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natrajk
Feb 20, 2010, 2:28 AM
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Dear fellow climbers
I'm currently working on an assignment at MIT about lead user innovation. Since I am a rock climber, I wanted to investigate how innovations in climbing protection has been made.
My idea is to start with a picture of a "normal" trad climbing rack and find out how the major components was invented. The components I will look at are:
Harness
Nuts
Friends
Biners
Slings (perhaps)
Tri-cams
If any of you have any tips about where I can find out more about how these items were invented I would really appreciate it.
Nuts and friendsI have covered from this site:
http://www.needlesports.com/nutsmuseum/nutsstory.htm
Harness
I know that Alpine magazine had a one page article about the history of the harness recently. Unfortunately my collection of magazines is home in Norway, so I don't have access to it. I know this is a lot to ask, but if anyone is able to scan that page and email it to me I'd be forever gratefull!
Tricams
I how not found out anything about who invented them. Any tips?
So if anyone can point me in the direction of any resources related to this subject or have any other input I'd really appreciate it!
Best regards,
Kjartan
(Edited after I discovered the page on cams on the Nut museum site)
(This post was edited by natrajk on Feb 20, 2010, 2:34 AM)
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acorneau
Feb 20, 2010, 2:48 AM
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natrajk wrote: Dear fellow climbers I'm currently working on an assignment at MIT about lead user innovation. Since I am a rock climber, I wanted to investigate how innovations in climbing protection has been made. My idea is to start with a picture of a "normal" trad climbing rack and find out how the major components was invented. The components I will look at are: Harness Nuts Friends Biners Slings (perhaps) Tri-cams If any of you have any tips about where I can find out more about how these items were invented I would really appreciate it. Nuts and friendsI have covered from this site: http://www.needlesports.com/nutsmuseum/nutsstory.htm Harness I know that Alpine magazine had a one page article about the history of the harness recently. Unfortunately my collection of magazines is home in Norway, so I don't have access to it. I know this is a lot to ask, but if anyone is able to scan that page and email it to me I'd be forever gratefull! Tricams I how not found out anything about who invented them. Any tips? So if anyone can point me in the direction of any resources related to this subject or have any other input I'd really appreciate it! Best regards, Kjartan (Edited after I discovered the page on cams on the Nut museum site)
No history of climbing gear would be complete without pitons or Hexcentrics.
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epoch
Moderator
Feb 20, 2010, 2:58 AM
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Moved to a new home in the Climbing History forum.
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johnwesely
Feb 20, 2010, 3:08 AM
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I don't know of any books that are specifically about the history of climbing gear. I would recommend reading old climbing books or climbing history books and taking the salient tidbits you can find. There is a lot of info out there, but it is rather diffuse.
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quiteatingmysteak
Feb 20, 2010, 3:33 AM
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johnwesely wrote: I don't know of any books that are specifically about the history of climbing gear. I would recommend reading old climbing books or climbing history books and taking the salient tidbits you can find. There is a lot of info out there, but it is rather diffuse.
2nd. Get ahold of The Stonemasters and Camp IV: Recollections of a Yosemite Rock Climber.
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west_by_god_virginia
Feb 20, 2010, 3:37 AM
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rope? pitons? belay devices? shoes?
just ideas....
best of luck
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majid_sabet
Feb 20, 2010, 5:01 AM
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I would be looking for German, Austrian French or English old schooler cause those are the one who could tell you how climbing gear was build.
yaa American did prefect a few things here and there but Climbing history belongs to European climbers
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healyje
Feb 20, 2010, 9:09 AM
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Go back to the Nut Museum and email Stephane Pennequin there. He knows the history on all the protection.
Go to http://SuperTopo.com and rummage around for discussions on the history of pitons or ask over there - particularly Ken Yager of the Yosemite Climbing Museum.
For ascenders and descenders go to Dr. Gary Storrick's caving and climbing collection and email him:
http://storrick.cnchost.com/...e/VerticalHome.shtml
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lonequail
Feb 20, 2010, 1:15 PM
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See the Nuts Museum.
www.needlesports.com/nutsmuseum/nutsmuseum.htm
An amazing collection of history!
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natrajk
Feb 22, 2010, 9:50 PM
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Registered: Sep 27, 2004
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Thanks for all the good answers.
I have decided to focus on only the items in the list above, but covering ropes etc. would be cool also.
The nut museum is amazing and something every climber should have a look at!
One last question, does any of you happen to know which issue of alpine magazine contained the 1-page article about the invention of the climbing harness?
Br
Kjartan
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oldandintheway
Feb 24, 2010, 7:03 AM
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Uff Dag!
Suggest you investigate "Climbing" "Rock and Ice" and "Summit" mag achieves if you can find them. Also look for the book "Games Climbers Play" and if you really need something for show and tell I can lend you some old Trolls which I still use or Lowe cams which pre-date Friends and SLCDs. 
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hansundfritz
Feb 24, 2010, 3:50 PM
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I've been doing some reading and thinking about this myself, focusing on how the game was played in Britain -- and how it changed pretty suddenly there after WWII.
Old instruction books should give you a great sense of how things developed. I've been reading the British ones. But I suspect that the cutting edge techniques (c. 1900-1950) will be found mostly in German sources -- as well as French and Italian.
Good luck. Are you going to publish your results?
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