Objects Database

Chouinard Alpine Hammers a-b

Accession Number

143.2008.1

Object Name

Chouinard Alpine Hammers a-b

Created

14/10/2008

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

14/10/2008

Brief Description

Chouinard Alpine Hammers with serrated picks and rubber grips

Materials

steel, rubber

Dimensions

a-41(l) x 19(length of head) b-34(l) x 19(length of head) cms

Number Of Objects

1

Inscription Description

On heads " MADE IN ITALY PREMANA" and diamond with "C" inside. On other side "CAMP " and "INTERALP" logos
b- on grip "INTERALP CAMP"

Colour

a- silver, blue b- silver,black

Maker

Chouinard

Object Production Place

Italy

Provenance

By the end of the 1960's the era of step cutting with wooden axes, to make progress up steep ice had pretty much come to an end. Hamish MacInnes revolutionised the ice climbing world with the introduction of his Terrordactyls in 1970 and there followed a rash of ice climbing tools in the 1970's as pretenders to the Terrordactyl throne. They all looked pretty similar and most of them were pretty useless - this was one of them.
Chouinard had produced the world's most iconic ice axes and hammers in the 1970's with the Zero - named after Zero Gully on Ben Nevis - so quite why this version of the Alpine hammer came along we are not sure, though it is made of steel rather than wood, as the Zero's were, making it stronger.
These tools did enjoy some popularity, probably as much for the name as the practicality but were soon overtaken by technology and consigned to lofts and heritage collections!

Acquisition Date

14/10/2008

Condition Check Date

28/04/2009

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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