Objects Database

Charlet Ice Piton

Accession Number

1590.2021.1

Object Name

Charlet Ice Piton

Created

09/03/2021

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

09/03/2021

Brief Description

Tubular ice piton with three holes and a ring.

Materials

Metal

Dimensions

24.5(L)x 5(circumference) cms

Number Of Objects

1

Colour

Silver

Maker

Charlet

Object Production Place

France

Provenance

Ice pitons were the forerunners of ice screws and were simply a lump of metal that you bashed into the ice to make an anchor or running belay. The problem then was that you had to hack it back out again ... not easy on steep ice.
J Charlet was a Frenchman more famous for making ice axes than ice pitons, though they seem to be part of the ‘ armoury’ in the 1960’s, soon to be superceded by ice screws. As they were fairly simple in design lots of folk made their own as you can see in the picture opposite.
Charlet and the Austrian firm, Stubai, seem to have been the only commercial producers.

Acquisition Date

09/03/2021

Condition Check Date

09/03/2021

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

09/03/2021

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