Alpenstocks

An alpenstock is the German word for a long wooden walking staff - usually six to ten feet in length, and tipped on one end with an iron spike. Though it’s not exactly clear as to when this multi-functional tool was first used, we do know that alpenstocks were used by shepherds and hunters while travelling across snowfields and glaciers in the Alps during the Middle Ages. In fact, travel across the Swiss Alps was so common by the mid-to-late 1500s that Josias Simler wrote a book about the topic in 1574. In one of the chapters, “Concerning the Difficulties of Alpine Travel and the Means by which they may be Overcome,” Simler provided practical advice for travelers wishing to cross the highlands. In this section, he described the use of alpenstocks to help with balance and support on steep slopes and icy terrain. By the late 18th century, alpenstocks had become standard equipment for early mountaineers during excursions in the Alps and other mountainous regions.

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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Before rubber lugs, hikers used hobnails

Prior to the invention of rubber lugged soles (Vibram) in the late 1930s, there was a great debate as to whether hikers should use hobnails or calks. Hobnails, which have been used since antiquity, are specially shaped iron nails that are inserted on the bottoms of soles to provide traction on snow, ice and rocky terrain. Calks were similar, except that leather or cork was used to provide the traction.

As far back as the Roman Empire, soldiers have used hobnails for traction in various terrains. By the 1500s, miners, farmers, and laborers were using them as well. In 1574, Josias Simler published a book on travel in the Swiss Alps. In one of the chapters, he included information on how to use a primitive crampon device, which he described as “resembling the shoes of horses, with three sharp spikes in them.” By the late-1700s, mountaineers were using hobnails, and were eventually adopted by hikers. The topic of whether to wear hobnails, which type, and which pattern, were frequently discussed and debated in books and various outdoor publications prior to the invention of Vibram, including early national park visitor brochures.

Below is an alpine boot ad from H. Harden showing hobnails in the “Swiss Pattern.” This ad originally appeared in Rock-climbing in the English Lake District by Owen Glynne Jones in 1911.

You can read more about early hiking footwear in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.



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