Return to the ‘golden age’ of climbing, with the ultimate big wall hammer.
Our hammer was introduced in ’66 in Yosemite Valley where you would hear the satisfying ting, ting, ting of a piton being placed on a new route. Today, while climbing has evolved, stay connected to our roots with the tool still needed for some big wall aid climbs and new route establishment—the Yosemite Hammer.
We trust what we make because we use what we make. All Black Diamond products are covered by a two year warranty policy.
From clean climbing, to conservation, Black Diamond is committed to protecting the people and places we love.
You can't tell the history of climbing and mountain sports without telling the history of Black Diamond.
Overall rating: 4.818182 / 5 from 11 reviews.
Review topics: [].
"I’ve had mine for almost 25 years- nearly half my life. It’s the oldest thing I own. I don’t climb anymore, so it’s just an all-purpose hammer at my house, but I love it. Superb craftsmanship. Best $150 I ever spent."
"Beyond a stylish, retro piece of traditional Alpine equipment that one could hang on the wall next to a wood-handled ice axe, this is a marvelous tool in its own right. It comes with me when setting all new routes."
"exactly what i paid for"
"I have drilled thousands of bolts with hand drill and hammer and smashed thousands of pitons over the past 20 years. I’ve tried many different hammers (Kong, D5, Petzl etc. ) and this one is still the best. The last one I had lasted 15 years of excessive abuse. My D5 “dammer” lasted less than 2. The head design and weight are perfect for hand drilling and getting a feel for how a pin is being driven into the rock. The way the head is attached is a rock solid design. Cons; The handle design is not as good as it used to be. The palm swell is poorly designed and feels terrible in the hand. The lacquer finish is cheap and gives you blisters. I scraped the lacquer off, filed a more pronounced palm swell into the handle and gave it a nice linseed/pine tar oil finish. Ready for the next 15 years of abuse."
"Great weight and swing, durable, a lifetime purchase. My first Yosemite hammer lasted 30 years before it was lost to a garage fire. Lots of wear on it but it was perfect. Instantly replaced it with a new one"
"Still the right balance between power and lightness."
"I got my first YO in the early 90’s. It was the cast head and it didn’t measure up to my frequent wall partner’s Deucey A5 hammer. After I stopped new route development mid 2000’s I sold the YO with a bunch of other gear. After no luck trying to find an A5 I took a look at the new forged YO. This new hammer has the heft and feel that the cast version could never match. I like the longer tangs but the aggressive tapering of the handle seems excessive. Thanks for making the only true wall hammer available today."
"Weather you leave it in your haul bag while free climb, or clip it to your harness to nail those pitons, this hammer if the essential gear if you adventure up a big wall. Don’t expect a light hammer though. This hammer has enough weight to effectively drive pitons in, and the narrow shape of the head is very useful to hammer them in narrow corners. Mine came with an extra sling, which was nice."
"I am on the second Yosemite hammer. It is excellent to dril bolt holes with a chisel"
"The weight distribution and feel of this hammer are great but at this price, you would expect a better attachement system. I a satisfait but there is clearly room for improvement on that aspect."
