George Fisher calls these guys verticals and horizontals in his 1960s catalogue (above) though because they are very thin compared to other pitons, the pitoneers tended to call them blades. Either way, these early 1950s pitons were made of mild steel, the idea being that they would conform to the shape of the crack that they were being driven into. This made them difficult to get back out if you wanted to, consequently many were left in situ. Some make an appearance from time to time on climbs, having nestled in a cosy crack for a decade or so, a legacy of days gone by.

One of these guys was listed singly in the early days of our website, so we trawled through our piton graveyard to give him a bit of company.