The Simonds were a family of man ybrothers working as blacksmiths and who lived in or near Les Bossons, France (near Chamonix). They made farming equipment and cowbells for generations, but gradually began to produce mountain tools for climbers coming from England to explore Mont Blanc.
The Simonds began making ice axes in the 1860s. At that time, their axes had no inscriptions. Eventually the brothers Adolphe (dates unknown) and François (1867-1946) began to mark the axes. head. began to dedicate his work to designing and producing mountaineering equipment such as ice axes and crampons while Adolphe focused on making cowbells and other items.
Francois’s son Claudius (1905-1984).started working in 1925. Under him, Simond soon became a global name in the world of high-altitude mountaineering equipment. After World War II, the business was named after him.
In 1960, Claudius’ son Ludger took over. Since around the 1975s, the ice axes moved to a mass-produced metal shaft, and the form of forged and handmade axes ceased to exist. Ludger built a new headquarters at the foot of Mont Blanc in 1988. He sold his company to Wichard in 2004. In 2008, Decathlon became the sole shareholder of Etablissements Simond.
Ice Axes
Special Mk. 2
↑ 259: Claudius Simond Special Mk. 2
- Made in France [1970s].
- 700x285 mm.
- Weight: 800 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x22 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and no arch.
- Adze: 75(l)x66(w)x0(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 4 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 135(t)x28(h)x7(t) mm.
- Triangular spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x14(w)x7(t) mm.
- A nice, robust axe that feels solid in the hands
- Straight
Super D
↑ 190: Claudius Simond Super D
- Made in France [1960s].
- 850x300 mm.
- Weight: 965 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 34x22 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a curved edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 80(l)x67(w)x4(arch) mm.
- Straight fluted alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 4 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 170(l)x28(h)x9(t) mm.
- Triangular spike.
- Spike: 69(l)x13(w)x8(t) mm.
- Glide ring with adjustable web strap.
- Nicely balanced heavy axe made of hand-forged,heat treated nickel-chromium steel.
- Wide, hollowed blade allows strong penetration into ice.
- Rounded, curved tip gives fast, precise step cutting in hard snow.
- The Super D features a standard-size head Compare this to the smaller head on the Super E.
Super E
↑ 154: Claudius Simond Super E
- Made in France [1960s].
- 650x255 mm.
- Weight: 765 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 34x22 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a curved edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 65(l)x59(w)x4(arch) mm.
- Curved fluted alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 4 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 140(l)x28(h)x9(t) mm.
- Triangular spike.
- Spike: 61(l)x14(w)x8(t) mm.
- Nicely balanced axe made of hand-forged,heat treated nickel-chromium steel.
- Wide, hollowed blade allowsstrong penetration into ice.
- Rounded, curved tip gives fast, precise step cutting in hard snow.
- The Super E features a shorter head than the Super D.
Super PB
The model name "PB" stands for "Piolet Broche." "Piolet" means ice axe and "Broche" refers to a piton.
↑ 135: Claudius Simond Super PB
- Made in France [1970s].
- 690x275 mm.
- Weight: 830 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 34x24 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Straight adze with a curved edge and a strong arch.
- Adze: 70(l)x67(w)x6(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 4 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 145(l)x30(h)x8(t) mm.
- Triangular spike.
- Spike: 50(l)x12(w)x8(t) mm.
- The head of the axe has a step on top, designed to allow the user to hammer the pick into snow or ice.
- The Super PB is one of Simond's last models featuring a wooden shaft.
