Born from the Climbing Life: Episode 2—Connor Herson on The Recovery Drink (5.14c) Black Diamond Equipment 2026-09-29 | Born from the Climbing Life: Episode 2—Connor Herson on The Recovery Drink (5.14c)
RAW SENDS: Colin Duffy Flashes Dead Souls (5.13d/.14a) Black Diamond Equipment 2024-05-06 | After trying Ice Cream (5.14c) all day in American Fork's infamous Hell Cave, BD Athlete Colin Duffy decided to "warm down" with a flash attempt of Dead Souls—a stout 5.13d/.14a. With running beta from some locals, Colin tied in and gave it "hell."
Black Diamond Presents: RetroModern—Part 3: Ice Cream Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-30 | Follow BD athlete Sam Elias and Olympian, comp crusher, and powerhouse climber Colin Duffy as they rebolt and equip the iconic American Fork testpiece Ice Cream (5.14c). “There’s a caretaking that needs to happen now with old routes,” explains BD athlete Sam Elias. And that’s where this story begins. But what transpires in this four-part series by Sam and documentary filmmaker Mike Call goes deeper than the new bolts drilled into stone. Through the resurrection of classic, historic routes, a meaningful, impactful connection is made between old and new generations. This is RetroModern, a series breathing new life into the storied past and bright future of climbing.
Introducing the Black Diamond Team Collection Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-16 | Purpose-built for the BD athlete team, this collection represents the best of the best.
Forged for Gold: BD Athlete Natalia Grossman Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-16 | It’s all about the process. The commitment. The focus. A maniacal devotion to movement. The forging of body and mind for a single purpose. BD athlete Natalia Grossman is putting in the work for the biggest competition of her life. Peek behind the curtain to see how she's preparing for the big show.
Forged for Gold: BD Athlete Oriane Bertone Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-16 | It’s all about the process. The commitment. The focus. A maniacal devotion to movement. The forging of body and mind for a single purpose. Oriane Bertone is putting in the work for the biggest competition of her life. Peek behind the curtain to see how she's preparing for the big show.
Forged for Gold: BD Athlete Colin Duffy Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-16 | It’s all about the process. The commitment. The focus. A maniacal devotion to movement. The forging of body and mind for a single purpose. BD athlete Colin Duffy is putting in the work for the biggest competition of his life. Peek behind the curtain to see how he's preparing for the big show.Video: @sohistudios3522
Black Diamond Presents: Ticino Gravity Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-11 | Follow BD athlete Kim Marschner, and ambassador Kaddi Lehmann on an exploration of Ticino, Switzerland—one of the world's greatest bouldering areas. Following in the footsteps of legendary developers like Richi Signer, Kim attempts to open a new Ticino testpiece. This is Ticino Gravity, a film capturing both the past and future of one of the world’s best bouldering areas.
Black Diamond Presents: RetroModern—Part 2: Blood Meridian Black Diamond Equipment 2024-04-09 | Follow BD athlete Sam Elias and talented setter, comp climber and all-around badass Morgan Tadje as they rebolt and equip the classic testpiece Blood Meridian in Ibex, Utah. “There’s a caretaking that needs to happen now with old routes,” explains BD athlete Sam Elias. And that’s where this story begins. But what transpires in this four-part series by Sam and documentary filmmaker Mike Call goes deeper than the new bolts drilled into stone. Through the resurrection of classic, historic routes, a meaningful, impactful connection is made between old and new generations. This is RetroModern, a series breathing new life into the storied past and bright future of climbing.
The Black Diamond Beta Light Series Packs Black Diamond Equipment 2024-03-28 | The Beta Light series is our answer to the ultralight backpacking revolution. Inspired by our athletes and utilizing a running-vest style suspension harness system from our distance running series packs, the Beta Light pack is simply built for moving fast on overnight adventures in the backcountry. Whether you’re spending months on the PCT or making the most of a two-week trip, the Beta Light carries all the essentials in a weatherproof, sleek design that doesn’t sacrifice comfort.
Black Diamond Presents: RetroModern—Part 1: Kintsugi Black Diamond Equipment 2024-03-26 | Follow BD athlete Sam Elias and young crusher Noah Keithly as they rebolt and equip a new extension in Maple Canyon, Utah, in RetroModern Part 1: Kintsugi.“There’s a caretaking that needs to happen now with old routes,” explains BD athlete Sam Elias. And that’s where this story begins. But what transpires in this four-part series by Sam and documentary filmmaker Mike Call goes deeper than the new bolts drilled into stone. Through the resurrection of classic, historic routes, a meaningful, impactful connection is made between old and new generations. This is RetroModern, a series breathing new life into the storied past and bright future of climbing.
