F Ralling, Fulpmes, Austria, North Wall Hammer, shortened and pick dropped by John Brailsford 1970 This little note was written by our good friend John Cheesmond when he donated this lovely little piece of mountaineering history in 2015. Both Johns were Mountain Guides and Brailsford was also a talented blacksmith who,amongst many things, had invented the Acorn and the M.O.A.C., two of the world’s first commercially produced items of climbing protection. No surprise then that John asked John to ‘drop the pick’This at a time when few specialist ice climbing tools existed and climbers were modifying old tools to deal with the new, steep ice challenges. Felix Ralling was another talented blacksmith from the Stubai area of Austria. His was one of several companies who produced high quality axes and hammers in the early part of the 20th Century. The fabulous example we have here in the collection dates from the 1950’s or maybe a little earlier.