Subscribe
Choose any feeds to get the latest
from The Journal
You can also...
Build custom feeds to get just the stories you want
- 1 Specify the keywords, tags and topics you are most interested in.
- 2 Preview your custom feed - change your keywords and tags as much as you need.
- 3 Name your feed, then subscribe.
Build My Own FeedThe Journal is dedicated to the sports and people that make Black Diamond what it is.
-
UNSTOPPABLE: What it Takes To Onsight 8c+ Like Patxi Usobiaga
I have not taken a rest day from climbing in more than three months. I’d like to jump out of the bed shouting out my happiness and starting the new day with energy, but it’s Friday and I hardly have the strength to drag myself up. Every day during the week is training for World Cups and international events; the weekend is for... [READ MORE]
-
Alex Honnold on Moab's Concepcion
The only thing I'd ever seen in print about Concepcion was a little sidebar in a climbing magazine that listed it at 5.14 and among the hardest trad climbs in the country. I could find no other real information about it. But I was told to wander up Day Canyon outside of Moab and keep my eyes open for an amazing splitter. The striking line... [READ MORE]
-
Video of real-life avalanche burial and AvaLung usage
On a heli-ski trip out of Haines, AK in April 2008, experienced backcountry skier Chris Cardello was prepared and knew the risks. He was also wearing a helmet cam. This footage is an intense first person perspective on being caught in an avalanche, riding it to burial, breathing through a Black Diamond AvaLung and being rescued by trained... [READ MORE]
-
QC Lab: What is the strongest rappel knot?
I was climbing in Yosemite last summer and, while at a belay, was talking to a party from Bozeman, Montana. They noticed all the proto gear on my rack and deduced that I was from Black Diamond. My partner and I bailed (typical) and they were watching me like a hawk. I asked what they were looking at, and they said, "We want to see how the QA... [READ MORE]
-
QC Lab: Weakness of Nose-hooked Carabiners
I’ve seen and/or heard of only a handful of carabiners that have broken in the field in my time as Director of Global Quality at Black Diamond, and most have broken in the same way: nose hooked. What is “nose hooked”? It’s just how it sounds: the nose of the carabiner gets hung up on a sling, Stopper wire or bolt hanger. Carabiners... [READ MORE]
-
Bivy of a lifetime on Mount Dickey—AMAZING photo!
This was most certainly the bivouac of a lifetime. How did Mathieu Détrie, Mathieu Maynadier, Seb Ibanez and I end up perched on this perfect mushroom of snow partway up Mount Dickey’s 1,600 meter northeast ridge? Not without some difficulty. It all started back in France, with a team from the French Alpine Club. We had planned a month-long... [READ MORE]
-
Toni Lamprecht nabs first ascent of his hardest boulder problem yet
Early in March 2009, Toni Lamprecht (aka “the Antonator”) sent us the following email about his completion of his long-term bouldering project: Bokassa's Fridge - Assassin, Monkey and Man , a link-up of two problems at Altantiswand near Kochel, Germany, 45 minutes from his home in Munich. Toni reckons the problem is his hardest ever and... [READ MORE]
-
The Torre Traverse: Rolo Garibotti and Colin Haley make the first ascent of much sought-after Patagonian enchainment
From January 21st to 24th 2008, Black Diamond athletes Rolando Garibotti and Colin Haley completed the Torre Traverse , a monumental link-up of Agua Standhardt, Punta Herron, Torre Egger and Cerro Torre in Patagonia. Mixed with snow, ice and rock, the climb tackles over 2200 meters of terrain, requiring the full kit of alpine skills.... [READ MORE]
-
Dodo Kopold's ascent of 8201-meter Cho Oyu
The plan was grand: to climb nine 8000-meter peaks during two calendar years. First would be Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma, Nanga Parbat, K2, Dhaulagiri, and then next year Gasherbrum 1, Gasherbrum 2, Broad peak, K2, Annapurna. I wanted to climb all of them without supplementary O2 and preferably in alpine style. With my friends we landed in... [READ MORE]
-
Big air for the Flying Squirrel at Enchanted Rock, Texas
