VINTAGE ICE AXE SWISS 1910s-1950s WOODEN HANDLE Each Axe is 75-100+ YEARS OLD (Â)

	Item #: HW80bAB-677???Delete VINTAGE ICE AXE SWISS 1910s-1950s WOODEN HANDLE Each Axe is 75-100+ YEARS OLD By Â [ SOLD ] Add to wish list Click Here For Related Selections
Detailed Product Description
OLD SWISS ICE AXE WITH WOODEN HANDLE We have some very old wood handled ice axes, perfect for display over your mantlepiece. These are beautiful Swiss Ice Axes from the 1910s-1950S. Every Swiss Axe has a slightly different head, length, or diameter of the wood handle. Some have the makers logo stamped on the head, some do not. Some have superficial rust on their head which can be easily removed by solvents or wire brush. These Swiss axes are mostly 30-36 inches long. They are all used but in pretty nice condition, suitable for display. Postage in Ice Axes is $20 Priority Mail in the USA, $45 Canada, $60 International. They only weigh about 2 pounds each, but for shipping they weigh 4 lbs. We use special boxes, and wrap the steel parts in tape and bubble wrap, and they will arrive in good shape wherever you live! We live in a time of transition. Some us climbed in the days of wood handled 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 VINTAGE ICE AXE SWISS 1910s-1940s WOODEN HANDLE Each Axe is 75-100+ YEARS OLD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW80A* View Details REEL ROCK 11 DVD 2016 *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V* View Details REEL ROCK 11 DVD Fall 2016 *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V8271* View Details VINTAGE ICE AXE WOOD HANDLE OLD SWISS ICE AXE PRIMA WITH LONG WOODEN HANDLE SWISS 1900s-1930s 47.5 inches *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW81AB-Sold* View Details VINTAGE ICE AXE SWISS OR AUSTRIAN 24-36 inches. WOOD HANDLE. 50-70 years old. *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW44A* View Details VINTAGE ICE AXE AUSTRIAN WOOD HANDLE. 50-70 years old! 24 to 34 inches. *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW44A* View Details ICE AXE OR ALPENSTOCK: SWISS 1900s-1930s WITH WOODEN HANDLE 44-48 inches *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW81* View Details ICE AXE OR ALPENSTOCK: SWISS 1900s-1930s WITH WOODEN HANDLE 44-48 inches *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW81* View Details ICE AXE SWISS 1920s-1930s WITH WOODEN HANDLE (Axe is 60-70 YEARS OLD) *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW80A* View Details OLD VINTAGE ICE AXE AUSTRIAN WOOD HANDLE 50-70 years old! 24 to 34 inches Signed bv Kurt Diemberger. *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW44AB-279???Delete* View Details qnmZ *By: Â* [ SOLD ] View Details VERTICAL FRONTIER: A HISTORY OF YOSEMITE CLIMBING VIDEO *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2090* View Details VERTICAL FRONTIER: A HISTORY OF YOSEMITE DVD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2091* View Details PILGRIMAGE WITH CHRIS SHARMA VIDEO *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2094* View Details INERTIA AND FOCUS: 1 & 2 COMBO DVD. *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2092* View Details AUTO ROUTE: FULL THROTTLE CLIMBING IN SWITZERLAND DVD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2096* View Details ROAD DVD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2097* View Details PRO TIPS VOL 1 DVD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2098* View Details FRONT RANGE FREAKS VIDEO *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2068* View Details FRONT RANGE FREAKS ROCK CLIMBING & BOULDERING DVD *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # V2093* View Details LOWE ALPINE SYSTEMS CATALOG 1983 *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # OP2201F* View Details FORREST MOUNTAINEERING LTD CATALOG 1980 *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # OP2201C* View Details VINTAGE ICE AXE WOOD HANDLE GRIVEL SIMILAR TO AXES USED ON THE FIRST ASCENT OF K2 *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW99AB-Sold* View Details PATAGONIA CATALOG 1991 SPRING MAIL ORDER *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # OP2199T* View Details US ARMY TUBULAR ICE PITON *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # H9* View Details CHOUINARD PITON ORIGINAL LOST ARROW *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # H23C* View Details PATAGONIA CATALOG 2010 SPRING STONEMASTERS [WITH ADDRESS LABEL OF JOHN ROSKELLEY] *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # OP2199KKK* View Details 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION SHOULDER PATCH GREEN & BLACK WITH MOUNTAIN ROCKER NEW *By: Army, U.S., 10th Mountain Division* Price $14.99 *- Item # HW12C-5395* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart WWII 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION SNOW BRUSH *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # HW41* View Details MOUNTAIN TROOPS GERMAN WEHRMACHT GEBIRGSJAEGER WOOL EDELWEISS PATCH *By: Â* [ SOLD ] *- Item # H50* View Details