Black Diamond Presents: The Mentor Black Diamond Equipment 2024-03-21 | She was many things—a Stonemaster, an outdoor industry visionary, a physicist. A rock dropped into a pond that created ripples, affecting many lives and generations of climbers. This is the story of our unsung hero, our co-founder. This is the story of our mentor, Maria Cranor.
Connor Herson: Sending Blackbeard’s Tears (5.14c trad) Black Diamond Equipment 2024-02-13 | A route as beautiful as it is difficult, Blackbeard’s Tears looms over the northern California coast. First freed by Ethan Pringle and graded 5.14c, this traditional crack climb awaited a second suitor for seven years until BD athlete Connor Herson racked up for the send in late August 2023. Connor was joined by teammate Carlo Traversi, who filmed and edited this gorgeous footage of Connor making the second ascent.
Black Diamond Presents: Dorian Densmore and Mike Barney in the Central Andes Black Diamond Equipment 2024-02-06 | Three … two … one … dropping! This is what it looks like when it all lines up. Bluebird skies, good snow, and massive mountains. Head south with BD athletes Dorian Densmore and Mike Barney as they explore choice lines in the Central Andes mountains of Chile.Film credit: Cole Taylor & Valle Nevado
How To: Trim and Set Up Your Fixed Length Black Diamond Skins Black Diamond Equipment 2024-02-06 | Watch and learn as our Field Test Coordinator runs you through a step-by-step process of trimming and setting up any fixed-length style Black Diamond skin.
How To: Trim and Set Up Your Black Diamond STS Skins Black Diamond Equipment 2024-02-05 | Watch and learn as our Field Test Coordinator runs you through a step by step process of trimming and setting up any STS-style Black Diamond skin.
The BD Beta on Aluminum vs. Steel Ice Screws with Will Gadd & Matt Berry Black Diamond Equipment 2023-12-20 | Light is right, but steel is real. So, when it comes to ice screws, what’s the deal? In this video, Will Gadd and Matt Berry thread their way to the source of truth when it comes to aluminum vs. steel ice screws.
How To: Repack your Black Diamond JetForce Tour Avalanche Airbag Pack Black Diamond Equipment 2023-12-05 | Learn how to properly repack your deployed JetForce Tour avy pack.
RAW SENDS: Babsi on the Fourth Ascent of Meltdown (5.14c) Black Diamond Equipment 2023-11-15 | On October 28th, Babsi Zangerl claimed the fourth ascent of Meltdown (5.14c) in Yosemite. Established by Beth Rodden 15 years ago, the route has become the ultimate trad testpiece in the Valley, and one of the world’s hardest crack climbs. Babsi’s ascent is the first repeat by a woman, and it’s also worth noting that all repeats of the route have been by Black Diamond athletes, with Carlo Traversi making the second, and Jacopo Larcher with the third ascent. Watch Babsi’s uncut send and get stoked.Video by Nelson Klein. 00:00 - Beginning of route03:00 - First rest. 05:21 - Middle section of the route.06:09 - Second rest. 08:04 - Top section of the route.
Black Diamond Presents: HARD SENDS with Seb Bouin—ACL (9b/5.15b) Black Diamond Equipment 2023-11-08 | In the first of the Hard Sends series, BD athlete Seb Bouin takes us to Pic Saint Loup near his home in France, where he attempts the first ascent of ACL (5.15b)—a route he bolted in memory of his grandfather.
John Jackson: All Time in Alaska Black Diamond Equipment 2023-10-18 | Last winter, BD athlete and snowboarding legend John Jackson needed to put some time and testing into a new kit. So, what better venue to push the product’s abilities than Alaska. We packed our bags and hustled to the north just as a storm cleared and with the camera rolling, John J. let it fly. Get stoked for winter and check out the fruits of John J’s labor—the Black Diamond Recon Stretch Pro Shell & Bibs.
Black Diamond Presents: Angelino Zeller - Sarre 2000 Black Diamond Equipment 2023-10-10 | Angelino Zeller is a three-time world champion in climbing. And that, although he has been in a wheelchair since a paragliding accident. He is paralyzed from the waist down and cannot use his legs when climbing. Angelino has always been very sporty and has also worked professionally as an industrial climber. However, when he returned to indoor climbing during rehab after his accident, a spark ignited. He began to train regularly and to master climbing without using his legs. When climbing, he works solely with his upper body strength to gain momentum to perform the next one-arm pull-up through targeted swinging. A tour de force. The Sarree2000 route in the Aosta Valley is his next project. Italian professional climber Stefano Ghisolfi climbed this 8a+ route back in 2015 without using his feet. Simply to prove that it can be done. When Angelino sees the video about it years later, he knows he has to try it.
