Mysterious Mammut Perrin Nut
It was 2011 and I was on my way to climb the Petit Jorrases in the French Alps, when I noticed it - a little piece of gear hidden between the rocks on the Leschaux glacier. Rusted and bent, clearly out of sight for a long time. I took it with me hoping to learn a little bit about it.
At first glance it looked like a regular climbing nut and even though the alpine snow had effectively immobilized it, a cable with a finger trigger in the middle indicated it had some kind of a camming mechanism. After a short assessment I thought it was a prototype for the Camp’s Ball Nut. Then when I got back from my alpine trip, I put it on the shelf and promptly forgot about it.
One day, quite accidentally it caught my eye. Left alone, again, it was collecting dust this time. I dug out the WD40 from the drawer and decided that it was time to find out more about this curious contraption. After only a few minutes of cleaning, I was finally able to read its name which started my small research.
It turned out to be a Mammut Perrin Nut. It was invented in the late 80’s by a Swiss engineer, Gilbert Perrin. Patented in 1992 and produced in six sizes in the Czech Republic by the Kouba brothers factory (the same company that today is making products and components for the brands like Rock Empire or Omega Pacific).
The Perrin is no longer produced, but it is still possible to find a full set on eBay. This is not the lightest gear ever, but as far as I’ve read climbers shared some pretty good reviews about it.
To this day this battered Perrin reminds me of a good alpine trip I’ve had. And although I know a little bit more about it, I still wonder what is the story of this particular one. I wish I could discover the original owner and how it came to rest in the middle of nowhere. Was it telling a story of a mountain tragedy or a great adventure of climbers who had lost it? Little Perrin will keep his secret forever and will not share its mountain tale to anyone.
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