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A vintage pair of steel, 12 pointAustrian crampons offered by Snowdrift Antiques.
Oscar Eckenstein (1859-1921) was bornin London, England and was an inventor, mountain climber and innovator. In hisdesire to make summiting peaks easier and safer, he developed this type ofhinged crampon in 1908. Two years later, with the help of Henry Grivel a blacksmith in Courmayeur, Italy, they becamecommercially available.
In 1929 Henry’s son, Laurent Grivelhad the brilliant idea of adding 2 toe points to each crampon, making hisdesign the of the 12-point version of the original Eckenstein crampon. This allowed climbers to stand face on whileattacking the steep ice and snow gradients instead of at a 90 degree angle toit. See image 9.This innovation was the key to theconquest of the last unsolved route of the Alps: the North of the Eiger,21-24th July, 1938.
The crampons in this listing are the12-point version of the Eckenstein crampons. These crampons are not made fromthe Chromoly alloy material Grivel used in 1936 to create a lighter andstronger crampon, which were also much lighter in color. So, this specific pairmust originate from between 1929 and 1936. Interestingly they were not evenmade by the Italian shop of Grivel.These crampons have two marks on them.One mark is “ECKENSTEIN”, even though they were refined to their 12-pointdesign by Laurent Grivel, as a nod to their original designer. The second markshows they were actually produced in Fulpmes, Austria, a small town in theStubai Valley known for its large collection of blacksmiths. The mark is “G. OSSENSCHAFT FULPMES”, whichprobably identifies the exact blacksmith in Fulpmes that created this pair.
This simple but effective design usesa horizontal metal heel restraint in back along with 6 rings along its lengthwhere a climber would use woven straps to hold them onto their boots. See image 8.
There is no size marking on this pairthat I can find. They measure 11 ¾ inches long by 5 ¾ wide by 3 inches high tothe ring holder.
This pair of crampons are in excellentvintage condition. All of the pieces are intact. There is some nice patina tothe metal. The marks are sharp and clear.
This is a nice pair of vintagecrampons that would be a great addition to a mountaineering collection as wellas decor in a mountain home, lodge or restaurant.
