Chouinard Gear Mystery Questions

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karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 17, 2016 - 07:12pm PT

ebay post:

Climbing Hammer
Vintage US Military rock climbing hammer. Piton style about 12” long with original black lanyard. Stamped 02154, 350 and made by Royson Engineering Co. in PA.

 I always wondered who made the military hammer and there it is! I used that hammer to place over 1000 bolts and never liked it because the head always wobbled. I believe I got it from Michael Chessler with a batch of Army pitons late 1990s

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 17, 2016 - 07:55pm PT
Fritz - I still believe there is a different Fall Winter 1972 catalog since in the 1973 catalog is states items "Planned" for the '73 season. It makes it seem like 73' was not here yet when the wordage was put on the catalog. but then they left the wordage on all of the '73 catalogs. For the '74 season it is the same "planned" wordage. I am not sure how many trade shows there were in 1972, but trade shows today will use that wordage in the summer materials they are handing out for the following season. Prices already reflect the following year season. You know the show lingo. Thanks however for posting that '73 catalog price list. now I have a cleaner copy!

Please everybody if you have a 1972 Chouinard catalog with a different price list than the ones shown on this thread, please share!!!
Fritz

Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
May 18, 2016 - 08:27am PT
Marty: Re your wondering about how many trade shows there were in 1972. I got into the outdoor business as a retailer in July of 1973. For the first few years after that, the only trade shows that outdoor companies showed at in the U.S. were small ones sponsored by associations of ski & outdoor gear reps. The WWSRA (Western Winter Sports Representatives Association) sponsored a spring & a fall show each year in a few western cities. I went to their Seattle Show.

The other big outdoor show, the Las Vegas based SIA (Ski Industries of America) show was not at all welcoming to climbing & backpack gear companies. I think the spring of 1975 a new Las Vegas show, The Snow Show was started for the outdoor gear companies. It continued as a March National show for a few years, before combining with the SIA.

I appreciate that during 1974, Chouinard may have been revising his catalog 4 times a year. My later history memories have just two price list revisions a year. I agree with you that a new catalog & gear lineup would be presented in the fall for spring delivery, then only minor changes would be made until the next year.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2016 - 09:10am PT
Fritz - You got into the outdoor business in 1973. Wow I bet you have seen and held a lot of gear. I wish I could download your brain! I agree with you that it is a good bet that there are 4 different 1974 catalogs because one of the 1974 catalogs specifies prices March-June 1974. The ringer on my side is that I have three different 1972 price lists (single column), the third in progression has the goods ink stamp off to the right side. I will share the price lists but you will have to wait till I return from work today. I got routes to set and bills to pay.
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2016 - 09:32pm PT
I lined up the Chouinard 1972 - 1974 catalog price lists below in order, or at least I believe they are in order. I am not positive exactly in what season of the year each price list was produced so my season tags may be not entirely correct. Anyways 25 years of searching and so far 9 different price lists are found.

There is no differences between the 1973 mailer price list and 1973 catalog price list except for the price on the Deluxe Jacket and the Expedition Jacket are switched. The mailer states that “this is the new updated price list for the 1972 catalog." In 1973 mailer it states available late summer: Supergators, Mountain Pack, Big Wall Pack, Alpine Pack, Ultima Thule.

Note: The GPIW newsletters have printed on them - Spring, Winter.
The Chouinard Catalogs 72'-74' do not specify a season, except for Mar-June 74'
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 18, 2016 - 09:46pm PT


I can already hear Nancy McKeown laughing at us as we continue to attempt to make Chouinard catalog dates concrete.

:)
Tipkiss

Trad climber
CA
May 19, 2016 - 12:03pm PT
What's up with this thing?


Todd Eastman

climber
Bellingham, WA
May 19, 2016 - 01:14pm PT
Forrest nut tool during the pin-to-nut transition.

Seating a wobbly nut with a good whack helped calm the nerves...

... and testing fixed pins...
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - May 19, 2016 - 09:26pm PT
Forrest Bam nut tool

Its a hammer, a nut tool, a multi position nut pro, and a rigid quick draw
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Aug 9, 2016 - 08:34am PT

No mystery here, but the man at work:

Michelle Labrague

climber
New York
Oct 16, 2016 - 08:29pm PT
Hi!
First thank you so much for posting these catalogue images and discussing the differences between them! These are such a great resource.
Im a PhD Candidate working in design and environmental history and the development of American activewear and Im using the Chouinard Equipment catalogue as a key piece of material evidence. Im wondering if any owners of that seminal catalogue, have any additional object based details they'd be willing to share? Since I can't afford to buy a copy of this catalogue myself and library or archive copies have been difficult to come by, Ive been relying on digital scans that the climbing community have so generously posted. Since everything is digital, Im wondering about its physical properties that aren't gleaned from the digital scans-
How much does it weigh?
Whats the paper stock like? thick, thin? What does it feel like? Is there more than one type of paper stock used in a single edition? For example the cover seems like a thick, textured paper (close to cardstock?) while the interior pages are lighter weight and glossy? or lighter weight and matte?
Im realizing that these subtle changes might also be useful in attempting to date different versions of the catalogues as well- combined with your wealth of information on changes in tools allow for the fleshing out of the development of climbing practice in environmental history.
It also looks like there are different colors of paper in the catalogues as well?
What is the binding? stapled?glued?
Whats the printing quality like in person? clear and clean? more like a xerox?(they look pretty sharp in these images)
Just trying to get a "feel" for what it would be like to read a physical copy and hold one in my hands.
I realize there are different versions so perhaps there are also physical differences between editions that might be outlined?
Thanks again for any details you are willing to post! This information is a great help while writing my dissertation,
Very Best regards, Michelle
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Oct 16, 2016 - 09:01pm PT
I don't have one, either, but I remember looking through it at the time.

