Chouinard Climaxe

Chouinard Climaxe history.

First I will start off with a email that I received from Gary Storrick 1/31/2026

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Hi Marty,

You have two Chouinard-Frost Climaxes in your display (photo attached). One is from 1973 with a hickory handle. The other is from 1976, and you label it as having a heavier head and a bigger handle. Looking at the pictures, they seem to be the same size, but the screws for the slings are on opposite sides.

Question 1: Is there an easy way to date a Climaxe?

Question 2: When did Chouinard discontinue the Climaxe?

The 1972 C.A.M.P. catalog lists two handle options, ash and bamboo, but lists only ash in 1976. The 1972 and 1976 Chouinard catalogs do not list handle options or specify the wood used. These are the only catalogs that I have listing the Climaxe. None of these mention a change in the design. The 1972 Chouinard catalog does not have a closeup of the Climaxe, while the other three have the screw on the same side as your 1973 Climaxe.

I have two Climaxes and they are different (photos attached). The first one has a hickory handle with a Phillips-head screw on the same side as on your 1973 Climaxe. The other has a lighter (probably Ash) handle and a larger slotted screw on the same side as the other. I suspect that screw is not original – it’s too large for the job.

The heads on my climaxes are different. The “Ash” one has a wider adze (60 vs. 58 mm) with more curve along the sides of the adze. It’s pick is 5 mm. longer, so the overall length of the head is 228 mm. instead of 223 mm. The pick is taller out toward the tip, 12.8 mm. vs. 10.8 mm. The handle on the ash one is slightly larger but not enough to mean anything. The two weigh essentially the same, less than 19 grams difference, well within what I would expect from natural variations in wood density and minor variations in manufacturing the heads.

Question 3: Were there really two versions or just normal variations from one Climaxe to another?

Thanks again for your insight!

Gary Storrick
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From Marty,
Answering Questions…..

Question 1: Is there an easy way to date a Climaxe?
MK - Yes, I would start off with flowers or chocolates!

Question 2: When did Chouinard discontinue the Climaxe?
MK - There is no listing for the Climaxe in the 1978 Chouinard catalog.

Question 3: Were there really two versions or just normal variations from one Climaxe to another?
MK - See below

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In the July 1971 Chouinard catalog price list there is no Climaxe listed.
In the December 1971 Chouinard price list the Climaxe is listed selling at $23.00

When looking closer at the 1972 catalog, notice in the photo provided of how the climaxe head was made. So already there is a version of the Climaxe that I have only seen one of, which is in the Scottish Mountain heritage collection. The Climaxe also appears in a Chouinard advertisement.

Chouinard 1972 catalog

Chouinard 1972 advertisement

Scottish Mountain Heritage collection
- Chouinard Climaxe

Looking at the Karabin display, the 1973 date was listed that way since the Chouinard December 1972 price list shows a increase of price from $23.00 to $27.00. So the Karabin display may be wrong and the price increase was only for the Climaxe first version, or it is assuming that the price increase is when the newer style Climaxe version #2 was introduced in the USA? The CAMP 1973 catalog shows a Climaxe that is shown as Chouinard design. However the CAMP catalogs were not dated, and the collectors may have this date incorrect and it possibly could be a CAMP 1974 catalog. The Chouinard 1972 through 1974 catalogs were somewhat the same, where the price list changed, and also as new products changed or were introduced, new pages were added to that 1972 - 1974 catalog. So my question is why did not a new photo of the “New Climaxe” be added into that catalog. It still remains the same old 1972 photo.

Karabin Museum display

I believe this is from a CAMP 1974 catalog

Further research brings forth new evidence showing that the newer style Climaxe had a flaw just under the Adz on the collar just above the wood handle. The 1974 Chouinard Spring Newsletter shows a advertisement of this flaw, where the Climaxes were being sold off at only $12.00 each. The writing also mentions that they are being sold off at “$12.00 each compared to the usual $18.00 price.” I am not sure what this $18.00 price reflects since the 1971 price for the Climaxe starts off at $23.00 each. So possibly the Climaxe, version #2, started being sold in the USA in Spring 1974.

Chouinard Spring 1974 News Letter

Looking at the 1975 Chouinard catalog it shows a photo of the version #2 Climaxe, but the price list still shows the $12.00 price. This $12.00 price also is shown in the 1976 and 1977 Chouinard price lists. I talked to Yvon about this and he said that for sure they were selling unflawed Climaxes after the flawed ones ran out, but I disagreed with him and showed him my research. “Like why would you have kept that $12.00 item cost on something that should have been selling in the $30 to $40 dollar range?” He was baffled where on the Karabin display it shows a Climaxe that the head is much larger than the original flawed Climaxe version. Yvon then let his Chouinard history become the way the Karabin Museum was showing it.

Chouinard 1975 catalog

So the smaller Chouinard Climaxes are the ones with the flaw, and those are Chouinard.
- Climaxe version #1 came out in December 1971.
- Climaxe Version #2 came out in Spring 1974.
- There is no listing for the Climaxe in the 1978 Chouinard catalog.

The Climaxe heads of the Version #1 were made by CAMP in Italy, and in California Yvon added the handles to them. I remember stories of the workers remembering the smell of the oil in the barrels where the hammer handles were being stored. The construction of the first Yosemite hammers and Alpine hammers were the same handles as the Version #1 Climaxe.

Yvon only had one style of wood being used for his Climaxes, but CAMP in Italy offered two different woods. I believe that CAMP approached Yvon with a newer more durable version #3 Climaxe where the handle was slightly bigger, and the head was completely redesigned being bigger on all parts, Adz, Pick etc. But Yvon only sold off the stock of Version #2 and then discontinued the Climaxe in the USA all together. CAMP continued on creating the Climaxes keeping the Chouinard/Frost name on them, and selling them in Europe. Yvon was not necessarily aware that the Europe Climaxe continued to be sold since he doesn’t remember receiving any royalties from the Climaxe specifically for sales after 1978.

Marty photo, version #1 (back), version #2 (front). The photo is throwing the true length size off, but notice the difference in thickness the adz are.