Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
F10
Trad climber
e350
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2008 - 08:20pm PT
|
DR,
You're not the only one still using a 70 cm bambooo Piolet,
I just love the feel of it
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 21, 2008 - 10:07pm PT
|
Wasn't long before he too was selling a "dayglow metal monster!" LOL
|
|
Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
|
|
|
Dec 22, 2008 - 02:36am PT
|
Steve, let's not be hasty here. He never sold a dripping-in-orange, clang-a-bang monster like the MSR "negative hooking-angle" implement that was all designed wrong-way-around to arrest a fall rather than positively holding to prevent falling in the first place. Nope, not the Chouinard style.
|
|
apogee
climber
|
|
|
Dec 22, 2008 - 02:56am PT
|
"About that french technique - did anybody ever really use it?"
Yep, as an aspiring alpinist oh-so-long-ago, I studied 'On Ice' word by word, and practiced all those frenchy names assiduously. I came to realize that there was much truth in YC's rock vs. snow/ice descriptions of body positions, and still think about them when I scramble through the mountains.
Learning those techniques never resulted in me becoming another Twight or Gadd, but it sure was a formative experience...
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 22, 2008 - 10:19pm PT
|
Time for the Ice Screw Parade.
Starting with the scrawny Marwa!
The thinest will take a cork out and are too delicate to believe. Falling on one.......even aiding on one, yow!
Classic late sixties screws and drive-ins. Charlet-Mosers on the bottom. Salewa tube up top and frst generation Chouinard-Salewa Warthog drive-in.
Darker second generation Salewa Warthog on botttom with two Camp screws below early Salewa tube.
|
|
Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
|
|
|
Dec 22, 2008 - 10:40pm PT
|
Nice collection Steve.
After my experience with the snapped-off Charlet-Moser ice screw, I went into the Ski Hut in Berkeley and bought out their stock of a dozen of those Marwas -- just to be sure no one accidentally used them for pro.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Dec 23, 2008 - 12:19pm PT
|
Marwa screw: I broke mine off absent-mindedly screwing it into a picknick table.
Didn't even get to try it in the wine bottle...
That last Warthog is art.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 27, 2008 - 03:06pm PT
|
I have been waiting patiently for a Warthog to end up as a dagger in some low budget sci-fi horror flick.
Doug- those delicate imported screws never had a chance considering the way we often used to put them in, using the ice axe or alpine hammer like a brace and bit. Rock out and snap!
|
|
Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
|
|
|
Dec 27, 2008 - 07:09pm PT
|
Steve: Thank you for the awesome line-up of old ice-screws you posted. I have not figured out the trick of posting photos here, but the Warthog I asked about is all but identical to the Salewa Warthog in your last photo.
However it is clearly embossed Chouinard USA on one side and Wart Hog on the other. One is currently in a group of Chouinard screws on E-BAy. Auction # is 160306090912.
Yes they are mine. Fritz
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2008 - 11:35am PT
|
If your Warthog has a bronze finish on it rather than black then you likely have a third generation which is even more prop worthy!
|
|
Clu
Social climber
|
|
|
Dec 29, 2008 - 06:30pm PT
|
I along with several from Mt. Traders in Berkeley signed up for Yvon's 3 day clinic on ice near Mt. Dana. Rick Sylvester was assisting, $85 (?!) for a 3 day clinic. Yvon had just come out with the N. Wall hammer and cute "Climaxe", the first short tools. Still have my 70cm bamboo and recently picked up a N Wall hammer. Would love to complete the set with a Climaxe.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2008 - 06:42pm PT
|
Who wouldn't want to tidy things up that way! LOL
I have an original Piolet and a Zero Northwall Hammer. The Climaxe is pretty spiffy but always seemed like a great way to puncture fabric or flesh at the time. First came out in 1972.
|
|
jimknight
Trad climber
Orem, Utah
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 04:00pm PT
|
Anyone remember the Nestor Ice Screw? It made a fair dagger. I'll dig one out and make a scan to post, just for grins of course.
|
|
Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 04:26pm PT
|
A Climaxe would make a good collector's item, for sure, but they weren't so, uh, "hot" for climbing. Not enough heft, so they kinda wobbled and dinked around.
The hammer, though -- now that was a tool. My first one was hand forged from a Yo hammer, with a pick about half as big in all dimensions. Shorter, thinner, more delicate, but with the same force behind it. Talk about penetration. Eventually it broke, so I could see why he beefed up the production models.
YC had a Climaxe at his beach shack that came out at low tide and was all scruffy from digging in the sand. He called it the Clam-axe.
|
|
jimknight
Trad climber
Orem, Utah
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 05:17pm PT
|
Classic story Doug! The Climaxe was too light. I wrapped solder around the head of mine and taped it in place to get the weight up. Okay as a 3rd tool. I climbed with a guy from Lander (Wes Kraus?) who had refit his Climaxe with a longer, framing hammer handle. It worked even better.
|
|
east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
|
was that at YC's nice little multi-million dollar "shack" overlooking rights and lefts ? Wish I had a "shack"!!!!!!
|
|
F10
Trad climber
e350
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 07:40pm PT
|
Actually my Climaxe comes in pretty handy on some alpine routes where you don't need an axe but need to travel a small bit of snow. When you don't need it, tuck it away and it is out of sight but not out of mind.
|
|
Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 30, 2008 - 07:44pm PT
|
Aesthetics aside, the need for close quarters step cutting capability or palm support on a hammer length tool never convinced me that I had to have one. I lusted after a fiberglass LAS Hummingbird hammer instead.
Classic old school Lee Vining canyon ice shot
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 08:23pm PT
|
Fiberglas Hummingbird hammer?
The white handled jobber...
Nah, the tubular pick flexed too much and all those short tools were knuckle bangers.
After all of that with tube picks and the hammers,
I liked the Big Bird with an Alpine pick (or the reverse curve banana pick) best.
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
|
|
|
Dec 30, 2008 - 08:29pm PT
|
I still have one of those original fiberglass, tinker toy -like, hummingbirds, "The EB of Ice Climbing!"
-I have too much scar tissue to see my knuckles....
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!