The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
1183.2014.1(a-k)
Bunch of pitons
26/11/2014
Hermione Cooper
26/11/2014
Various pitons on a karabiner - mostly P shaped. One ice piton.
metal
length a-11.5 b- 25 c-10.5 d-14 e -13 f- 14 g- 13 h-11.5 i- 9 j- 12 k - 5cm
11
a- "MADE ITALY P. CASSIN"
b - Stubai
c - "CHARLET MOSER CHAMONIX"
d - "CHARLET MOSER CHAMONIX"
e - "E AUSTRIA STUBAI"
f - "12 RC ITALY"
g - "CHARLET MOSER CHAMONIX"
h - "**IN AUSTRIA STUBAI"
i - "MADE IN AUSTRIA STUBAI"
j- "E IN AUST STUBAI"
k - "ITALY 4 R.CASSIN "
silver
Cassin, Stubai, Moser
Italy, Austria, France
We've kept this bunch of pitons together since that's how they arrived - donated by Ranald Strachan on behalf of his father, Ronald.
Ronald was a mountaineer and one time member of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team back in the 1950's - a time when pitons were much in vogue since climbers had yet to see the modern forms of rock gear we have today.
The big long one 'b' is a Stubai ice piton which would be hammered into the ice for an anchor and hacked out afterwards - this was in the days before ice screws. All the others are rock pitons - most of which are unused and in mint condition - a collector's dream!
Apart from a few pitons made for the military, the UK did not have a piton manufacturer back in those days so these are all European, the names of which ring out like a history of the era; Ricardo Cassin of Italy, Charlet Moser of Chamonix in France and Stubai of Austria. The pitons themselves have names too : rings, spikes, angles and the beautifully crafted and wonderfully named Ace of Hearts. All in all a fabulous bunch of mountain jewellery.
Donated by Ranald Strachan
26/11/2014
26/11/2014
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
26/11/2014