Joseph Charlet designed his first ice axe in 1880. Joseph's nephew Germain Charlet succeeded him. Germain worked with Gerald Moser of Simond, and stamped their axes with "Charlet Moser." One of them was a woodworker and the other a smith, but I've read conflicting accounts of who was which. Simond issued identical axes under their name. In 1960 Gerald Moser joined existing chief Germain Charlet to formally form the firm Charlet Moser.
Charlet Moser ceased operations in the 1980s, as both Charlet and Moser retired due to advancing age. The company was acquired by an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Grenoble, and the production of ice axes and crampons continued at that company's factory. Petzl acquired Charlet Moser in 2000.
Ice Axes
Charlet
Super
↑ 493: Charlet Super
- Made in France [1955].
- 750x295 mm.
- Weight: 685 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x20 mm. (Grip: 33x20 mm.)
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 70(l)x63(w)x5(arch) mm.
- Straight alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 7 shallow ventral teeth.
- Pick: 165(l)x25(h)x8(t) mm.
- Triangular plate spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x16(w)x7(t) mm.
- A light axe with a rather strongly arched adze.
- The pick, designed for step cutting, is nearly pointed.
- I like the triangular spike for the support that it provides while traversing.
- This model continued into the 1950s, with later versions having a round fluted spike.
- The Charlet Super was the first axe to have a carabiner hole in its head.
- This axe introduced the crescent–shaped cutout behind the adze used for snagging a climbing rope.
Charlet Moser
#2 Special
↑ 177: Charlet Moser #2 Special
- Made in France [1960s].
- 790x270 mm.
- Weight: 745 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x22 mm.
- Fixed Head.
- Straight adze with a straight edge and a slight arch.
- Adze: 65(l)x60(w)x1(arch) mm.
- Straight alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 3 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 155(l)x27(h)x8(t) mm.
- Round spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x12(d) mm.
- This is an older axe with a straight pick and a simple round spike.
- Charlet–Moser #2 and #3 axes were made in the 1940s and 1950s. The #2 was full–size, while the #3 had a shorter head intended for women.
Mont Blanc
↑ 199: Charlet Moser Mont Blanc
- Made in France [ca. 1963].
- 850x290 mm.
- Weight: 765 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x23 mm.
- Fixed Head.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 75(l)x65(w)x5(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 5 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 180(l)x32(h)x8(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 67(l)x12(d) mm.
- Glide ring is missing.
- Keyhole cutout in adze is for inserting the spike of another axe for use as a step. There was little chance of using it like that, but it was popular because of the novelty of the idea.
- An earlier version had an oval hole in the adze. if you tried making a ladder by inserting another axe, it would rotate. This design helps prevent that rotation.
↑ 467: Charlet Moser Mont Blanc
- Made in France [Early 1970s].
- 750x275 mm.
- Weight: 745 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x23 mm.
- Fixed Head.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 75(l)x60(w)x4(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 3 dorsal and 6 ventral teeth on hollow-ground pick tip.
- Pick: 135(l)x29(h)x7(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x12(d) mm.
- No notch or crescent depression on top side of adze shank.
- Adding teeth to the upper side of the pick in addition to those below improves the bite in hard snow and soft alpine ice, but makes the pick harder to remove from hard ice.
- Keyhole cutout in adze is for inserting the spike of another axe for use as a step. There was little chance of using it like that, but it was popular because of the novelty of the idea.
- I am not certain where this axe fits in the Mont Blanc sequence.
↑ 455: Charlet Moser Mont Blanc
- Made in France [1970s].
- 690x275 mm.
- Weight: 710 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x23 mm.
- Fixed Head.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 75(l)x57(w)x3(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 5 dorsal and 6 ventral teeth on hollow-ground pick tip.
- Pick: 160(l)x30(h)x8(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 65(l)x12(d) mm.
- The crescent on the top near the adze was replaced by a U–shaped notch. This seems to have been used to drive ice screws, but a full–length axe is at best an awkward tool to use for this purpose.