It was mid November at the 18th Annual Granite Gripper Climbing Competition at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area (aka ERock) and, as is common in Texas, it was hot and sunny. I had just spent the day sucking, my scorecard remaining devoid of the pointage I'd been hoping for. Noticing that it was just a few minutes to the scorecard turn-in time... [READ MORE]
-
The historic first ascent of Indian Creek's Supercrack
Indian Creek Canyon, Utah. The second week of November 1976. Two years before the invention of the modern spring-loaded camming device. Earl Wiggins slung a rack of Hexentrics, nuts and tube chocks over his shoulder, nodded at his belayer Bryan Becker and launched up Supercrack . We held our breath while Earl jammed that three-inch-wide... [READ MORE]
-
Skipping pillows in Haines, Alaska with photographer Gene Dwarkin
We were lucky and had high pressure and blue skies that day in Haines, Alaska. Our guide, Sunny, was finding the honey holes of unaffected powder on the big slopes and at the end of this day, he suggested we go to “Playground.” It was all on slope and near the bottom of the run these dump-truck-sized, mushroom-head pillows had formed.... [READ MORE]
-
THE LINK-UP: Climbing Half Dome and El Cap in a day
Black Diamond grassroots athlete Jesse Huey partnered with Shane Chelone for one of Yosemite’s most coveted big-wall ticks: Half Dome and El Cap in a day. Chelone sent us the following trip report and photos that details the duo’s race against the clock. Like all great plans, my idea to link-up Half Dome and El Cap in a... [READ MORE]
-
Avalanche close call in Austria's Krippenstein Freeride Arena — AMAZING photo!
Clemens Stieböck sent us the following email description of what went wrong in this Herman Erber photo of Clemens caught in the middle of a big avy slide. That day started off with a routine police control stop on the way to the Krippenstein Freeride Arena, my home ski resort in Austria. Looking back this seems... [READ MORE]
-
Epic powder in Alpental, Washington
Bissel Hazen is a photographer and skier based in the Pacific Northwest, home to some major powder storms. Last season he shot one of his favorite photos and emailed us the following comments about it. This day was one of the best of my 37 years of being a skier. It was completely not the norm for the Pacific... [READ MORE]
-
Trip report from Moonflower Buttress, Mount Hunter, Alaska
Eamonn Walsh sent us the following email description of his photo of Mark Westman leading Tamara's Traverse , high on the Moonflower Buttress of Alaska's Mount Hunter. As anyone who has gone through Alaska’s Kahiltna International Basecamp (KIB) knows, Mount Hunter’s Moonflower Buttress sits front and centre. Every eye... [READ MORE]
-
Sean Isaac reports on the mixed climbing scene at British Columbia's Stanley Headwall
Sean Isaac, besides beiing the editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal and an accomplished alpinist, is a frequent visitor and devloper at the Stanley Headwall in British Columbia, Canada. He sent us the following email about the Headwall scene. Slogging up the snow covered trail, I enjoyed the linear rhythm of placing one... [READ MORE]
-
Kevin Jorgeson on the first ascent of Ambrosia, Buttermilks, California
On January 8th, Kevin Jorgeson made the first ascent of Ambrosia on the Grandpa Peabody boulder at the Buttermilks, near Bishop, California. The 45-foot line represents the next level in difficult highball bouldering, featuring a V11 or V12 into a 5.13 finish. Kevin forwarded us the following report and photo he posted on his website about... [READ MORE]
-
Ines Papert onsights Flying Circus (M10)
In February 2008, a decade after the first ascent by Robert Jasper in 1998, Ines Papert made the first female onsight of The Flying Circus (M10), one of the hardest and most challenging alpine mixed routes in the world. Read below for Ines's firsthand account of her historic ascent. Exactly ten years after the first ascent by Robert... [READ MORE]
-
Mission Possible: A full-length ski traverse of the Tordrillo Mountains of Alaska
Over nine days in May 2008, Andrew Wexler, Dylan Taylor and I made a 100-mile, full-length ski traverse of the Tordrillo Mountains in Alaska. The Tordrillos are a western sub-range of the Alaska Range. Our traverse traveled from south to north, climbing 38,000 vertical feet and making ski descents off the four highest peaks including Mount... [READ MORE]
