Documenting the evolving tools of our vertical world
This entry in our archives has its origins in a conversation with climber and photographer Ed Webster. I opined that I could probably recreate most, if not all, of the equipment selection used on many notable ascents. We...
Vertical Archaeology contributed to the “Tool User” feature in Alpinist #54. We dug into our archives and pulled out two beautiful vintage European Fifi hooks from the 1930s. The article tells the story of a close...
Produced in 2004, this #2 Link Cam is a prototype of the currently available units. Sizes 1 and 2 were released in 2005 and size .5 and .75 were released in 2008. Omega Pacific has developed...
New-Old-Stock (NOS) Edelrid Perlon Bergseil climbing rope. Offered in a standard size available at the time, 11 millimeter X 45 meter, this rope was heavy but an excellent choice for walls or traditional rock climbing. We have...
This selection of soft iron pitons and vintage equipment comes to us from the Allgau and Austrian Alps. The owner used them from the 1930s through the 1950s when they were finally retired. The...
Produced by Simond from 1975 until the late 1980s, this axe featured one of the first “reverse curve” commercially available. There had been steep drop picks (Peck/MacInnes Terrodactly) and modular tools (Forrest Modular System,...
From the 1971 Alpine Club Journal: “MacInnes-Peck ice tools New ice-axes and Terrordactyls A new all-metal ice-axe has been developed by Hamish MacInnes which uses the same well tried Hiduminium shaft of the earlier...
Ed Leeper designed the “Anti-Piton” by reimagining his very effective Z piton and reversing the taper. They came in two sizes. The idea was to stack the Anti-Piton roughly perpendicular to another piton or chock....
Rawl hand drills were great tools for placing bolt and rivets in all types of rock. Shown in our photos are the #14 and #20 drill holders. These two sizes were often used by rock...
This 1/4 inch rivet pulled under a body weight load when I climbed the initial pitch of the Wyrick/Merrill route on the north side of the River Tower in The Fisher Towers of Utah. Climbing this route...
