The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
1384.2017.1
Simond Le Grepon Crampons
08/02/2017
Hermione Cooper
08/02/2017
Pair of Simond Le Grepon crampons with ten points wire cable and screw for adjusting length.
metal
29(L) x10(W) x 7(H) cms
1 pair
"LEGREPON" and in two ovals " BREVETE S.G.D.G. CL SIMOND CHAMONIX"
On clips "GRIVEL ITALY"
silver
Brevete
Chamonix, France
Although folk had been wearing spiky things on their feet to move around in the mountains for centuries before, it was a mountaineer, Oscar Eckenstein, who created the first crampons for climbing in 1908 in conjunction with Italian blacksmith, Henry Grivel.
Though sticking pretty much to the basic Eckenstein design, there have been hundreds of variations on the theme in the following decades, one of which we have here on the collection.
Made by Simond of Chamonix in France, we suspect this pair date from around 1970 and employ an early method of adjusting the length/size with a wire cable held by a screw.
Very few of these crampons made their way across the channel, though they probably found a healthy market in Chamonix where we think the donator, Bert Barnett, may have bought this pair.
Donated by Bert Barnett
08/02/2017
08/02/2017
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
08/02/2017