The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
339.2008.1
MacInnes Peck Scorpion
13/11/2008
Hermione Cooper
13/11/2008
MacInnes Peck Scorpion all metal ice axe. Metal shaft. Four holes at top of pick with green nylon leash attached through it. Adze with one hole, serrated pick. Pointed ferrule with hole.
metal
Shaft & ferrule 44(l) x 9.5(cir)cms. Head 30.5(l) cms. Adze 7.5 (w)cms.
1
Inscription scraped off but reads "MACINNES PECK ALL METAL ICE - AXE"
silver, black
Scotland
The MacInnes Massey, all metal, ice axe first appeared on the market in 1963, brainchild of legendary Scottish mountaineer, Hamish MacInnes. Using the English engineering company, Massey, to forge the heads ( upper part of the axe) from high quality EN16 steel, the axes were a great success and became pretty universal with Scottish mountaineers, though it has to be said that many still favoured their trusty, wooden shafted, Stubai axes.
Ice climbing in Scotland was changing rapidly in the 1960's with the art of step cutting up steep ice fast becoming a thing of the past - crampons with front points and better axes for steep ice were the order of the day.
MacInnes moved with the times and continued with development of his axe, teaming up with fellow climber, Trevor Peck, who took over the manufacturing side of things. The MacInnes Peck axe was also a big success and in the 1970's the Terrordactyl came along - a quantum leap in ice climbing technology - you'll find examples elsewhere on our website.
Development continued and in the mid 1970's the Scorpion was developed, an excellent example of which we have here in the collection - albeit without the Scorpion's tail - details of which you will see opposite.
This axe once belonged to Mick Tighe's Mountain Guiding Company, Nevis Guides.
Donated by Mick Tighe
13/11/2008
28/04/2009
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
28/04/2009