OLD ICE AXE: SWISS, SIGNED BY ED HILLARY (Axe is 60-70 YEARS OLD) (Hillary, Edmund)

Item #: HW80
OLD ICE AXE: SWISS, SIGNED BY ED HILLARY (Axe is 60-70 YEARS OLD)
By Hillary, Edmund
Price: $600.00

Added! Click To View Cart

Add to wish list

Click Here For
Related Selections

Detailed Product Description

OLD SWISS ICE AXE, SIGNED by Ed Hillary.

We have some old wood handled ice axes, perfect for display over your mantlepiece. On the handle is the signature in black marker of Ed Hillary. This is a beautiful hand made Swiss Ice Axe from the 1930s or 1940s, and is an antique by itself!

The Swiss axes we sell were hand made in the 1930s or 1940s, before the day of mass production, and both the metal parts and the wood have a patina that speaks of antique quality. For instance, the bottom ferrule is often one piece, not a spike driven into the wood with a stamped steel band around it.

The photo shows what the whole ice axe looks like, rather than the signature. This specific axe in the photo is not signed.

The signatures on the Swiss and Austrian axes are the same, and 90% of people wont know the difference. But when you show the 10% who do know about the old axes, they wont even see the signature!

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this ice axe have been donated to Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust, and the American Himalayan Foundation. Postage in this item is $15 Priority Mail in the USA, $35 International Airmail. This will be added after checkout.

Close-up of Ed Hillary's signature on an ice axe.

This photograph Of Lady June and Sir Edmund Hillary,

who is signing some ice axes for us, was taken in San Francisco

in June 2003 during the celebrations of the 50th ascent of

Mount Everest.

You may make a copy for your personal use

but it must not be reproduced for any commerical use, including

the re-sale of your ice axe, without our permission.

We cannot provide a hard copy of this photo, mjust copy it into your computer.

We live in a time of transition. Some us climbed in the days of wood handles ice axes, and remember the warm feel of the long axe that we used as a walking stick across the flatter sections of the glacier. Perhaps no other object is so symbolic of mountaineering as the ice axe. Many of us have found that having an old wood handles ice axe on the wall or above the fireplace just looks right.

From Wikipedia:

The antecedent of the ice axe was the alpenstock, a long wooden pole with an iron spike tip, used by shepherds for travel on snowfields and glaciers in the Alps since the Middle Ages. On August 8, 1786, Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard made the first ascent of Mont Blanc. Balmat, a chamois hunter and crystal collector, had experience with high mountain travel, and Paccard had made previous attempts to climb the peak. Illustrations show Balmat carrying two separate tools that would later be merged into the ice axe � an alpenstock (or baton) and a small axe that could be used to chop steps on icy slopes.

According to the earliest manufacturer of ice axes, Grivel, these two tools were merged to create the first true ice axe around 1840. Early ice axes had a vertical adze, with the cutting edge aligned with the direction of the shaft, as in a conventional axe. This design lasted until at least 1860, but eventually the adze was rotated to the current position, perpendicular to the direction of the shaft. The Italian Alpine Club published a book in 1889 entitled Fiorio e Ratti � The dangers of mountaineering and rules to avoid them, which recommended ice axes as among "the inseparable companions of the mountaineer".

In the late 19th century, the typical ice axe shaft measured 120�130 cm (48" to 52") in length. British climber Oscar Eckenstein started the trend toward shorter ice axes with a lighter model measuring 85�86 cm (33 inches). Initially, this innovation was criticized by well-known climbers of the era, including Martin Conway, a prominent member of the Alpine Club, who was the leader of an early expedition to the Baltoro region near K2 in 1892 of which Eckenstein was a member.

Early ice axes had picks and adzes of about equal lengths. By the beginning of the 20th century, the pick lengthened to about twice the length of the adze. Improvements in crampon design (pioneered by Eckenstein in 1908) and ice climbing technique led to use of shorter, lighter ice axes appropriate to steeper ice climbs in the period between the world wars.

In 1978, the Safety Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) established formal standards for ice axe safety and performance. This led to the replacement of the traditional wooden shaft by metal alloy shafts. Ergonomically curved handles became widespread in 1986. Use of modern aluminum alloys have led to a dramatic reduction in the weight of some ice axes. One model now on the market, the C.A.M.P. Corsa, weighs only 205 grams with a 50 cm long shaft. One expert rated this lightweight ice axe as "ideal for low angle glacier travel" but said he "craved the solid and secure heft of a true steel mountain ax" in more demanding steep alpine conditions.

