The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
017.2007.1
Grivel ice axe
21/11/2007
Maxine Willett
21/11/2007
'Grivel' ice axe, steel head, wooden shaft, one notch on pick, adze. Pointed spike on ferrule. Movable ring with grey webbed wrist leash.
Steel, wood
49(L) x 30.5(length of head) cms
1
Arrow shaped symbol stamped on one side and "GRIVEL, COURMAYEUR" On reverse "MADE IN ITALY"
Silver, brown, grey
Grivel
Italy
The Grivel family were blacksmiths based in the little town of Courmayeur on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. It seems they were making agricultural implements initially but saw a market for ice axes during the ‘Golden Era’ of Alpine mountaineering in the 1860’s.
One of the family, Henry, teamed up with Oscar Eckenstein in 1908 to produce the first proper crampons for mountaineering - we have a couple of fine pairs in the collection.
The axe we have here dates from the 1950’s and there’s an excellent video on the Grivel website showing similar ones being made.
Unfortunately we are not sure where this particular one came from though it is a fine addition to our wee Grivel family.
21/11/2007
Fair, rusty metalwork
21/11/2007
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
28/04/2009