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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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I still have perhaps ten unused Leeper hangers. In the mid-1960's, we considered them superior to the other commercially available hangers, particularly for rappel anchors, because the only other commercially-available hangers were aluminum ones with a slight bend, rather than a 90-degree angle. Roper went so far as to discourage anything but Leepers (without naming the brand) in his 1966 Climber's Guide to Pinnacles.
Incidentally, Ski Hut published that guide, so asking Steck looks like a better idea after all.
John
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Even home made will use a template for small batches, so I'm not sure that consistency by itself means commercial. Ymmv.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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I believe I have one of those grommet strap hangers as well, from a rebolt at pinns.
Jigs are super easy to build and anybody making hangers would surely use one for a bigger run.
Cool find Bruce.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2015 - 10:01am PT
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Look at the photo and notice the rounded corners and how the edges are finished to make them 'smooth.' Most homemade hangers I have seen are made about as quickly as possible. They take a piece of metal stock and just cut it to length and then drill a hole for the bolt and carabiner. These have extra finishing details that seem to indicate the they were made for sale.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Having given it a bit more thought I think that you are right that these were made for sale in a small batch but not likely by a recognized manufacturer.
A potential seller would be concerned about sharp edges cutting sling material which would explain the grommet as a faster way of finishing the clip hole. It also looks cleaner and is more distinctive.
I just bugged Al about the aider configuration that Salathe used so I will try and see if he can recall who made these hangers. His memory is pretty damn good on Ski Hut era hardware so we will see what he says.
Does the catalog listing show the grommet detail at all?
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 5, 2015 - 10:50am PT
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Here is another photo of all four hangers. Steve, if you could ask Alan Steck that would be great. I have not seen the catalog page.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Courtesy of the Guido Research Team.
I'm going with Ski Hut 1967-68?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Those pages of Ski Hut 1961 don't have hangers,
but maybe Dwight can post 1962?
The 1967 has Leeper and Longware hangers.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Just thought I would add a little spice to the non-hanger pages. You want some hangers? Here you go!
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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They look perfectly good to me. I'd clip them.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 18, 2015 - 01:54pm PT
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maybe Dwight can post 1962? Sorry, it was Barry, not Dwight.
My bad for a sloppy job tacking on the wrong name to a supertopo handle.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2015 - 02:04pm PT
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Here's a photo of a homemade hanger!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Mar 18, 2015 - 05:59pm PT
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Hey Guido- So I guess the answer is God. LOL
Are the dates on the third catalog page accurate because Dr. Dick stopped making pitons around 1962 based on recent correspondence so 67-68 seems a bit late.
Does the "carabiner hanger" on the first page look like a match to you? I can't quite make out the photo or description which accompanies the item.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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I just asked Al Steck about the bolt hangers in the OP and he had no recollection of the grommet detail in anything that Ski Hut sold with his usual disclaimer.
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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I have the same 1968 Ski Hut catalog page that shows many LONGware products. But Bridwell told me LONGware stopped making gear by 1964. I guess the question is when did Dick Long start making gear and when did he stop? My earliest LONGware trapezoid hanger that I have is from the FA of the Southeast Arete of Baboquivari climbed March 1957. It was the only hanger placed on the route and I confirmed with David Ganci that it is the original. The hanger was fixed to the rock with a flat head course screw into a wood plug that was jammed into the drilled hole.
I also have another hanger from Gibralter Rock in California. It is unmarked and slightly thinner than the LONGware trapezoid but same shape placed in 1954. Is Mr. Long still around? Can somebody lock in the history of LONGware products, or give me his contact information?
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