Objects Database

Warthog Ice pitons

Accession Number

152.2008.1

Object Name

Warthog Ice pitons

Created

14/10/2008

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

14/10/2008

Brief Description

Warthog - drive in, screw out, ice pitons. P shaped. Wedged point.

Materials

metal

Dimensions

21.5(l) x 5(w) x 3(circumference) cms

Number Of Objects

6

Colour

silver

Maker

Warthog

Object Production Place

USA

Provenance

Seems that fat, spiral toothed pitons first appeared on the mass alpine meets of the Soviet Union in the 1960’s when Russian mountaineers had little choice then but to use them since they were the only ones the state provided.
A Czech climber called Milan Doubek later produced some slimmer carbon steel versions which could be driven in and screwed out. Herman Huber of Salewa then took on the task of producing them commercially, though they were not a big seller, no doubt calling them SpiralZhanHaken - spiral toothed piton didn’t help. American mountaineer and equipment manufacturer, Yvon Chouinard, got in on the act around 1974/5 producing a more refined version and creating the name we now use, Warthog.
Wart Hogs ( subsequently Warthogs)were popular with Scottish winter climbers as they could be ‘wellied’ into cracks, frozen turf, rotten ice and occasionally, good ice! This led a guy called Hugh McNicol to produce a Scottish Warthog in his Mountain Engineering Company in Glasgow. They were not a success- you can read about them elsewhere in the collection. He did produce a better version later on, some of which are still available in 2020 - probably the last, so get one quickly!
N.B. Warthogs have never received the UIAA safety approved certificate - one reason being that there is no international standard for frozen turf to test them on!

Acquisition Date

14/10/2008

Condition Check Date

28/04/2009

Normal Location

Bohuntin

Current Location

Bohuntin

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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Related Items

DMM ice piton/screw
GAB drive in ice screw
Mountain Engineering Warthogs
Snarg Ice piton/screw
Snarg ice piton/screw
Snarg ice piton/screw

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