1940s to 1950s Fritsch & Company Pitons
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- Half Inch Ring Angle
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- Half Inch Ring Angle underside
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- Half Inch Ring Angle detail of the ring and striking surface
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- Half Inch Ring Angle
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- Half Inch Ring Angle
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- Half Inch Ring Angle with an early 1960s Stubai carabiner for scale
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- Fritsch & Company Pitons: Top Row L to R: (2) spoon style short-thin horizontals, (3) long-thin horizontals, (2) long-medium ring wafers, (2) short-thick pointed horizontals, (1) half inch ring angle Middle: ring tube ice piton Bottom: ring dagger-style ice piton
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- Left to Right: Short-thick with a pointed in (and a small crack at the tip) Short-thick with a swiss cross marked on the blade (2) Short-thin spoon-style (3) Long-medium
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- Three horizontal pitons varying from five to five and a half inches long
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- The wavy blade is beautiful
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- Detail of the eye showing the mushroomed striking surface
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- Detail of the eye showing the mushroomed striking surface and the Fritsch & Co stamp
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- Detail of the eye. This piton says “made in Switzerland” instead of the earlier “Zurich”
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- Two Ring wafer pitons
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- Two ring wafer pitons with an early Stubai carabiner for scale
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- Ring wafer
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- Ring wafer
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- Ring wafer
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- Detail of the manufacturing stamp. “Fritsch Zurich”
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- Ring wafer
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- Spoon style blade
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- Detail of the neck
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- Detail of the Swiss cross
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- Detail of the Swiss cross marking. It isn’t stamped in, it’s raised.
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- One dozen Fritsch & Company vertical pitons. There are thirteen shown but a Stubai vertical (top row second from right) snuck into the picture. I left it in because it clearly shows the difference in finish between the two types.
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- Vertical Pitons on a Stubai carabiner
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- Detail of the tips showing some deformation due to use
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- Detail of the eyes of several vertical pitons clipped to a Stubai carabiner
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- Fritsch & Company vertical pitons and Stubai carabiners
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- Top: Stubai oval Bottom: Fritsch & Company vertical piton
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- Top: Stubai D carabiner Bottom: Fritsch & Company vertical piton
Hello, I have family from the Alsace region and see you have many pitons from the Fritsch & Co. Are any of these, or other vintage Fritsch & Co. tools for sale?
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Mr. Fritsch!
Your family name has a long history in the annuls of climbing history. I don’t offer anything for sale through our museum but I do have some interesting documents and publications concerning Fritsch & co. history. I would love to discuss it with you and possibly direct you towards any equipment we might find for sale.
Hi, We have one your krisch & fritsch zurich pitons from the 40s-50s and was looking for more information about it.
Send a few photos and I can take a look. I have catalogs and many Fitsch & Co. research resources.
Hi (and also hi Steve!),
I am also very keen to learn about the Fritsch and Co company. I am based in Zurich and so would love to know more. Would be great to chat about this some time and see some of the publications you have!
Best,
Daniel
Pierre Alain boots were pretty cool. EBs largely replaced them for serious climbing but PAs were a great friction boot.
Hello
I have a Piton I found in the late 70’s. came across it the other day and started looking into it. I found some markings on it and did a search and your site popped up! (No internet when I found it!) It has the stamp Fitsch & Co on it and Switzerland stamped on the inside. And a “V” stamped by the ring. I was trying to date it, and though you might have some ideas!