The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
992.2012.1(a-b)
Snow saw in homemade plastic cover
01/08/2012
Hermione Cooper
01/08/2012
Saw with wooden handle inside homemade plastic cover with orange day glow strip.
wood, metal, plastic
Blade 48(l) x 7.5(w) cms
1
"Røa Jernvarefabrikk"
saw-silver,brown cover - white, orange
Norway
The Inuit people of North America have been using snow knives for centuries to cut and shape snow blocks for building windbreaks and igloos. Early versions were made out of bone and walrus ivory and some examples have been 'toothed' to make them into a crude saw.
Though having a somewhat less illustrious history, the snow saw we have here in the collection was designed for the same purpose, and Mick Tighe bought it for his Mountain Guiding Company, Nevis Guides, back in the 1980's for constructing igloos and snow shelters on their winter survival courses. We think they may have come from the British Antartic Survey and probably date back to the 1950's.
A friend of Mick's, Billy Munro made the cover since the saw's teeth are pretty fierce and needed covering. The day glow strip is to help locate the white cover in the snow!
Donated by Mick Tighe
01/08/2012
01/08/2012
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
01/08/2012