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Build My Own FeedThe Journal is dedicated to the sports and people that make Black Diamond what it is.
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In-Depth Tech Video: LiveWire Quickdraw
Find out what makes the LiveWire Quickdraw one of Black Diamond's best and easiest-to-use sport climbing draws from Bill Belcourt, Black Diamond's Climbing Hardgoods Category Director. [READ MORE]
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In-Depth Tech Video: Via Ferrata
Dave Mellon, Black Diamond’s Director of Product, explains the design and use of the Iron Cruiser and Easy Rider Via Ferrata sets. Learn what makes these setups and their EAS systems easy to use, innovative and quintessential Black Diamond gear. [READ MORE]
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In-Depth Tech Video: Squall and Stormtrack Tents
Learn about the concept behind the Stormtrack and Squall tents from Black Diamond’s DoubleLight Series. Nathan Kuder, BD’s Softgoods Category Director, explains the design and intended use of these versatile and strong 4-season shelters. [READ MORE]
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How-to Video: Setting up the Stormtrack and Squall Tents
Ever fumble around with a new tent in the field, in the dark? Don’t go there. Learn how to properly set up the Stormtrack and Squall tents. [READ MORE]
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How-to Video: Fitting the Primrose AL Harness
How to fit your Black Diamond Primrose Adjustable Leg (AL) Harness [READ MORE]
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Climbing stunt double wanted...
Our main man in mail order, Jeff Maudlin (aka, The King) , was just in Tuolumne climbing Cathedral Peak with his 10 year old son and came across this note on the Tuolumne Meadows Store's bulletin board. We're not sure if Bob's offer is still good or not... [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Nico Favresse——Baffin Island Expedition UPDATE #5
Black Diamond athlete Nico Favresse is on an expedition to Baffin Island with the objective to establish new free routes in the Weasel Valley. He and partners Sean Villanueva, Olivier Favresse and Stephane Hansens will spend two months in this very remote part of the globe and hope to discover amazing first ascent possibilities. Nico... [READ MORE]
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Customer Question: Tent seam sealing?
Questions, comments, conundrums? You can always give our mail order crew a call or email and they'll get you dialed in with the proper info and beta anything and everything Black Diamond makes. Heck, if you're lucky you'll make it into an upcoming Customer Question post here at the Black Diamond Journal just like this guy! ... [READ MORE]
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QC Lab: Sling Strength in 3 Different Anchor Configurations
A few weeks ago a crew of super badass climbers rolled through the QA lab and one question came up more than just a few times: “What is the strongest way to rig an anchor at a belay?” Now that’s one of the most loaded questions I’ve ever heard, because, of course, there is no real definitive answer. There are so many factors involved,... [READ MORE]
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QC Lab: Draws in a Gym
As you know, I’ve tested many fixed quickdraws from sport routes from all over the country. I’m even actually in the middle of a semi-controlled Spectra vs nylon draw experiment that perhaps I’ll finish up by spring. However, a while ago a gym owner asked me what I thought about replacing draws at a gym and how they compare to draws... [READ MORE]
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How-to Video: Using the nForce
Learn the proper technique for jugging with the nForce ascender, both on vertical ropes and when traversing or following a diagonal line. [READ MORE]
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From The Vault #1: Night Driving
Night Driving: The Invention of the Wheel and Other Blues originally appeared in Mountain Gazette #30 in 1975 and was an instant hit. Black Diamond got permission from author Dick Dorworth to publish a small excerpt from his classic story in the '97/'98 issue of our Backcountry Skiing and Ice Climbing Winter Catalog (click here... [READ MORE]
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OFF-PISTE IN LA GRAVE: Ptor Spricenieks on a two-day backcountry ski trip into France’s National Parc des Ecrins.
