1987 Chouinard Hammer
Chouinard produced this design in 1987. It featured a heavy hammer head with no notch on the underside of the striking surface and a three bolt system for attaching a long curved alpine pick or a stubby crag pick. The handle was made of a light-weight plastic composite and came in two sizes, 12 inches and 13.5 inches.
Our hammer is the longer 13.5 inch “alpine” model and has the curved alpine pick attached.
One interesting thing to note about the example in our archives is the small gap between the head of the hammer and the collar of the handle. The hammer still feels solid and the head is firmly attached but it is noticeable that the head isn’t well mated to the handle. I have observed this in a few other examples of the 1987 hammer. I am not sure if this is a production fitment issue or a result of the handle stretching a bit from use.
Hello Curator,
I’m Patrice COENE, i’m a belgian trad climber since 1979. Along all this long period (+35 years), i found a lot of interesting pieces of climbing and mountaineering gear (hard and software equipment)
Fore sure, some pieces which can interest you.
I can send you some pictures, for example.
BUT , my English language is HORRIBLE, as you can see, and could be absolutely not published … Maybe, you can help me and add yourself some appropriate comments.
Patrice
I would be glad to see pictures of what you have. Don’t worry about your English, it fine! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Hello Curator,
I have come to possess a 1984 Chouinard alpine hammer, however the metal pick is broken off with only the screws and about 1” inch of blade remaining. Do you have any idea where I could find a replacement for this valuable and vintage alpine hammer?
Thank you!
Cole
Look on eBay for replacement picks. They turn up on there occasionally. Make sure you get the correct hole arrangement. There were some other picks made that looked similar but don’t fit your tool.
Also, Chouinard made a short pick for that model. It was just a little 1”ish nub used for cragging. Maybe you have that?