Clogwyn Climbing Gear, better known as Clog, is a legend in British climbing circles. Likewise its progenitors, Denny Moorhouse and Shirley Smith. Clog began life at Deiniolen, North Wales, in 1966 when Denny and Shirley took over an old cinema and started making rock climbing gear and first off the power press were these pitons. British climbers had been using pitons for decades, almost universally imported from the continent. Denny sought to rectify this by crafting his own from chrome molybdenum steel – a first ever in the UK.

Living a pretty spartan life and employing local labour as and when required, the company grew to international status with many more iconic products, many of which we have here in the collection. Visiting climbers would often be roped in for short term employment at peak periods, one of them being our old pal, Smiler Cuthbertson, who did a stint in the early days. Somehow Smiler acquired these pitons while working there – could have been his wages – and kept them, unused, for 50+ years until he headed off to the big piton factory in the sky. His wife, Clare, kindly passed them onto us in 2022. They bear the early Clog logo, without the ellipse, and being in mint condition this makes them very rare indeed.