One of the earliest Chouinard Alpine hammers, from the line that combined a piton hammer with a pick for snow and ice.
Identifying Marks
- 11⅝” wood handle
- Pick with 4 teeth
- Solid head (no notch)
- Red manufacturer’s logo stamp
- Phillips screw near the end of the handle, holding the leash, is typical for 1968 (the 1967 Alpine used a flat-head screw)
About this piece: the hammer in the collection has a standard flat-head screw instead of the usual Phillips. It’s not clear whether that’s a later replacement or an original from early in the 1968 run, when leftover flat-head screws may still have been in use. If you’ve seen other 1968 Alpine hammers with flat-head screws, I’d like to hear about it.
About the Model
The Alpine hammer first appeared in 1967 with an 11″ handle, pairing a piton hammer face with a pick for cutting and hooking in snow and ice. The 1968 version lengthened the handle to 11⅝”, the easiest way to tell the two apart. Over the next decade the line went through more versions than any other Chouinard hammer, with the handle length, pick width and tooth pattern changing almost year to year as ice-climbing technique developed. By 1971 the pick had grown wider and the head heavier.
Source: identifying marks and dates from the Karabin Climbing Museum‘s Chouinard Equipment display. Have something to add? Let me know.
