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mikeyschaefer
climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 1, 2010 - 07:37pm PT
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I got mine when I was 17, that was 14 years ago now. It is the only old piece of gear that continues to make it out on many of my adventures.
The hammer has been hardened with fear, sweat and memories that I will never forget.
It's been there for me on first ascents from grade VI bigwalls in Alaska, to ground up free climbs in Yosemite, to sport climbs in Washington, to winter ascents of El Cap.
How about yours?
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Disaster Master
Social climber
Born in So-Cal, left my soul in far Nor-Cal.
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I really miss my Yo-hammer! So many new routes....(sigh)
It was stolen. Lent it to some dude who wanted to pound in some horshoe stakes at J-tree, he said. Waited 20 minutes. Went looking for him. Gone! Bastard!
I need to calm down.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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yowza!
that thing has been beat and put away ugly.
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scuffy b
climber
Three feet higher
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Mine got stolen, too.
Thirty-five years ago.
Painstakingly selected from the seconds bin by Tom Frost,
to replace my first one whose handle broke.
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Eubanks
Big Wall climber
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Forest Wall Wammer was always good to me. Extended handle, one of the Longest. Heavy head. The D5 looks like FUN TIMES!!!
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rincon
Trad climber
SoCal
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The hammer has been hardened with fear, sweat and memories that I will never forget. +1
Purchased at Sport Chalet, La Canada, Ca. @1990
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Hammers can share in a lot of stories for sure and can seem tribal, archaeological even.
Here are my four.
The green taped one I just sent to our young STer Jeremy who pleaded for help when his started to fall apart. He does some desert climbing as well as other areas. It is now an active part of his equipment and taking on a sixth decade of use now in his hands; it was made in the late sixties and came to me through a friend long ago.
The second from left came new to me around 1972 and was useful in the early days of nutting and passive protection. It is lighter than the prior Chouinard hammer to its right. It went up the West Face of El Cap on the fourth ascent of that route.
This hammer third from left fell off Broad Ledge July of 1971 high on the Salathe during my solo. I screwed up as I milled around on the sloping ledge trying to figure out which way to go and caught my neck loop on something. Friends were actually down at the base, got the hammer and returned it to me after I got back to camp three days later. I eventually sent it off to Chouinard for a handle replacement as the wood had greensticked in half. They sent it back, new handle and no charge! It then went up on Tis-sa-ack in a second ascent attempt solo.
Finally the rightmost, blue handled CMI hammer was in the bottom of my haul bag as a backup during that Salathe ascent. It finished that climb and then continued to be a backup on other walls. It is #102 CMI. I bought it new when these hammers were first available back in the sixties. They were really expensive and popular reaction to them was that they were practically spage-age! So long ago that the scored handle is from body rappelling as was standard back around 1964 or thereabouts.
This is definitely a right-hander's hammer!
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Captain...or Skully
Big Wall climber
leading the away team, but not in a red shirt!
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I'm not too stoked on my hammer. It's an adapted Estwing. Steel handle.
Yarrrr, my elbow hurts.
Give me hickory or give me death! or some such.
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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I have yet to use it. I do too much free climbing. I am ready though. Fairly sure I am ready. No. I am ready. Let's go.
I had been borrowing so it was time to actually buy one. Since then I have been doing clean aid and free climbing. No need for it yet. I find someplace to use it. Plans are percolating.
Plaidman
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Extreme hammer stokeage! I wuz just down stairs trading a regular Black Diamond Yosemite hammer like Plaidmans (sans Plaid, darker wood from age) for a Kong Eagle 850 gram model! Literally! Just came up here and saw this thread. Woot! Went from having too many hammers to still having to many.
Mikey! I can tell ya where you can get a new one:-) LOL! http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1326037&tn=0&mr=0
Impeccable timing!
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Did I miss out on that trade? You offered it to me. Should I have went for it? It look like a similar hammer. Am I missing something? If I had traded it I would have had to start painting all over again. Why doesn't stuff come in plaid?
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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not my hamer, per se, but one I borrowed for a project...
gawd that route skeered the piss out of me. granite is so solid now!
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Hammers are a serious subject. Ask some of those canucks about Daryl's Hammer and ya might even get a smile, or a story.
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mikeyschaefer
climber
Yosemite
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 2, 2010 - 01:18pm PT
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Nice collection Peter!
I aslo have one of the older light weight chouinards, I found a long time ago.
I haven't told my old hammer yet but, I ordered a D5. It that like cheating on your spouse?
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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A few months ago I bought an early version Chouinard Alpine Hammer off EBay.
I got it for under $100.00. It's a cherry most likely never been used.
I bought it as much for posterity as any thing, as my first one is still going strong... But I cut the pick off it years ago. Pretty useless ice tool but great rock hammer.
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JBC
Trad climber
Tacoma, WA
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My A5 hammer, purchased direct from John himself, sometime in the early to mid 80s I believe. At the time I was a middling aid climber, pretty much just getting started. I am still a middling aid climber, but with many years under my belt :) During the phone conversation when I purchased the hammer John asked me a bit about aid and walls in Washington. I gave him the basic rundown - Index, Washington Pass classics and some of the new routes folks were putting up. John said that he might come up this way sometime, and when he did he would call me so we could hook up and I could show him around. I think I was more relieved than disappointed when he never managed to get up here!
Jim
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Dec 10, 2010 - 12:47pm PT
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1966 Chouinard Yosemite Hammer with silver print and flat head screw.
1967 Chouinard Alpine Hammer with sliver print and flat head screw.
Rock on! Marty
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Tea
Trad climber
Behind the Zion Curtain
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Dec 10, 2010 - 12:57pm PT
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15 years of hard use....she recently gave up the ghost.
Waiting on my sexy new Blue banger D5
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Dec 10, 2010 - 01:12pm PT
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My old Chouinard hammer; the pick is all worn down. I used to not like the light weight of the beast, but I eventually learned that precision is more important than heft. My pitons last longer, too. The perfect Fisher Tower hammer (but don't tell Jeremy...)
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Dec 10, 2010 - 01:54pm PT
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Not sure this is what the Chouinard folks had in mind when they designed the alpine hammer, but...
Edit to add: And yes, that is a climbing photo. Halfway up a new 5-pitch route in the glorious Pacific Northwest.
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