Bongs get their name from the noise they make when being hammered into a crack. It seems that a ‘bong’ can also be a filtration device used for smoking tobacco, cannabis or other herbal substances. We prefer the former version, though rumour has it that some climbers use both versions.

Anyway, the bongs for climbers seem to have had their origins on the big walls of Yosemite in America, where the wide cracks required wide pitons. American climber Yvonne Chouinard was one of the first to make them commercially, and we have several examples of his versions elsewhere in the collection. Clogwyn (Clog) were one of the first companies to start making a range of pitons in the UK (1960s), and the bongs we have here in the collection were part of the armoury.

This set of four were in a pretty miserable state when they arrived, rusty and pitted, so we’ve given three of them a coat of paint to cheer them up, leaving one in its native state. They were donated by our pal Jamie Hageman, who got them from Chris Craggs. Thanks guys.