Journal

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

  • Wednesday, April 14, 2010

    VIDEO: BD athlete Mark Welgos big mountain heli skiing in Haines, Alaska

    Black Diamond athlete Mark Welgos found time between big mountain comps to shoot up to Alaska for a quick one week heli mission. Below is a report and video that Welgos sent us after he returned.   In my brief trip to Haines, I learned that the rumors are true: the weather is rough; when it snows, it really... [READ MORE]

  • Thursday, April 1, 2010

    Big season finale at the Ice Climbing Festival Pontresina 2010

    Already the 3 rd annual Pontresina Ice Climbing Festival took place in Switzerland's Oberengadin. Ice climbers from all over Europe gathered to celebrate the season finale at the iced Corn in the middle of the ski area Diavolezza at 2.800 meters. The program included workshops, slide shows, a party and a very special speed competition.... [READ MORE]

  • Thursday, April 1, 2010

    BD athlete Tommy Caldwell shows why the ATC-Guide is his belay/rappel device of choice

    [READ MORE]

  • Friday, April 9, 2010

    Winger For The Weekend #40

    We received not one, not two, but three chairlift-related Wingers this week! It was too hard to choose which was more outrageous, so we figured we should just post all of them at once as sort of a three-headed Winger. Needless to say, you wouldn’t want any of this to happen to you…   First, imagine being one of the sorry... [READ MORE]

  • Monday, April 12, 2010

    QC Lab: Strength of old fixed slings

    One of the boys from work brought a few weathered and beat slings into work the other day.  They had been fixed in his tree (for some random) for seven years.  Sun, rain, snow, wind, the whole deal… for seven years. I’ve tested numerous old slings from fixed routes, but figured we’d add this one to the mix. As you recall new... [READ MORE]

  • Tuesday, April 13, 2010

    BD athlete Paul Robinson makes V16 first ascent at Buttermilks, California

    Black Diamond athlete Paul Robinson recently was at the Buttermilk boulders near Bishop, California and made the first ascent of Lucid Dreaming , a boulder problem that is being hailed as one of the hardest in the world. Below are Robinson’s thoughts about the problem and what it represents to him, as well as some photos that illustrate the... [READ MORE]

  • Thursday, April 15, 2010

    QC Lab—Re-slinging Camalots and C3s

    I get a lot of emails about re-slinging cams: Do I really need to send my Camalots and C3s into BD to have them re-slung? Can I re-sling them by myself? Can I have someone with a bartackers re-sling my cams? Is it ok to use a piece of nylon with a knot? What about Spectra/Dyneema? Will you re-sling non-BD cams? Why does BD... [READ MORE]

  • Monday, April 12, 2010

    BD athlete Tor Eggebø reports on ski trip to Turkey and Iran

    Black Diamond athlete Tor Eggebø went on a wild ski adventure that took him to some countries less-than-well-known for their ski locales. Below is his report and photos that he sent in shortly after returning to Norway. This is the story about five Norwegians who tried to go skiing in Kashmir, India, but went to Turkey and ended up in... [READ MORE]

  • Friday, April 16, 2010

    Winger For The Weekend #41

    This weekend's Winger is one of those WTF'ers that you'll find either addictively hilarious or painfully stupid. If you think it's the latter, well, lighten up Francis —it's the weekend!   [READ MORE]

  • Tuesday, April 20, 2010

    Apollo lanterns improving lives in Nepal

    Here at Black Diamond we are always seeking to innovate and improve, so we were excited to support Mitch Silver when he approached us with his innovative plan: use solar power to recharge Apollo lanterns in Namarkhu, a small village in Nepal, in order to reduce the health risks and costs of kerosene lighting. He needed rechargeable lanterns... [READ MORE]

  • Monday, April 26, 2010

    BD athlete Adam Ondra redpoints WoGü (8c) and onsights Hotel Supramonte (8b+)

    Between the summer and fall of 2008, Black Diamond athlete Adam Ondra , the world’s new sport climbing wunderkind, attempted two separate multi-pitch routes: WoGü (8c) and Hotel Supramonte (8b+). The route in Ratikon, WoGü , had never been freed, and the other, Hotel Supramonte in Sardinia, had yet to be onsighted. The young Czech... [READ MORE]

  • Monday, April 26, 2010

    Winger For The Weekend #42

    This weekend's Winger serves as warning (or as a reminder for some...) of the embarrassing dangers of boozing and partying beyond your skill set. If flip-flopping to the bathroom is that cruxy, maybe it's time to scale things back a bit and drink some water. And it's pretty safe to say the girls he tries to pick up on at 00:45 are not impressed... [READ MORE]