Objects Database

Chouinard Equipment ice axe

Accession Number

1163.2014.1

Object Name

Chouinard Equipment ice axe

Created

20/10/2014

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

20/10/2014

Brief Description

Aluminium shafted ice axe with serrated pick, adze and ferrule.

Materials

aluminium, steel

Dimensions

shaft and ferrule 51(l) cms Adze and pick 31(l)cms Shaft circumference 9.5 cms

Number Of Objects

1

Inscription Description

On shaft " CHOUINARD EQUIPMENT " and a diamond with "C" inside.

Colour

blue, silver

Maker

Chouinard

Object Production Place

USA

Provenance

American Rock climber and mountaineer, Yvon Chouinard, started making climbing equipment in his parents backyard in Burbank, Calafornia, way back in 1957.
He was soon to set up his own company, Chouinard Equipment which operated out of The Great Pacific Ironworks in Ventura. Chouinard produced a host of innovative climbing equipment over the decades to come, and in 1969 the Piolet or ice axe appeared (though it seems to have been a refinement of earlier models) and along with it came the Zero, one of the most iconic ice axes ever made.
Progress, in the form of metal, epoxy resin and fibreglass, pretty soon rendered these wooden shafted tools obsolete so Chouinard produced metal shafted versions of the Zero to keep pace with events.
We are not 100% sure,but the axe we have here in the collection seems to be a later version with a much altered - and far less iconic - pick and adze. We suspect this was a somewhat cheaper version produced for a rapidly growing, general mountaineering market, probably in the 1980's.
It's still a good solid axe, however, and was kindly donated by mountain guide, Dave(Smiler) Cuthbertson.

Acquisition Date

20/10/2014

Condition Check Date

20/10/2014

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

20/10/2014

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