Eric Shipton needs little introduction to the ardent mountaineer, but for those who are not in the know, Shipton was one of our most distinguished Himalayan Mountaineers, a member, and later leader, of several early attempts on Mt Everest and other Himalayan peaks alongside early ascents of Mt Kenya whilst working as a tea planter in Africa. He wrote several books recording his adventures; the most popular being ‘Upon that Mountain’ which was first published in 1943. Eric’s distant cousin kindly donated the axe in 2018 letting us know about it in the following e mail:-

“ I have an ice axe which belonged to Eric Shipton. My distant cousin was a tea planter in north India from the 1920s until the 1960s and Shipton stopped in on his way to the hills. I actually used to use it in the hills a while ago. Very long shaft. It is in poor condition…crack in the wood etc. If it is of any use to you I can get it to you or email a picture to you. Cheers. Chris Andrews”

The axe was made by Felix Ralling of Fulpmes in the Stubai area of Austria and dates from around 1920. Curiously, the Felix Ralling logo has been over stamped with what appears to be a date, C1937, and we wonder if this could relate to one of Eric’s expeditions – a little more research required. A wonderful addition to our collection anyway and a big thanks to Christopher Andrews for passing it on.