Mountain Safety Research of Seattle began in the late 1960s and soon became one of the most controversial outdoor gear companies of its time, under the hard-bitten leadership of its founder Larry Penberthy. He ruffled many feathers, but in the end, his safer designs for ice axes won the day, and his new-fangled stove designs forever changed things. MSR is still a thriving company today, under the umbrella of Cascade Designs, Inc. of Seattle.