The Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection
1410.2017.1
Stubai? Six Point crampons
19/10/2017
Hermione Cooper
19/10/2017
Pair of possibly Stubai six point crampons with webbing straps
metal, webbing
33(L) x13(W) cms
1 pair
Initials "A.W."
brown
Stubai?
Austria?
These are probably the oldest crampons that we have in our collection and we suspect they date from the 1920’s or a little earlier. Though looking very much like Stubai, the only identification marks we can find are the. initials ”AW” stamped on one of them, which is more likely to be an owner’s, rather than a maker’s initials.
Oscar Eckenstein, along with Italian blacksmith Henry Grivel, is credited with inventing/creating the first crampons for climbing around 1910, though mountain folk had been wearing spiky things on their feet for centuries before that. There is some evidence that Hannibal’s elephants had spikes on their feet when crossing the Alps in 218BC.
So, we think Stubai, we think 1920’s and we know they were donated by our good friend and Mountain Guide, John Cheesmond.
Donated by John Cheesmond
19/10/2017
19/10/2017
Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007
19/10/2017