Blacksmith Nicola Codega founded C.A.M.P. in 1889 to produce wrought-iron goods. The company first entered the climbing equipment business in 1920 when Nicola's son Antonio started making ice axes for the Italian Army Alpine Corps. The French company Interalp marketed C.A.M.P. products outside Italy from 1968 until 1980.
Denis Pivot of C.A.M.P. provided the following information on C.A.M.P.'s relationships with other manufacturers:
CAMP and Other Manufacturers
CAMP has always maintained good relations with its competitors. The biggest brands (Chouinard, Black Diamond, Lowe, Cassin, Salewa, Simond, Charlet-Moser, Petzl), thanks to the confidence they had in CAMP's manufacturing quality, subcontracted the manufacturing of mountain equipment to CAMP. This was an opportunity for the latter to make its industrial tooling profitable.
CAMP – Interalp
In 1968, CAMP entrusted its French multi-card agent, Mr. Robert Charles Maillot, with the marketing of its products outside Italy. Through his company INTERALP, Maillot distributed various brands of mountain equipment in Europe and thus helped to make CAMP known outside Italy. In the 1970s, it was common to stamp the manufacturer and distributor brand on equipment, such as Robbins (distributor in the USA of the Alpélit brand) and Alpélit (French manufacturer of ice axes).
Over time, INTERALP focused on developing its own company and hid CAMP's role as designer and manufacturer. CAMP, unable to accept this, withdrew distributing from INTERALP in 1980 and reorganized its distribution network worldwide.
(Without the CAMP brand, the INTERALP company disappeared in a few years…)
Ice Axes
Alpamayo
↑ 107: C.A.M.P./Interalp Alpamayo
- Made in Italy [1970s].
- Fiberglass Shaft.
- Shaft: 33x23 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with curved edge.
- Adze: 65(l)x59(w)x4(curve) mm.
- Curved Alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 135(l)x18-30(h)x7(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 64(l)x13(d) mm.
- A full-length axe more suited for mountaineering self-arrest than for hard ice. Keyhole cutout in adze is fo inseting the spike of another axe for use as a step.
- Keyhole cutout in adze is for inseting the spike of another axe for use as a step.
↑ 031: C.A.M.P./Interalp Alpamayo
- Made in Italy [ca. 1974].
- Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
- Shaft: 31x22 mm. (Grip: 38x25 mm.)
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Straight adze with straight edge.
- Adze: 70(l)x63(w)x0(curve) mm.
- Curved Alpine pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 140(l)x26(h)x6(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 47(l)x15(d) mm.
- Glide ring is missing.
- A shorter axe for steeper terrain. I do not like the fluted round spike because it does not provide much support for bracing while traversing moderate ice.
Cerro Torre
↑ 134: C.A.M.P./Interalp Cerro Torre
- Made in Italy [ca. 1972].
- Plastic-covered Aluminum Shaft.
- Shaft: 32x22 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Straight adze with curved edge.
- Adze: 13(l)5x2(w)5x7(curve) mm.
- Curved Alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 13(l)5x2(h)5x7(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x13(d) mm.
- Glide ring with adjustable web strap.
- A full-length axe with a highly curved adze.
- I wanted a longer axe for winter hiking and easy climbing, but for steep work I would use a much shorter axe.
Sentinelle Rouge
↑ 168: C.A.M.P./Interalp Sentinelle Rouge
- Made in Italy [ca. 1970].
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 36x23 mm.
- Fixed head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with curved edge.
- Adze: 77(l)x67(w)x10(curve) mm.
- Curved Alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 155(l)x28(h)x7(t) mm.
- Square spike.
- Spike: 72(l)x12(w)x11(t) mm.
- Glide ring with adjustable web strap.
- A full-length axe with a highly curved adze.
- From about 1950 through 1972-76, C.A.M.P. used a diamond-shaped logo bearing "D CN & FD CAMP" for "Ditta Cogenda Nicola & Figli De Cogedga Antonio Metilde Premana.
↑ 169: C.A.M.P./Interalp Sentinelle Rouge
- Made in Italy [ca. 1975].
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 34x23 mm.
- Fixed head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with curved edge.
- Adze: 80(l)x67(w)x11(curve) mm.
- Curved Alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 140(l)x26(h)x6(t) mm.
- Square spike.
- Spike: 69(l)x11(w)x11(t) mm.
- A full-length axe with a highly curved adze.
- In 1972 C.A.M.P. started using a new logo with "CAMP" inside a rounded rectangle above a mountain. The transition was completed around 1976.