It was a classic La Grave day. By the time we had coffees at Lionel’s Bar and passed by the BD Test center downtown, the crack of noon loomed on the horizon. But a wise man once told me that there’s always time for a second cup and so we let the day warm up a bit more while having another at the 3200 top station restaurant. Today we’d... [READ MORE]
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THE GREAT WHITE WAIT: Mark Welgos patience is rewarded in Canada
Here I was in Revelstoke, British Columbia, the powder capital of the world, with no snow. Great… after driving 1500 miles in two days I was bummed. Back in Aspen, where I had just departed from, the conditions were perfect and it left me wondering why I had even left. Revelstoke’s early season snow was followed by a long cold dry spell,... [READ MORE]
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BACKCOUNTRY HORSEPOWER: Stoecklein, Welgos and Crabtree seek out the goods on a ski mission to Idaho
In March 2009, Drew Stoecklein rallied together fellow BD skiers Brett Crabtree and Mark Welgos, photographer Will Wissman and snow safety tech Tyler Jones and headed into the Lost River Range of central Idaho. The objective: ride horses deep into the backcountry to score first descents on the isolated region’s mind-blowing terrain. The... [READ MORE]
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ONE VISION, ONE DREAM: Dodo Kopold’s quest for the High Tatras Traverse
The High Tatras Mountains are situated in the middle of Europe, on the border of Poland and Slovakia. Climbing in High Tatras has a long history—from 1921, when the first route was climbed by mountaineers, till now when the climbing has become very popular. But many extremly hard routes were climbed in the gold age 20 years ago by famous... [READ MORE]
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Upgrade to stainless video: the benefits of stainless steel crampons
Learn about the performance advantages of stainless steel and how we have used it in the constuction of our crampons from Bill Belcourt , Black Diamond's Climbing Hardgoods Manager. Stainless steel is used in Black Diamond's Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Cyborg , Sabretooth , Serac and Contact crampons. [READ MORE]
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Hydroforming technology video
The Viper and Fusion ice tools are built using hydroforming, an advanced process in which pressurized water is used to expand the aluminum shaft into uniquely stiff, yet lightweight shapes with exceptional head clearance. Watch this video of Climbing Hardgoods Manager Bill Belcourt as he explains the process and its advantages. ... [READ MORE]
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Renan Ozturk and Zack Smith return from a successful mission in Alaska's Ruth Gorge
Black Diamond athlete Renan Ozturk teamed up with Zack Smith and traveled to Alaska in late June 2009 to attempt a variety of climbing objectives, keeping their options open to the whims of weather, conditions and their stoke. Below is their account of the trip (the duo take turns telling the tale), and is accompanied at the end of this post... [READ MORE]
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IN SEARCH OF ICE IN JULY: BD employee Chris Thomas loves alpine climbing. Chris Thomas hates alpine climbing. Which is it?
Chris Thomas runs Black Diamond's Warranty Department and he's got a serious climbing jones. Dawn, dusk, all day, any day, Chris is out there climbing. He sent us the following report after a quick weekend solo quest to the Tetons in the hopes of finding some late-late-late-late season ice still lurking up in the alpine. It's a great... [READ MORE]
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Winger For The Weekend #5
In the short history of Wingers For The Weekend, none has caused as much roaring of disbelief and laughter around the office as this one of Dr. Bruno Kammerl, sent to us by Joe Penacoli over in our sales department. (Be sure to watch it in full screen mode for maximum effect.) Is it real? Is it fake? Does it really matter? Dare to dream,... [READ MORE]
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3rd annual Squamish Mountain Festival: August 12-16 2009
3rd Annual Squamish Mountain Festival rocks the outdoor recreation capital of Canada Returning for 2009, the 3rd annual Squamish Mountain Festival is ramping up to draw in locals and visitors alike. Focusing mainly on climbing and its surrounding culture the event also encompasses complementary activities such as yoga, a themed party and... [READ MORE]
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Riccardo Cassin passes away at 100
Riccardo Cassin passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at the age of 100. Cassin was one of the greatest alpinists of his generation and one of the most influential and important climbers in the history of alpinism, having established numerous testpieces throughout Europe and the rest of the world, including the famed Cassin Ridge on Mount... [READ MORE]
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Climber, author, guide, offwidth maestro and inventor of the Big Bro, Craig Luebben killed by falling ice in Washington
