Diamond C ice gear at Neptunes

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Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Topic Author's Original Post - May 20, 2007 - 06:13pm PT
thought these pics might go well with Steve's thread -


these crampons look a lot like the ones in that '68 catalog

related cool stuff
remember the Climaxe? (spell?)

a nice assortment of vintage hardware from the wooden shaft era
note axe far right belonged to Tobin

next time you're hiking in the mountains and it really sucks remember it could be worse,
you could have these on your feet

period Forrest tools

the blue period

I'll post more pics from Gary's shop down the road a bit...
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2007 - 06:44pm PT
almost forgot this one
remember - "Rugged Rags from the Iron Mongers"?
DonC

climber
CA
May 20, 2007 - 06:55pm PT
I just retired my Super Guides a few years ago. Heavy, but great boots! And those are the crampons I wore with them.
TYeary

Mountain climber
Calif.
May 20, 2007 - 07:08pm PT
I still use my Super Guides once in a while on Baldy in winter ect. Bought them in '73 at Sport Chalet. Used them in the Sierra and on the Mexican Volcanos as well. Great boot. A bit heavy, but...
Thanks for the memory jog photos.
Tony
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 20, 2007 - 07:15pm PT
Nice display items at Gary's store! The advantage of running a shop and being an active user too. Thanks for posting up Ray. That is the entire selection of Chouinard ice tools through the classic production period. Very cool. I wonder who pinched the bong from the display???

Edit: I think there is even an ash handled Piolet, pre-laminated Bamboo. A real rarity!

Those are definitely the Choiunard crampons by the cupped front points.

I miss my old Superguides too. Ripped a big chunk of midsole and welt out while, you guessed it, TALUS RUNNING!
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2007 - 08:47pm PT
Steve, you have a sharp eye.

it had been a while since I walked around Neptune's looking mainly at the museum - there are indeed some relics.

Really fun to share w/ folks who appreciate it.

Ray
dfinnecy

Social climber
san joser
May 20, 2007 - 09:01pm PT
Are those two things on the top right of the Chouinard board hooks?
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2007 - 09:03pm PT
those are indeed early Chouinard hooks -

Steve and others would certainly know more about their evolution than I...
J. Werlin

climber
Cedaredge
May 20, 2007 - 09:10pm PT
I see a parabiner (sp?) above the Galibiers. Still got one of those, except it has a big groove in it--I remember buying it to belay with the Munter,
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 20, 2007 - 09:51pm PT
The hook on the left is the original Cliffhanger. The hook on the right is a Bathook, a modified Cliffhanger designed to be set with a tap into a shallow 1/4" hole. Warren Harding devised this modification to allow secure purchase even on overhanging terrain. Along with idiosyncratic variation in each person's Bathooks, the flaring associated with setting the tapered hook tip by force lead to immediate placement deterioration. The use of force is the reason that the Bathook is less curved and shorter in span.
As a hook, the original Cliffhanger was an unstable, flake shearing little devil but I have always used one as a waist hook because it can slip behind anything.
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Topic Author's Reply - May 20, 2007 - 10:00pm PT
Steve, do you know why some of Ed Leepers hooks are called
"Logan" hooks?
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 20, 2007 - 10:06pm PT
Because Jim Logan invented them Ray. Finest hooks ever devised for real unadulterated microflake hooking!
Bldrjac

Ice climber
Boulder
May 21, 2007 - 01:25am PT
We need to hear from "modest"Jim Logan..
Jim, give it up!
Jim's got some interesting stories from his and Mug's first ascent on the Emperor Face on Robson when Jim had to aid one pitch. Claims that it might have been his most intimidating pitch ever! Wonder if he had to use any hooks?
Scared Silly

Trad climber
UT
May 21, 2007 - 10:31am PT
Here are some pictures of my meager collection of Chouinard tools and some selected hardware.



Early Yo hammer in a Dolt Holster w/ Chouinard Alcola Biner.
Late Crag Hammer that was hardly used.


Misc Ironmongery, Wide Logan Hook, Original Cliff Hanger, early die forged Lost Arrow
RURP, Crack N Ups, Aluminum Bong.


Ash Handled Piolet, Climb Axe, and Alpine Hammer with Chouinard Alcola biners.

If one looks carefully the signatures of Chouinard and Frost can be seen on the Yo and Alpine Hammers respectively.

I had a bunch of clean gear but it is now down at BD as part of their display.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 21, 2007 - 11:31am PT
Nice gear stash SS!
I would love to hear from Jim about the evolution of his superb hook design. Wasn't he in on the first true Winter ascent of the NW face of Half dome in a rare display of Grand Alpinism stateside?
bhilden

Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
May 21, 2007 - 11:37am PT
Raydog...nice photos. The 70cm piolet Chouinard-Frost in the photo is actually mine. I gave it to Gary way back in about 1987 or so. Actually, it wasn't really mine....I was working at Bell Laboratories in Denver at the time and my boss made her husband give up climbing because all his friends were dying so I got all his equipment.

Bruce
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 21, 2007 - 12:12pm PT
Bruce- were you around Bell long enough to have been involved in the ancient Bell Toptex Malibu climbing/surfing helmet? It was the first brainbucket if memory serves.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 21, 2007 - 08:24pm PT
A trip down memory lane. Thank you!

I had a Bell Toptex helmet in the early 1970s, bought at REI in Seattle. (Actually, that's redundant - in those days, the only REI was in Seattle.) I believe the Joe Brown was the first helmet actually made for climbing, a little earlier, but it wasn't available in North America then. The MSR helmet came out soon after.

Most of the other gear is more than familiar, though there hasn't been a picture of the dangerous Marwa ice screw yet - the coathanger/bottle opener. It was even scarier than the Salewa/Stubai version, in that the head was sort of like a cold shut - no actual weld. Not that the things would have held much anyway.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
May 21, 2007 - 09:23pm PT
Hopefully Gary has stopped opening beers with his teeth by now! The first time he did that to me I didn't know whether to laugh or cringe.
The Daly digit in a jar, I bet Gary really likes that little tidbit!
Watusi

Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
May 22, 2007 - 03:04am PT
Very Nice!!
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