L'Equipement de l'Alpiniste 1900

In 1883, a group of Geneva climbers coined the phrase ‘varrape’ (rock climbing in French) while climbing on the face of the Salève mountain overlooking the city. Of these climbers, one was to later revolutionize alpine equipment. Perhaps Felix Genecand was fed up with destroying his street shoes on the Salève face, perhaps it was the death of a friend who’s shoe fell apart that inspired him to invent better climbing footwear.He adopted the nickname Tricouni which was the name of an Italian climber he admired. Tricouni invented several models of steel climbing boot nails which could be attached to the leather soled shoes of the time. The Tricouni climbing nail was later to be known the world over.

A dozen number model #1 Tricouni nails attached to the sole of the shoe, weighed only seventy grams and revolutionized mountain climbing at the time.