Details are still coming in but we have just learned that on August 9, 2009 Craig Luebben was killed after being hit by falling ice on 8,120-foot Mount Torment in Washington's Cascade Range. He was 49. Luebben, who was the inventor of the Big Bro (an expandable tube chock used to protect offwidths, which was Luebben's famed specialty), was... [READ MORE]
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Nico Favresse——Baffin Island Expedition UPDATE #4
Black Diamond athlete Nico Favresse is on an expedition to Baffin Island with the objective to establish new free routes in the Weasel Valley. He and partners Sean Villanueva, Olivier Favresse and Stephane Hansens will spend two months in this very remote part of the globe and hope to discover amazing first ascent possibilities.... [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Drew Stoecklein ripping it in South America——Dispatch #1
Black Diamond ski athlete Drew Stoecklein is spending the next six weeks skiing in South America, hitting the mountains in search of steep lines, blower pow and a cultural adventure. He will be providing us with weekly updates on his travels, complete with photos from the slopes. Here is Drew's first dispatch from Chile:... [READ MORE]
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VIDEO: Alex Honnold crushing it in Indian Creek, Utah
Humble, reticent and strong as a bull, Alex Honnold is a crack climbing machine. Check out this video of Honnold crushing it in world-famous Indian Creek, Utah on everything from 5.13 footless tip-jam campusing to inverted offwidthing. Alex Honnold sending in Indian Creek, Utah from Black Diamond Equipment... [READ MORE]
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TEAM AMERICA: Jorgeson, Segal and Honnold tackle Britain's famed gritstone routes
In late October/early November 2008 a trio of Black Diamond athletes, Kevin Jorgeson, Matt Segal and Alex Honnold , traveled to sample "God's own rock", the famed British gritstone where runouts, groundfalls and surgical technique are all part of the game. Between rain showers and squalls, the trio managed a host of quick repeats of some of... [READ MORE]
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BD Sales Rep Craig Hatton powder hunting in Chile
Craig Hatton is one of Black Diamond's Sales Reps and also one of our most stoked skiers, frequently making summer trips down to South America to get his off-season powder fix. He sent us the following email and photos a few days ago and, yes, Craig we are jealous! From: Craig Hatton Subject: Pics from Portillo Date: August... [READ MORE]
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Peter Metcalf explains the origins of the Black Diamond name and logo
The local television station in nearby Park City sat down with our CEO and founder Peter Metcalf for an in-depth interview. Here's one insightful clip from the interview where Peter details the origins of our company name and logo. [READ MORE]
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VIDEO: Black Diamond athlete Hayden Kennedy on the famed Bachar/Yerian
Hayden Kennedy is one of Black Diamond's grassroots athletes and he's a straight crusher, having 5.14s and El Cap free ascents on his young resumé. Hayden wrote the following report about his stay in Yosemite in June 2009, which wrapped up with an ascent of the famed Bachar/Yerian (5.11c R/X) in Tuolumne Meadows, California with Yosemite... [READ MORE]
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BD employee Tom Santoro climbing trip report from the Sierras
Tom Santoro works in our QA Lab and sent us the following report and photos from his July 2009 trip to the Sierras where he enjoyed some of the sweetest granite trad climbing in the States. From: Tom Santoro Subject: Trip Report: Sierras Date: Jul 29, 2009 09:02:12 AM MDT I had never been to the Sierra’s... [READ MORE]
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Winger For The Weekend #6
With the debate around BD HQ still boiling as to whether last week's Winger was real or not, our Creative Director, Matt Law, left for a week of climbing and hiking in the Tetons—but not before flpping over this video and casting his vote for the Winger For The Weekend #6. At eight (!) minutes long, this video is a serious time waster (we... [READ MORE]
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BD employee Thomas Hodel climbs the north ridge of Switzerland's Weisshorn
Thomas Hodel , the Product and Marketing Manager at our European HQ in Switzerland, recently sent us some beautiful photos of his quick trip into the Alps last week along with the brief note below. Looks like there's still quite a bit of snow in the high peaks of Europe! From: Thomas Hodel Subject: mountaineering in the alps... [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Drew Stoecklein ripping it in South America——Dispatch #2
Black Diamond ski athlete Drew Stoecklein is spending the next six weeks skiing in South America, hitting the mountains in search of steep lines, blower pow and a cultural adventure. He will be providing us with weekly updates on his travels, complete with photos from the slopes. Here is Drew's second dispatch from Chile:... [READ MORE]
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Customer Question: Tent mildew?
