A hammer-sized ice axe from the early days of steep ice climbing. It carries the Chouinard-Frost signature on one side of the head and the old CAMP diamond logo on the other.
Identifying Marks
- Short wood handle, about the length of a piton hammer, with an adze where a hammer would have its striking face
- Curved pick with four teeth at the tip only
- Head engraved “Chouinard-Frost” in script, with the diamond-C logo
- Other face stamped “MADE IN ITALY,” the diamond-shaped “D CN & FD CAMP” logo and the round Interalp mountain logo. On this piece the CAMP logo is double struck.
- Handle stamped in red ink “CHOUINARD MADE IN USA” with the diamond-C logo
- Phillips screw near the end of the handle, holding the leash
About the Model
Chouinard introduced the Climaxe in 1972 as a companion to the Alpine hammer. It used the Alpine hammer’s pick but swapped the hammer face for a small adze, so a climber front-pointing up steep ice could carry one hammer and one Climaxe instead of two hammers, and still cut a foothold or clear ice off rock. The heads were forged by CAMP in Premana, Italy, and fitted to their handles in Chouinard’s shop in Ventura, California.
The Climaxe never caught on. It first sold for $23, then $27. A redesigned head with the engraved Chouinard-Frost signature arrived in late 1973, but that batch had a flaw, and from 1974 the remaining stock was listed at just $12. The price stayed there until the model was dropped, by 1978. One climber who used it recalled that it was too light to bite well into hard ice.
Dating This Piece
The head narrows the date. CAMP began replacing its old diamond logo in 1972 and had finished the switch by about 1976, so this head was forged before then. The engraved Chouinard-Frost signature points to the late-1973 redesign rather than the first 1972 heads. Together they place this piece around 1974.
The handle agrees. Its red “CHOUINARD MADE IN USA” stamp is consistent with the handles on the collection’s earlier hammers, such as the 1971 and 1975 Alpine hammers.
Sources: catalog description, CAMP logo dates and CAMP’s role as maker from the Vertical Museum, with logo history from CAMP’s Denis Pivot. Prices, the late-1973 redesign and the discontinuation date from Marty Karabin’s “Chouinard Gear Mystery Questions” thread on SuperTopo, including a climber’s note on the tool’s weight. Ventura assembly from the Karabin Climbing Museum‘s conversation with former Chouinard employee Nancy McKeown. Stamps and handle details from the collection. Have something to add? Let me know.