Other Items You Might Like

Similar Items Available
Items From This Author
Items From This Category

OLD SWISS ICE AXE SIGNED BY REINHOLD MESSNER
By: SIGNED by Reinhold Messner
Price $300.00 - Item # HW63

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

PHOTO OF EDMUND HILLARY SIGNING OLD ICE AXE
Price $0.00

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

LOWE ALPINE SYSTEMS CATALOG 1988
Price $35.00 - Item # OP2201G

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

CHOUINARD-FROST ICE AXE PIOLET Rare 36" long Hickory Handle
By: Chouinard, Yvon and Tom Frost
Price $750.00 - Item # HW62

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

OLD ICE AXE SWISS 1920s-1930s WITH WOODEN HANDLE (Axe is 60-70 YEARS OLD)
Price $225.00 - Item # HW80A

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

OLD ICE AXE OR ALPENSTOCK: SWISS 1900s-1930s WITH WOODEN HANDLE 40-48 inches SIGNED by Ed Hillary
By: SIGNED by Ed Hillary
Price $1000.00 - Item # HW81

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

OLD ICE AXE: AUSTRIAN, SIGNED BY ED HILLARY (AXE IS 50 YEARS OLD)
By: Hillary, Edmund
Price $400.00 - Item # HW16

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

FORREST ICE TOOLS MOUNTAINEERING CATALOG 1979
Price $25.00 - Item # OP2201W

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

CHOUINARD-FROST ICE AXE PIOLET 29 ' Laminated Bamboo Handle
Price $750.00 - Item # HW62C

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

EVEREST 1933 Ruttledge 1934 4th UK edition DJ Fine
By: Ruttledge, Hugh.
Price $200.00 - Item # OP363B

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. SIGNED by Ed Hillary 1999 1st UK edition.
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $150.00 ~ Regular $250.00, You Save $100.00 (40%) - Item # BK653

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. 1st NZ edition. SIGNED by Ed Hillary.
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $150.00 - Item # BK654

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

NOTHING VENTURE, NOTHING WIN. 1975 1st UK Edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $150.00 - Item # OP324

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

NOTHING VENTURE, NOTHING WIN. 2nd UK Edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $100.00 - Item # OP402

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

HIGH ADVENTURE. 1955, 1st UK Edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary DJ
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $350.00 - Item # OP138A

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

HIGH ADVENTURE. 1st UK Edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary No DJ or Facsimile DJ
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $295.00 - Item # OP138B

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

TWO GENERATIONS. 1st UK edition. SIGNED by Edmund and Peter Hillary
By: Hillary, Edmund and Peter.
Price $200.00 - Item # OP140

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

ASCENT: TWO LIVES EXPLORED. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary
By: Hillary, Edmund and Peter.
Price $125.00 - Item # OP139

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

HIGH IN THE THIN COLD AIR. Hillary 1962 1st Am edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary DJ
By: Hillary, Edmund and Desmond Doig.
Price $175.00 - Item # OP321

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

HIGH IN THE THIN COLD AIR. Hillary 1962 1st UK edition. SIGNED by Edmund Hillary DJ
By: Hillary, Edmund and Desmond Doig.
Price $200.00 - Item # OP320

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

INTO THIN AIR: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE MOUNT EVEREST DISASTER 1997 1st edition 1st printing. SIGNED by Jon Krakauer.and Ed Viesturs DJ Fine
By: Krakauer, Jon.
Price $350.00 - Item # BK814C

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

SIR EDMUND HILLARY: A PICTORIAL CELEBRATION. SIGNED by Ed Hillary
By: Hillary, Edmund.
Price $75.00 - Item # BK652

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN: THE ASCENT OF JOHN DENVER SIGNED by two climbers
By: Jancik, John
Price $29.95 - Item # PL243

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

THE GREAT MOTOR HIGHWAYS OF THE ALPS London 1958 1st ed SIGNED Letter by Hugh Merrick
By: Merrick, Hugh
Price $45.00 - Item # OP2421

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

THE HIMALAYA BY THE NUMBERS: A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF MOUNTAINEERING IN THE NEPAL HIMALAYA SIGNED by Richard Salisbury and Elizabeth Hawley 2011 1st edition Hardcover
By: Salisbury, Richard and Elizabeth Hawley
Price $49.95 - Item # BK2577

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

WASATCH RANGE NORTH UTAH SIGNED by Bret Ruckman 1991 1st edition
By: Ruckman, Brett & Stuart Ruckman
Price $25.00 - Item # GB950A

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

SOUTH COL: ONE MAN'S ADVENTURES ON THE ASCENT OF EVEREST. 1st UK edition. DJ SIGNED by Edmund Hillary.
By: Noyce, Wilfrid.
Price $150.00 - Item # OP277

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

FEEDING THE RAT: PROFILE OF A CLIMBER. Alvarez 1988 1st USA edition DJ SIGNED by Chris Bonington
By: Alvarez, Al.
Price $35.00 - Item # BK25

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

A PASSAGE TO HIMALAYA Kapadia 2001 1st edition SIGNED by Chris Bonington
By: Kapadia, Harish, editor
Price $34.95 - Item # BK2290

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart

SWITZERLAND IN ENGLISH PROSE AND POETRY. SIGNED by Arnold Lunn
By: Lunn, Arnold.
Price $75.00 - Item # OP1208

View Details

Add To Cart

Added! Click To View Cart