Questions, comments, conundrums? You can always give our mail order crew a call or email and they'll get you dialed in with the proper info and beta anything and everything Black Diamond makes. Heck, if you're lucky you'll make it into an upcoming Customer Question post here at the Black Diamond Journal just like this guy! ... [READ MORE]
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LiveWire Quickdraw reviews in ROCK AND ICE and GRIPPED
Black Diamond's LiveWire Quickdraw recieved rave reviews in both GRIPPED (August 2009/V11.04) & ROCK AND ICE (September 2009/Issue #180) magazines. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ROCK AND ICE REVIEW CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GRIPPED REVIEW [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Hanna Mellin summits in Greenland
Black Diamond Grassroots athlete Hanna Mellin teamed up with six other Swedish climbers for a four-week trip to the famed towers of Greenland's Tasermiut Fjord, where she and Hilde Bjørgaas made what is thought to be the first female team ascent of the 800-meter Nalumasortoq as well as other climbs. Below is Hanna's report from her Greenland... [READ MORE]
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BD Sales Rep Craig Hatton powder hunting in Chile——Dispatch #2
Craig Hatton is one of Black Diamond's Sales Reps and also one of our most stoked skiers, frequently making summer trips down to South America to get his off-season powder fix. Here is his second email blast, this time from Las Lenas. (To read Craig's first email click here) From: Craig Hatton Subject: Que paso, guey... [READ MORE]
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VIDEO: BD athlete Chris Schulte FAs new problem in Colorado
BD athlete Chris Schulte sent us the following update and video about a burly new problem he has established in the Poudre Canyon, north of Fort Collins, Colorado. Poudre Canyon holds one of the best boulder garden scenes around Colorado, with a short, flat approach and a good concentration of problems on dense, quality... [READ MORE]
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Steve House slideshow and book signing at Black Diamond's retail store
On September 2 at 7 PM, alpinist Steve House will be at Black Diamond's Salt Lake City, Utah retail store to present a slideshow and sign copies of his new book, Beyond the Mountain . Steve will share stories about his landmark alpine climbs from Denali to Nanga Parbat to K7, as well as dish on several of his less-glamorous attempts at... [READ MORE]
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Winger For The Weekend #7
We can't remember who turn us on to this Winger, but it has remained in constant rotation here for months. An absolute YouTube classic. More than 2 million viewers can't be wrong... [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Drew Stoecklein ripping it in South America——Dispatch #3
Black Diamond ski athlete Drew Stoecklein is spending six weeks skiing in South America, hitting the mountains in search of steep lines, blower pow and a cultural adventure. He will be providing us with weekly updates on his travels, complete with photos from the slopes. Here is Drew's third dispatch from Chile: (Read Drew's first... [READ MORE]
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BD Sales Rep Craig Hatton powder hunting in Chile——Dispatch #3
Craig Hatton is one of Black Diamond's Sales Reps and also one of our most stoked skiers, frequently making summer trips down to South America to get his off-season powder fix. Here is his third email blast. (To read Craig's first email click here and to read his second click here ). From: Craig Hatton... [READ MORE]
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Bandit AvaLung on cover of FREESKIER Magazine
We were super stoked to see Freeskier Magazine's annual Buyer's Guide issue with Seth Morrison on the cover, farming pow with a Bandit AvaLung on his back (in the signature "Seth plaid" color). Is this the first time an AvaLung has graced the cover of a major North American ski magazine? Also in the issue, the Bandit AvaLung was featured in... [READ MORE]
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BD employee Tanja Kulkies climbs east ridge of Switzerland's Piz Palü
Tanja Kulkies is Black Diamond Europe's marketing coordinator and also one of their most passionate climbers, spending most of her summer weekends scaling the high peaks of the Alps (not a bad place for a climber to work!). Below is a short email from her most recent five-star alpine jaunt, this time up the east ridge of Switzerland's Piz... [READ MORE]
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Consumer Question: What kind of skins should I buy?
Questions, comments, conundrums? You can always give our mail order crew a call or email and they'll get you dialed in with the proper info and beta on anything and everything Black Diamond makes. Heck, if you're lucky you'll make it into an upcoming Customer Question post here at the Black Diamond Journal just like this guy!... [READ MORE]
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Winger For The Weekend #8
We received our Winger Numéro Huit (that's French for Numero Ocho) from Ghislain Leroux, one of our Canadian Sales Reps, and it's a doozy, featuring a couple of random French Canadian climber dudes named Olivier Ouellette and Martin Laroche. Whoever these guys are they have a brilliant sense of humor and have surely spawned a new way to enjoy... [READ MORE]
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BD athlete Kevin Jorgeson sends big in Rocklands and scores the coolest flapper you've ever seen...
Kevin Jorgeson has just returned from a month-long trip to South Africa's famed bouldering mega-zone, the Rocklands. Below is his trip report and photos, including the coolest looking flapper ever. As climbers, we can all relate to having a photo of a distant land, hanging on our wall, calling us to come experience the... [READ MORE]
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