all day: lean back, shorten, ease off, lean again. The adjuster grips firmly when loaded and releases with a controlled pull on the handle, so you can creep out a few inches at a time without jerking.

Climbers use it to choke a limb while pruning, to set a second point while limb walking, and to hold position on a spar while they make cuts below their feet.

The adjuster also works well for limb walking. As you move out on a limb, you can keep the lanyard snug as a second point of contact and let out length in small steps, which keeps you balanced and tied in at the same time.

Zillon versus Grillon

Both are Petzl adjustable lanyards with a cam adjuster. The Zillon is made for tree care, with an adjuster and rope chosen for the way arborists use a lanyard. The Petzl Grillon Hook is a general work-positioning lanyard with a hook connector that suits poles, buckets and structures.

If you mostly climb trees, the Zillon is the more natural fit. If you split time between poles, buckets and trees, the Grillon Hook may be more versatile.

Both are proven designs, so the choice comes down to how and where you work.

Using it with a saw

A rope lanyard is not cut resistant. On removals, many climbers run the Zillon as their working lanyard and add a wire core flipline whenever they cut near their tie-in, or switch to the flipline for the cutting phase.

Keep the saw on the opposite side from the lanyard and keep your body and lanyard out of the cut path.

Practice the switch between lanyard and flipline on the ground before you need to do it at height, so it becomes routine.

Clear communication with your ground crew matters here too, so everyone knows when you are about to cut and where the piece will land.

Care and inspection

Clean sap and grit from the adjuster, check cam teeth and handle action, and inspect the rope for cuts, glazing or stiff areas, particularly near the adjuster and termination. Retire the lanyard if you find damage. Life-support gear has to meet the applicable standard and the manufacturer's instructions, get inspected before every climb, and be used only by trained climbers.

Wash the rope with cool water and mild soap if it gets heavily soiled, and dry it out of direct sun. Store the lanyard loosely coiled in a gear bag away from fuel and chemicals.

Keep a note of when the lanyard went into service, and follow Petzl's guidance on retirement. A lanyard that has held a hard load or been nicked by a saw should come out of service right away.