Homemade Knifeblade Hook

Improvised from a Chouinard Knifeblade piton, this hook works surprisingly well. It holds its shape when loaded and the edge doesn’t deform or curl. I think the hook would work best if it was slung like a standard Cliffhanger. The pull of the sling would have to be in towards the wall.

Homemade equipment is always interesting to me. Even when it fails to work or just isn’t as effective as desired the attempt can teach us something. Sometimes innovation can be driven by attempts such as this. The wide flat hooking edge is extremely stable on the right placement. I took it out to a granite boulder and tested it on a few edges and thin flakes. It worked great on small crystalline edges with a very slight in-cut. On flat or slightly sloped edges it wasn’t as useful as a standard wide Logan Hook.