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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 15, 2013 - 02:07pm PT
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By my conversations with Tom, the break was inevitable as he didn't see any role for himself once the company emphasis shifted towards clothing.
I think the red axes stand out in my memory due to Chouinard's famous quip about "dayglow metal monsters" during his organic phase. Yvon was referencing MSR, of course, but the red certainly met the standard. LOL
You folks that have comprehensive catalogs for Chouinard, please take a look for the first X-15, if you would be so kind. A nice pair of red axes just floated through ebay and caught my eye but I try to land the first offering in any tool design, if I can.
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eco-g
Social climber
Lyons, CO
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Mar 24, 2013 - 06:46pm PT
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Hey All - I've got an old ice axe, and was wondering if anyone might know of how to find what it's worth?
It's a steel shaft, and the imprint on it says "MacInnes Massey/ Made in Great Britain/ Patent Pending"
I found one online so far at the Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection. Same one. But just not sure how much it would be worth or where I could put it up for sale. Any help is appreciated!
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 25, 2013 - 10:14am PT
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Steve: Sorry for a slow response on your request for X-15 info, but I have been a busy old guy.
The X tools, with replaceable picks, show up in Chouinard catalogs by 1983, but are not in my Chouinard 1980 catalog. I think they were always made with blue shafts per this photo from Chouinard's 1987 catalog.
I have a Chouinard catalog for each year from 1983-to their last catalog in 1989, and the X-15 does not show.
The X-15 is introduced in the first Black Diamond catalog, in 1990----in black.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 25, 2013 - 11:54am PT
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Thanks Fritz!
It turns out that I have an early run Xtool already and will post a shot at some point.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Mar 25, 2013 - 12:42pm PT
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I bet you can clean up that originally posted axe by polishing with some jeweler's rouge. It is very fine and if you just take off the oxidation, it will be a beauty.
You can get it here:
http://www.riogrande.com/Search/rouge
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Mar 25, 2013 - 05:09pm PT
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I bought my C-F piolet (which I still have) out of the now famous and apparently hard to get 1976 (?) catalog with the Chinese painting on the front (looking at it right now---Chouinard rope.....11x165.....$49.50
Yosemite hammer.......$14.00/Chouinard Piolet...$33.50))
It says in the catalog, "these shafts are made of laminated bamboo..."
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 25, 2013 - 08:22pm PT
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Branscomb. That Chouinard catalog you have is a classic! I cherish the one I have from back then.
It has been worked out on ST (with a lot of input from Marty) that it was published 1972-74 with different price-lists every 6 months or so.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Mar 25, 2013 - 09:00pm PT
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Blue shafted "Zero" tools with the heads still made by Camp followed the bamboo, with the replaceable heads and replaceable picks made stateside soon after that.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 26, 2013 - 01:12am PT
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Something interesting...I call this, the "Piolet X"...
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 26, 2013 - 01:29am PT
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Couple more odd items...
Not sure the double bolt on the head of the X tools was ever produced? If anyone has one they'd like to part with...
Was in the 1983 catalog, though:
The X tools were popular with the single bolt pick attachment:
Some time prior to convertin' over to Black Diamond...
Then, by 1991, was the Black Diamond X-15 BRS Ice Tools.
Cheers!
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troutbreath
climber
Kanada
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Mar 30, 2013 - 02:03pm PT
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Here's a shotfrom the 1978 REI catalog of what was being sold that year.
I also am trying to track down the year for this Stubai rock hammer that I found at the bottom of the Grand Wall in Squamish in 1975. Stubai is in small print on the side.Could possibly be from the earliest of accents as there was no trace of any wood from the handle. Can't find this hammer type by Stubai on the net so far. Maybe someone on here would know.
Also in photo is an old Stubai bolt. I had about 5 of them and it never made it into the rock before it bent. Got them from a store in Vancouver called Teepee sports or something like that that sold mostly european stuff. Got lots of pitons from them too and these scary things.
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dustyrat
Trad climber
Leeds, West Yorkshire
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Can anyone help me to identify the age / year of manufacture of this particular Chouinard Frost Piolet?
I sense pre '72 due to the older triangular Camp Logo but would love to know more specifically when manufactured.
A few things to share which may help with identification:
(a) The teeth on the pick are positive rather than negative
(b) There are five distinct notches below the C and Made in Italy stamping.
(c) The handle looks to be wood rather than bamboo and has the number 2 stamped just above the ferrule
Help would be appreciated,
D
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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The notches were likely added after the fact to make hooking the edge of cavities a little more secure. I added teeth to my first piolet for that reason. Otherwise, you will get a good answer pretty soon from the knowledgeable folks here. Precise dating can be a bit tricky because different shafted axes were sold in the US and in Europe where they were made.
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dustyrat
Trad climber
Leeds, West Yorkshire
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Hi Steve,
The notches are too precise to be ground post manufacture.
C
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RDB
Social climber
wa
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2 rivet is generally a '73 or earlier axe. Three rivet is '74 to '77 production. Wooden shafted axe production that was Chouinard marked ended by late '77 or early '78 in the US. Unmarked Interalp axes (Chouinard Piolets with no Chouinard stamp) were in the sale bin/gone by fall of '78 in Europe. My guess is any axe pre '72 will be very rare out side the US.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Tom Frost left Chouinard in 1975 and his name on the ice tools was the first to go so this axe in not more recent than that date.
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Fritz
Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Yep, Yep, & Yep! Total agreement with these very capable experts on the subject.
I know I purchased this 60 Cm, bamboo shaft piolet in early 1974. Dustyrat: Note how different the inside teeth are from the ones added later to your piolet. Also, per RDB's mention, mine has 3 rivets holding the head to the shaft.
Of course, he & I have known each other since meeting while climbing Cascade Couloir near Banff Feb. 1974, which is also where I first used this well used tool.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Perhaps the shaft side teeth were damaging the owners hands or gloves and that person chose to grind down the underside of the pick to take care of the problem leaving only a trace of the original teeth. A quick measurement
would nail that detail down.
Sure looks like a good match with Fritz's axe as far as the head details leaving the shaft material question aside.
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RDB
Social climber
wa
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Was gonna ask Fritz when he first saw the Piolets selling @ retail here?
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