- Adding teeth to the upper side of the pick in addition to those below improves the bite in hard snow and soft alpine ice, but makes the pick harder to remove from hard ice.
- Keyhole cutout in adze is for inserting the spike of another axe for use as a step. There was little chance of using it like that, but it was popular because of the novelty of the idea.
- Charlet Moser produced this model with a wooden shaft into the 1980s, even after all their other models were made with metal shafts.
Super Conta 2
↑ 494: Charlet Moser Super Conta 2
- Made in France [1960s].
- 750x295 mm.
- Weight: 680 g.
- Wood Shaft.
- Shaft: 34x22 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 70(l)x65(w)x5(arch) mm.
- Straight alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 10 sharp, deep aggressive teeth.
- Pick: 170(l)x29(h)x6(t) mm.
- Round spike.
- Spike: 57(l)x12(d) mm.
- A light axe with a rather strongly arched adze.
- The deep, sharp teeth and resulting shallow pick are more suited for technical ice than for self arrest.
↑ 122: Charlet Moser Super Conta 2
- Made in France [1972].
- 700x290 mm.
- Weight: 810 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 35x23 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Straight adze with a curved edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 69(l)x57(w)x4(arch) mm.
- Straight alpine pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 4 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 155(l)x30(h)x6(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 59(l)x12(d) mm.
- This unusual design incorporates a carabiner hole and a belay notch.
- The 1972 REI catalog lists the available lengths as 75–95 cm., but this one is just under 70 cm. long.
Y. Seigneur
↑ 495: Charlet Moser Y. Seigneur
- Made in France [1974].
- 700x275 mm.
- Weight: 730 g.
- Ash Shaft.
- Shaft: 32x23 mm.
- Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
- Curved adze with a straight edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 80(l)x52(w)x3(arch) mm.
- Curved alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 3 dorsal and 6 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 140(l)x26(h)x5(t) mm.
- Round fluted spike.
- Spike: 67(l)x12(d) mm.
- No notch or crescent depression on top side of adze shank.
- The flat face beneath the base of the adze allows hammering the pick into the ice while reducing the chance of damaging one's gloves on the adze.
- Adding teeth to the upper side of the pick in addition to those below improves the bite in hard snow and soft alpine ice, but makes the pick harder to remove from hard ice.
- Keyhole cutout in adze is for inserting the spike of another axe for use as a step. There was little chance of using it like that, but it was popular because of the novelty of the idea.
- Yannick Seigneur (1941–2001) was one of France’s most brilliant Mountain Guides.
Axar
↑ 478: Charlet Moser Axar
- Made in France [1980s].
- 500x270 mm.
- Weight: 740 g.
- Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
- Shaft: 33x21 mm.
- Full modular head with carabiner hole.
- Drooped adze with a curved edge and a slight arch.
- Adze: 65(l)x45(w)x2(arch) mm.
- Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 16 ventral teeth.
- Pick: 130(l)x28(h)x4(t) mm.
- Triangular plate spike.
- Spike: 31(l)x46(w)x4(t) mm.
- Leash connected to hole in shaft.
- Shaft bend provides somewhat more clearance when hooking over bulges.
- Heavier than many others, it provides a hefty swing weight well–suited for "haul off and whack" climbers.
Multimanche
↑ 084: Charlet Moser Multimanche
- Made in France [1980s].
- 500x250 mm.
- Weight: 875 g.
- Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
- Shaft: 33x21 mm.
- Full modular head with carabiner hole.
- Drooped adze with a curved edge and a moderate arch.
- Adze: 64(l)x62(w)x5(arch) mm.
- Modular waterfall ice pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with six small tiip teeth, four large central teeth, and four notches near head.
- Pick: 135(l)x30(h)x4(t) mm.
- Double-pointed plate spike.
- Spike: 35(l)x27(w)x4(t) mm.
- Leash connected to hole in shaft.
- A nice and well-respected waterfal ice climbing tool equipped with an excellent Charlet Moser leash. Much heavier than many others, it provides a hefty swing weight well-suited for "haul off and whack" climbers. With my fine finesse style of climbing, I prefer a much lighter tool.