> How much does it weigh?

Like a small guidebook, maybe about 2 biners.

> Whats the paper stock like? thick, thin?

Thick or medium.

> What does it feel like?
> Is there more than one type of paper stock used in a single edition?
> For example the cover seems like a thick, textured paper (close to cardstock?)
> while the interior pages are lighter weight and glossy?
> or lighter weight and matte?

Yes, the cover is slightly textured, and the interior pages are lighter, but not glossy.

> It also looks like there are different colors of paper in the catalogues as well?

There are slightly different versions; check with Marty to see if there are color differences.

> What is the binding? stapled?glued?

Stapled.

> Whats the printing quality like in person? clear and clean?

Yes, clear and clean.
Todd Eastman

climber
Bellingham, WA
Oct 16, 2016 - 09:15pm PT
The catalogues were durable and seemed a blend of product marketing and experience marketing. As Chouinard was a must have line for any climbing shop in the US, the messages delivered was a step towards unifying how American climbers pursued the port and perceived themselves.

This series of catalogues and Mountain Magazine from the UK were major influences on a generation of climbers coast-to-coast.
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
Oct 16, 2016 - 09:37pm PT
Michelle: Thanks for asking. Both previous answers are from folks with good memories and accurate opinions.

I just weighted the 3 Chouinard 1972-series catalogs I mention up-thread.

With order form & price list, all have 72 pages inside the covers.

Fall 1972 6.9 oz. = 195 g.

1973 6.8 oz. = 192 g.

1974 6.7 oz. = 189 g.

Cover is heavy stock & textured.

Inside pages are heavier than any catalog cover I've seen in ages, but non glossy.
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Oct 16, 2016 - 10:01pm PT
Oops, the mavens are here, in force . . ^ ^ ^ ^
karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 19, 2016 - 10:05am PT



On October 15 the Arizona Hiking Shack organized a community fun day at the store which included a big sale, outdoor gear swap, Tips and Tricks seminar by Randy Propster from Backpacker Magazine, food, etc. So Jaime Gangi insisted that the Phoenix Rock Gym be present at the gear swap so I was roped in to getting a bunch of stuff together to swap. No problem, and our booth space was styling and in the shade! A few other people set up tables and the Arizona Mountaineering Club also set up a booth and had a few things for sale from Phoenix local Wally Vegors.


Fifteen years ago I visited Wally’s estate and purchased a few museum trinkets from him and I thought I got all of the prizes from his 1940s rack. But at the gear swap I wandered over to the AMC booth to inspect what he had brought and it only took a few seconds before total shock hit me, and I went into fainting mode. The AZ Hiking Shack is where my Chouinard museum is on display, and three of the items missing in the museum were sitting there on the table for sale. Late 1960 Chouinard Knifeblade 2 sizes and late 1960 Chouinard Vertical Knifeblade, $10.00 each. The Vertical Knifeblade is listed as priceless and I happened to purchase it at a gear swap located 25 feet away from my Chouinard Museum display. What are the chances of that?


What is beautiful about these three Chouinard trinkets is that they show proof of Chouinard’s transition from a square eye piton profile, to a angled profile and added notch. The Chouinard Pitons shown in the March 1960 Dolt catalog have a square profile, but by 1961 the notch was added to the Knifeblades and Bugaboos, and shortly after the Vertical Knifeblade was no longer made. The square of the eye on the blade side was angled sometime late 1960, and notch by mid 1960. Looking at Wally’s two Chouinard Knifeblades, one has a square profile and one a angled profile, and the Vertical Knifeblade has the angled profile. Cool!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Nov 19, 2016 - 02:08pm PT
The shapes make good sense when you consider that Yvon was cutting them with a band saw back in the early days before the mid - 1960s when Tom Frost joined him and dies were drawn and fabricated. Most of those older blades show the band saw work as they look like a coin edge.
Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
Nov 20, 2016 - 10:30am PT
Marty! Big congrats on "catching" those early Chouinard Knifeblades & thanks for sharing photos & info on their history.
EdBannister

Mountain climber
13,000 feet
Nov 20, 2016 - 02:38pm PT
Chouinard Equipment had firsts,but i can not think of one that was attributable to Yvon.
There is a long list of firsts from Tom Frost, who was Yvon's partner during the early years.
and there were many copies of what someone else had already done.. Even the Diamond C logo was an imitation of Salathe's Diamond Peninsula Company logo which was on angles Yvon also imitated. From the time Tom Frost left, to the outsource engineering of two axeled cams, i cannot think of one original product from the Diamond C.

karabin museum

Trad climber
phoenix, az
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 20, 2016 - 04:30pm PT
Good question about Chouinard originals:

Ice screw ratchet.
The Chouinard Skyhook predates Dolt
Chouinard was first to change the shape of the hex shape nut.
Crack N up was the first beak style piton
Tube Chocks
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