In 1984 Chouinard’s Rock and Alpine hammers moved to blue composite handles on the same notched modular head. Handle length is what separates the two models; the bolt-on picks fit either one.
Identifying Marks
- Blue composite handle with “CHOUINARD MADE IN USA” and the diamond-C logo embossed into the handle
- Rock: about 12″ overall (305 mm)
- Alpine: about 13½” overall (340 mm)
- Bare steel head with a separate, bolt-on pick held by three fasteners
- Notch under the hammer face; the 1987 head has none
- Leash threaded through a hole at the bottom of the handle and held by a Phillips screw
- Paper “NOTICE” sticker on the handle just below the head, warning that the webbing attachment won’t hold body weight and should only be tied to the waist as a keeper. Likely standard, but it rarely survives.
The Picks
- Crag: straight, blunt and toothless, about 85 mm long, for cleaning nuts and free climbing
- Big wall: for aid climbing, in two shapes: a short, blunt stub, and a slightly longer, narrower version
- Alpine: curved, about 85 mm long, with 7 teeth
- Ice climbing: longer and steeper, about 110 mm, with 9 teeth
About the Models
The 1984 hammers were Chouinard’s second generation of modular tools. The first came in 1981, with a black composite handle and the same notched head; the Rock hammer name first appears that year on a 12″ short black handle. The 1981 hammers also ended Chouinard’s wood handles, which didn’t return until the Yosemite hammer was reintroduced in 1988. What changed in 1984 was the handle color: both the Rock and the Alpine moved from black to blue composite.
Because the picks bolted on, either hammer could be set up for the climb at hand, and a worn or broken pick could be replaced without buying a new hammer. That also means the pick on a hammer today may not be the one it left the factory with. The blue handle is a good first clue to the date, but not a final answer: the 1987 head also turns up on blue handles before production switched to black. The notch is the quickest way to tell them apart.
The Pieces in the Collection
The 1984 Rock hammer pictured at the top of this post has the notched head and the short, blunt version of the big wall pick, with a blue webbing leash still attached at the handle. The big wall pick is otherwise documented on a 1987 hammer, so this piece suggests it was available by 1984, though with interchangeable picks it could also have been fitted later.
The collection’s 1984 Alpine carries a bright, ice climbing pick and still has its paper NOTICE sticker on the handle, something few of these hammers kept.
Sources: identifying marks and dates from the Karabin Climbing Museum‘s Chouinard Equipment display; overall lengths, pick names, pick dimensions and tooth counts, leash attachment and the notch change from the Vertical Museum’s Chouinard hammer collection. Modular generations, handle history, big wall pick shapes and pick details of these pieces from the collection. Have something to add? Let me know.