Connor Herson: Running it Out on Air Swedin (5.13 R) Black Diamond Equipment 2023-09-19 | “You’ll catch more air than Michael Jordan.” Connor Herson closed the dog-eared Indian Creek guidebook he was reading from and gazed across the campfire with a grin. It was his first trip to Indian Creek—the mecca of single-pitch splitter cracks. At a mere 19 years of age, Connor had already amassed a lifetime ticklist of hard trad climbs, from a free ascent of the Nose (VI 5.14), an all-gear ascent of Empath (5.14d), to a recent summer sending spree of everything hard in Squamish (Cobra Crack, Crack of Destiny, the list goes on). Yet Connor, the California crack aficionado, had never visited the windgate fissures of Canyonlands. Until this past spring. Now, sitting around a campfire under the desert stars, perusing the guidebook and soaking up the history, lore, and beta for future days spent plugging cams on endless sandstone splitters, Connor was finally feeling what you can only feel on a chilly evening in the Creek. And with that epic route description read aloud—complete with visions of Jordan-esque whippers should you blow it at the crux—Connor was easily enticed to rack up and go for the send on Air Swedin (5.13 R), one of Indian Creek’s finest outings.
Black Diamond Presents: La Gara with Hillary Gerardi Black Diamond Equipment 2023-08-07 | Trofeo Kima is a race that’s not on the trail. It’s in the mountains, as BD athlete Hillary Gerardi puts it. “Anyone who knows Kima, reveres it,” she adds. And few know it as well as Hillary. Follow this beautiful journey through the peaks and valleys of Trofeo Kima to see Hillary attempt the course record.MB017IYDQCNDJPC
An FKT of the Teton Bullseye with Kelly Halpin Black Diamond Equipment 2023-07-25 | Follow BD Athlete Kelly Halpin on a solo, unsupported mission up and around the iconic Grand Teton.
HOW TO: Fitting Your Black Diamond Climbing Shoes Black Diamond Equipment 2023-07-20 | Sizing your climbing shoes properly is essential to your performance and comfort. In this video, we cover how to size Black Diamond climbing shoes so you can find the perfect fit.
Best of Grimsel with Black Diamond Athlete Yannick Glatthard Black Diamond Equipment 2023-07-20 | Follow Yannick Glatthard on an epic one-day link-up of 5 classic routes on the Swiss granite of Grimsel.
Black Diamond Presents: Tempo II Black Diamond Equipment 2023-07-18 | A conceptual search for the shared feelings between music and mountains, Tempo II is set in the world's largest urban jungle and explores styles of Brazilian drumming and trail running with BD athlete Kyle Richardson and Rio local Odin Aguiar.
Black Diamond Presents: Bravo—Fostering Connection Through Climbing with Xavier Bravo Black Diamond Equipment 2023-06-22 | Xavier Bravo dreams of bringing climbing to his Latine community, and with Escaladores Unidos, he’s creating a movement.Xavier was the recipient of the Black Diamond BIPOC SPI Program Grant in 2021, and also received our SPI Certification Grant the following year. Since then, he has used his certification to guide free programming and educational clinics to his community to reduce that barrier to entry.Donate to Escaladores Unidos: escaladoresunidos.com/donarLearn more about our 2023 SPI Scholarships and how to apply next year: amga.com/programs/affinity-programs
Keep the Lights On: The Honnold Foundation Brings Solar Energy to Memphis Rox Black Diamond Equipment 2023-06-14 | With an average of 218 sunny days per year, Memphis, TN. is an obvious choice for solar power. Sustainable, reliable energy could and should replace existing infrastructure, safeguarding the community against blackouts and providing a far cheaper energy alternative. "Keep the Lights On" explores the story of Memphis's energy burden and how Alex Honnold and The Honnold Foundation are working to make a difference with Memphis Rox.Donate to our friends at the Honnold Foundation and Memphis Rox to support solar energy, worldwide, today. honnoldfoundation.org/donatememphisrox.org/donate
Black Diamond Photographer Christian Adam Tests the Distance 1500 Headlamp on the WURL Black Diamond Equipment 2023-06-13 | At Black Diamond, we’re a company of climbers, skiers, boarders, and runners. This means we often test the gear we make on our own adventures in the mountains. When it was time to pit the Distance 1500 against a real objective, we kindly asked our own BD photographer Christian Adam to put down his camera and lace up for the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Link-Up. Known as the WURL, this technical skyline run circles Little Cottonwood Canyon, tagging summit after summit while racking up the vertical gain. To finish in 24 hours, Christian had to start just after midnight, where he’d need to scramble peaks like Mount Superior all by the light of the Distance 1500. Go on the ride with Christian in this video captured by BD employees and local filmmaker Gaz Leah.
