Journal



The Journal is dedicated to the sports and people that make Black Diamond what it is.

  • Monday, December 3, 2012

    From the Vault #2: The iconic 1972 Chouinard catalog, 40 years later...


    Black Diamond employee Randy Hankins began climbing in 1970—just before the dawn of clean climbing—and has been working here at BD since 1994. Below is the second in the From The Vault series of Journal posts that Randy has developed about various articles, photos, anecdotes and gear from the BD archives. This From The Vault post is about... [READ MORE]

  • Tuesday, December 4, 2012

    VIDEO: BD athlete Paul Robinson bouldering 8B+ in Austria's Zillertal


    Black Diamond athlete Paul Robinson continues his global bouldering tour with a stop in Austria's famed Zillertal, home to countless classic boulder problems. The video below shows Robinson taking down a small sampling of the quality climbing found in the area, including a speedy ascent of The Incubator (8B) and a proud repeat of Anam Cara... [READ MORE]

  • Wednesday, December 5, 2012

    EMPLOYEE FAVORITES: Bob Downs, The Hanging Garden, Spanish Peaks, MT


    Here at Black Diamond, the inspiration to innovate is driven from within. When we're not at the office, our dedicated crew of employees is out cranking at the crags, putting in miles on the trails and questing around the mountains in search of untracked descents. In this ongoing series of posts on the Journal, we'll be highlighting some of our... [READ MORE]

  • Thursday, December 6, 2012

    BD athlete and tech rep J.P. Ouellet makes first ascent of Mexican Snow Fairy (5.13+) in Moab, Utah


    Black Diamond athlete and tech rep, J.P. Ouellet , is fully obsessed with crack climbing and builds his year around missions to climb the hardest cracks he can find. One place he annually hits up for a stretch is Moab, Utah, where difficult splitters are famously plentiful. Below is the email J.P. sent us after his trip—a trip in which he... [READ MORE]

  • Wednesday, December 12, 2012

    From The Corner Office #1: BD founder/CEO Peter Metcalf and his office/museum


    Black Diamond Equipment’s founder and CEO, Peter Metcalf , has a corner office—the only proper corner office at BD. He moved into it when BD relocated from California in 1991, and over the past 20-plus years his corner office has become filled with an eclectic collection of historical documents, photos, awards, trivia and miscellany.... [READ MORE]

  • Friday, December 14, 2012

    BD athlete Brittany Griffith reports on attending the first-ever trad climbing festival in China


    In November, BD athlete Brittany Griffith , along with fellow BD team members Yuji Hirayama , Cedar Wright and Mike Dobie attended China’s first-ever trad climbing festival in Laojunshan National Park. Along with the quartet of BD athletes, a host of Black Diamond employees also attended, including CEO Peter Metcalf . The event was... [READ MORE]

  • Monday, December 17, 2012

    BD employee Holly Merriman reports on the 16th annual Bozeman Ice Festival


    In early December, BD employee Holly Merriman , along with several other BD employees, attended the 16 th annual Bozeman Ice Festival in Bozeman, Montana, a community celebration of ice climbing that has grown to draw climbers from all over the U.S. Below is Holly’s report from the event, as well as a collection of photos that capture the... [READ MORE]

  • Wednesday, December 19, 2012

    PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Aspect and Lotus Harnesses


    Innovation is what drives everything here at Black Diamond. If we're not making gear better, stronger, lighter, faster, more durable and easier to use, then we're not doing our job. In this ongoing series of monthly posts, we'll be giving you an inside look at some of our most innovative products through one-on-one interviews with our team of... [READ MORE]

  • Wednesday, December 26, 2012

    BEHIND THE SHOT: 2001 Backcountry Catalog


    Bold, authentic and inspirational images have been a cornerstone of Black Diamond culture since day one. The pictures that fill our catalogs, website, ads and posters aren't just a portal for visual storytelling, they are the essence of what Black Diamond is all about. In this ongoing series, we'll take a look at some of Black Diamond's most... [READ MORE]

  • Friday, December 21, 2012

    BD athlete Adam Ondra's Christmas 2011 outtakes and 8B sendage from Fontainebleau, France


    Just in time for the holidays... Adam Ondra getting into the 2011 holiday spirit in Fontainebleau with a visit to Santa, getting lost in the woods, life advice from Font maestro Jacky Godoffe, and an ascent of the iconic l'Apparement (8B).   BD athlete Adam Ondra's Christmas 2011 outtakes and 8B sendage from... [READ MORE]