Welcome to a slightly obsessive corner of climbing history: vintage climbing hammers and other climbing gear. The collection represents the evolution of brands over multiple generations, and low-production innovators that helped shape the future of climbing in all its forms.
How This Started
I’ve been climbing in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years. Somewhere along the way I started collecting mountaineering books (25 years and counting), and for the last 15 years, the gear itself.
It all started with six dollars. At a Mountaineers garage sale, $6 got me a Forrest Mjollnir hatchet hammer. That was hammer number one.
Back then, piton hammers were cheap, and it didn’t look like anyone else was collecting them. (I was wrong about that second part.) So my manic collecting side gave itself a simple mission: see how many hammers I could find.
This site is where that hunt has led so far. The collection runs from mass-produced workhorses to short production runs, comes from all over the world, and includes plenty of unknown and homemade hammers that are still keeping their secrets.
Why Hammers?
For most of climbing history, the hammer was the one tool every party carried. It drove pitons and pulled them back out, cut steps, set bolts, and eventually got climbers up vertical ice. As climbing changed, the hammer changed with it: a longer handle here, a new tooth pattern there, a different stamp after a partner left the company. Those small details mean a single hammer can often be dated to within a few years, and every one of them was built for the routes of its day.
What You’ll Find Here
- Hammers: piton, wall, alpine and ice hammers, from 1930s Alpine pieces to modular ice tools.
- Ice axes: wood, bamboo and metal, from European, American and Japanese makers.
- Protection: pitons, nuts, ice pitons and ice screws.
- Photographs: period images of climbers, expeditions and the gear in action.
A Note on Dates
Dating old gear is part detective work. Most of it comes down to maker’s stamps, old catalogs, museum collections and the generous research of other collectors. When I’m not sure about a date or a maker, I’ll say so. And if you know better, I’d love to hear from you.
Say Hello
Got a mystery hammer in the garage? Something to sell or trade? A story about a piece you see here? Drop me a line.
