The BBC are reporting the death of Hugh McNicoll the founder of Glencoe-based Mountain Technology, makers of the classic and much-loved Vertige axe. He had moved to Australia after Mountain Technology went out of business.
I'm so sorry to hear that. Many was the day, while up climbing on the Ben or in the 'Coe, I'd call in to Hugh's factory and say "Where's my bloody order Hugh" and he'd grab a box and say, "Needle sports, Needle Sports, well Tiso's won't miss a few..." and grab my order out of boxes labelled up for delivery to Tiso's! A grand man - those were great days to be in retail and great days to be winter climbing. A pair of Vertiges and two ice screws/pitch - what more could you want?
Sad news; RIP Hugh. I think the MT Mountaineering Axe and the MT Technical Axe/Hammer were classic examples of tool design. Didn't they have a sticker on them saying they had one some design council award? I remember something like that. Their rubber handles were about the best quality. Never seemed to fall off. Anyone remember Ettle hammering the handle of his Vertige into the crack for the last move of White Magic on the BBC filmed ascent? Cool or what. :) But working in a climbing shop from 93-96 I do remember they were hopeless to deal with. Being in Glasgow our assistant manager drove up to Glencoe to pick up the shops' order himself. Otherwise you'd get the winter order around Easter. I bought Pulsars purely because the shop couldn't get any Vertiges. In retrospect I think the Charlet tools might have been a better design than the MT ones. I know a couple of people broke the head sections of their Vertiges.
Very sad news indeed. He was very welcoming at the factory and took me into his office and helped me modify my Ice Vipers (which I'm still using!) to fit my boots. I bought his Terrordactyls off him just before he moved to Oz, and they hang on the wall in my studio. He's left behind a real legacy of solid and beautifully designed mountaineering equipment - a part of history
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