Old Ice Gear

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Messages 1 - 19 of total 19 in this topic

JerryA

Mountain climber

Sacramento,CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 29, 2011 - 12:52pm PT

I have some Russian titanium ice screws I bought in the early 1980s from a non-climber who had obtained them at a "Peace Camp" there. I used them for years but knew people who didn't trust them . I later saw barrels full of them for sale in Kathmandu . I was thinking of passing them on but should I just chuck them ?

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jun 29, 2011 - 01:16pm PT

Post a photo...

David Knopp

Trad climber

Jun 29, 2011 - 05:44pm PT

ron i can't believe people climbed on that sh#t-i've seen stronger kabab skewers!

Studly

Trad climber

Jun 29, 2011 - 05:49pm PT

I've got a few of those screws and used them extensively back in the late 70s mountaineering. I never said I was the sharpest screw in the shed however...

Fritz

Trad climber

Choss Creek, ID

Jun 29, 2011 - 06:13pm PT

I've got one similar to the screw that Ron shows in his photo.

I'll hunt it up and submit a photo.

Charlet-Moser. Chouinard shows them in his 1968 & 72 catalog and states: "The Charlet is excellent for winter conditions and hard ice. It lacks the freeze-up problem with tubes and as somewhat greater holding power than the Wart Hog"

I never used it. The other ice screws available in the early 1970's from Salewa appeared to be much more solid.

I recall people telling me they had twisted the head off (metal-fatigue) on Charlets, when placing them in alpine ice.

I think I did use mine as a cork-screw once or twice.

Worked great!

Fritz

Trad climber

Choss Creek, ID

Jun 29, 2011 - 06:55pm PT

OK!

My range of 1970's ice protection.

From left to right in photo.

Charlet Moser from about 1971,
Salewa Tube from about 1972
Salewa Warthog from about 1972
Chouinard (marked Chouinard USA, WART HOG)from about 1975-76
Chouinard USA Tube from 1976.

EdBannister

Mountain climber

13,000 feet

Jun 29, 2011 - 07:16pm PT

they are probably stronger than anything with a diamond on it.

funny, Eric E. was the only person iknew who climbed enough on the stuff to be regularly breaking it....

the goat

climber

north central WA

Jun 29, 2011 - 07:51pm PT

Damn! I thought my Chouinard tubular's were new age, now I see them on an "antiques" post. Next thing ya know my Cassin pins and Peck crackers will be considered old school.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jun 29, 2011 - 07:56pm PT

Here's your commie titanium selection vintage mid-70's:

You realize these were largely made in the back of the Mikoyan-Gurevich
works at the expense of turning out Mig-25's or Mig-29's on time.

yours,

Mr T

OlympicMtnBoy

climber

Seattle

Jun 29, 2011 - 09:22pm PT

Hey, a titanium warthog (almost). I could use one of those!

WBraun

climber

Jun 29, 2011 - 09:24pm PT

The make good tent stakes .....

Gunks Jesse

Trad climber

Shawangunk, NY

Jul 28, 2015 - 06:10pm PT

Need some help identifying an old piece of ice gear. See pic. Any ideas?

Clint Cummins

Trad climber

SF Bay area, CA

Jul 28, 2015 - 06:14pm PT

Gunks Jesse,
That's a tubular pick for a Lowe Hummingbird ice hammer/axe,
or possibly for the copycat Forrest Mjollnir version.

donini

Trad climber

Ouray, Colorado

Jul 28, 2015 - 06:21pm PT

Chuck them....old ice gear is almost always bad ice gear. Used some titanium Russian screws
In the Karakorum.....didn't like them.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jul 28, 2015 - 07:58pm PT

I used 'em a fair bit and they were fine, not that I did any flying on them.
The tubulars did tend to need their teeth straightened occasionally but
who doesn't? I appreciated that I could take three Rooskies, at least,
for one Coonyard.

Steve Grossman

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jul 28, 2015 - 09:15pm PT

Send your orphaned or obsolete ice widgets my way on the way to the recycling bin and possibly better than that. If they have a story to tell then I will happily take them.

Gunks Jesse

Trad climber

Shawangunk, NY

Aug 20, 2015 - 05:19am PT

Selling a few orphaned ice widgets on eBay in the ongoing vintage gear collection clean out. Took a stab at starting prices. Let me know if I'm off base.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/flashoflight2?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

Have some more Salewa screws I'm going to make a coat rack out of unless anyone wants the old west Germany shorties from early 1970s.

FYI I'll be deleting this post after a few days to avoid bringing down the tone of this thread.