The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
1560.2020.1
Cassin North Wall Hammer
21/08/2020
Hermione Cooper
21/08/2020
Cassin wooden shafted North wall Hammer with serrated pick
wood, metal
Shaft 44(L)cms. Head 21(L) cms
1
“CASSIN MADE IN ITALY”
silver, brown
Cassin
Italy
For a century or so since the creation of mountaineering as a sport, mountaineers relied on their long, wooden shafted ice axes to cut steps up and down their chosen mountain. The 1960’s began a wee revolution in ice climbing as the leading exponents ventured onto ever steeper ice. Better tools were required to hold in the ice, so some modified their old axes by shortening the shafts and drooping the picks....many fine examples of this can be found in our collection.
The equipment manufactureres were quick to get in on the act and the Cassin hammer we have here was one of many variations which appeared in the 1970’s. It’s basically a piton hammer with a drooped pick and a few reverse teeth to stop the pick popping back out of the ice.
This type of tool enjoyed a brief stardom until evolution overtook them, not least of which was the Hamish MacInnes Terrordactyl, a revolution more than an evolution!
21/08/2020
21/08/2020
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
21/08/2020