-
The Big Four: A ski mountaineering adventure in the Alps with Stian Hagen and Chris Davenport
In April 2008, Black Diamond athletes Chris Davenport and Stian Hagen cast off on an audacious adventure to climb and ski four of Europe’s most famous peaks: the Matterhorn, the Eiger, Mount Blanc and the Monte Rosa. Over 10 days the duo, accompanied by photographer Christian Pondella (as well as a host of filmmakers and photographers, both... [READ MORE]
-
Tasting the Paine: Dave Turner's 34 days alone on a Patagonia Grade VII big wall first ascent
In January 2008 in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, Black Diamond athlete Dave Turner made the world's first solo of a Grade VII route. After an astounding 34 days alone on Cerro Escudo's overhanging east face, climbing capsule-style, he finished the 1500-meter climb, Taste the Paine (VII 5.9 A4+), making it a contender for the... [READ MORE]
-
Echo Wall: Dave MacLeod's first ascent of the UK's boldest rock climb
“… psychologically I feel that I want to lead this route now. A fall from the end of the crux is possible for sure. But only if I make an incorrect judgement [when] leaving the shakeout before it. This impending moment is weighing on my mind. Ticking... like a clock. I wouldn’t say I dread it. In fact I look forward to it more than... [READ MORE]
-
The Real Deal: an ascent of the Cassarotto Pillar on Fitz Roy
In January 2008, Black Diamond grassroots athlete Jesse Huey partnered with Toby Grohne to make an ascent of the famed Cassarotto Pillar on Patagonia’s Fitz Roy. Near midway on the climb, Huey and Grohne got off route and unknowingly climbed a six-pitch variation to the Pillar , and humorously dubbed their variant Gringos Perdidos (Lost... [READ MORE]
-
Dave MacLeod makes the first ascent of Don't Die of Ignorance on Ben Nevis, Scotland
On March 14, 2008, Dave MacLeod made the first ascent, with Joe French, of Don’t Die of Ignorance (XI, 11), making it one of the hardest mixed winter routes in the UK. MacLeod had attempted the eight-pitch line up the Comb Buttress of Ben Nevis numerous times over a three-year span before succeeding ground-up, onsight on his sixth attempt.... [READ MORE]
-
BD Sales Rep Jack Tackle bags new lines in Alaska
Jack Tackle has been around the block a few times, having been on expeditions to Alaska and beyond for more than 30 years. So when the "Javaman" came back from Alaska this past spring and said he had his most successful trip ever , well, we wanted the details. He sent the following email and photos to the boss to fill him in on the trip's... [READ MORE]
-
Nick Devore, Jaqui Edgerly and Will Cardamone get deep in Hokkaido, Japan
A trio of Black Diamond skiers, Nick Devore, Jacqui Edgerly and Will Cardamone, headed off to Japan's Hokkaido Island in search of the area's legendary bottomless powder, captivating culture and soothing hot springs. Below is an exceprt from Devore's blog , including some great photos from Gabe Rogel . The Sweetgrass film... [READ MORE]
-
VIDEO: World's Most Difficult Via Ferrata
Check out this video of what is hailed as the world's hardest via ferrata in the Austrian foothills. The guy (who is using our Easy Rider via ferrata set) is basically batmanning up the cable on an overhanging wall, his feet smearing on basically nothing. Be sure to check out the action at the 2 minute mark—this rig is so burly that the guy... [READ MORE]
-
Black Diamond featured in Outside magazine
Black Diamond was featured in the May 2009 issue of Outside magazine. Of course, all of us here at BD were psyched! Download a PDF of the story here and get the full scoop on life here at Black Diamond. [READ MORE]
-
BD employee Josh Boyd's three-day weekend—work, drive, climb, ski, boulder, climb, drive, work
Black Diamond QA Tech, Josh Boyd, is not one to waste a three-day weekend. Josh (aka "Master Breaker") sent us the following email and photos after returning from his marathon multi-sport mission to California and settling into his desk. From: Josh Boyd Subject: CA roadtrip Date: May 30, 2009 12:34:22 PM MDT I went on a... [READ MORE]
United States / English 