Kyle Richardson: Exploring England Black Diamond Equipment 2023-05-15 | Fish and chips. Rain. Fog. Fells. When Kyle Richardson got the invite to visit the Kendal Mountain Festival to show his film Tempo, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to experience the UK’s historic Lake District. With a rich heritage of fell running—aka mountain running—Kyle packed his bags and headed across the pond to step into the old country. Check out this travel Vlog capturing Kyle’s English experience in its full-fledged glory.
The Hardest Sport Climb In America: Seb Bouin Climbs Suprême Jumbo Love Black Diamond Equipment 2023-05-09 | In the fall of 2022, Black Diamond athlete Seb Bouin made a pilgrimage to the mythical Clark Mountain to pay homage to Jumbo Love—a route he’d dreamed of for years. But sending the iconic Chris Sharma testpiece (and the world’s first 5.15b) was only the beginning of his journey. Take a trip into the heart of America’s hardest climbing and watch Seb climb the hardest route in America.
Engineered for the Send: Seb Bouin Steps into Black Diamond Climbing Shoes Black Diamond Equipment 2023-04-20 | Black Diamond athlete Seb Bouin needs no introduction. With first ascents that have pushed the standards of rock climbing, like DNA or Supreme Jumbo Love, Bouin has been at the forefront of establishing the world's hardest routes. Now, he's joined forces with Black Diamond to help engineer the best climbing shoe for his next send.Shop Black Diamond Climbing Shoes:blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/shop/climbing-shoes
Black Diamond Presents: Focus—A Bishop Highball Project with Timmy Kang Black Diamond Equipment 2023-04-18 | When Timmy Kang first saw a highball boulder in Bishop, California, he immediately wanted to boot up and try the line—a rare reaction to say the least. His coach kept him from the dangerous heights that day, but it wasn’t long before he began testing himself on the area’s giant blocks. Over the years, Timmy managed to climb five of Bishop’s most iconic highballs: Footprints (V9), Ambrosia (V11), Too Big to Flail (V10), This Side of Paradise (V10), and Evilution Direct (V11). But there was one objective that kept haunting him … could he climb them all in a single day? On December 5, Timmy realized a dream and closed the chapter on his Bishop obsession with one epic day of sending.
Black Diamond Presents: Hall of Fame Featuring Yannick Glatthard Black Diamond Equipment 2023-03-09 | „Hall of Fame“– high above Kandersteg in the Swiss Alps, - is widely seen as probably the most difficult mixed-route in the world. Ice climbing pioneer Ron Koller discovered and developed the route some 8 years ago. Earlier this month, young Swiss mountain guide and professional alpinist Yannick Glatthard succeeded in making a first ever free ascent of “Hall of Fame”. Yannick explains: “Good climbing conditions are rare. Very often you will find no ice on the lower parts and no ice pillars higher up. After a couple of very cold nights, I finally found almost perfect climbing conditions. It took 2 attempts for me to reach the top. Losing an ice tool high up during my first try made me quite angry but helped to be fully prepared for the second attempt. To be able to finally climb that massive 30 m high, 15 m free-hanging ice candle in the upper section of the route means the world to me. “Hall of Fame” has it all – technically, physically, mentally!”
Black Diamond Presents: Reini’s Lines—The Man Who Built the World’s Greatest Climbing Gym Black Diamond Equipment 2023-02-07 | Kletterzentrum Innsbruck has become the number-one training ground for world-champion climbers. This is the story of Reini Scherer—the man, myth and legend who built KI.
Black Diamond Presents: Backcountry Diaries Featuring Tobin Seagel Black Diamond Equipment 2023-01-31 | For anyone that’s ventured into the backcountry, you learn quickly that there’s so much more to skiing and riding than just the descent. A door opens to a whole new world of experiences that go beyond making turns down a mountain. Whether it’s the coffee brewed in the hut before the day begins, or the split wood at the end of it all, these individual moments built a bigger picture that encompasses the beauty of backcountry skiing and riding. Not to mention, there’s plenty of untracked powder if you’re willing to explore. Follow Black Diamond Ambassador Tobin Seagel on this seasonal cinematic snapshot of backcountry skiing, B.C. style.
The Black Diamond Method Climbing Shoe: Built for the Send Black Diamond Equipment 2023-01-23 | With the perfect balance of technical precision and contoured comfort, the Method Climbing Shoe is built for sending sport pitches, from the blocky limestone of Rifle to the enduro sandstone of the Red.
Black Diamond Presents: La Rambla with Chae-hyun Seo Black Diamond Equipment 2022-12-22 | Black Diamond ambassador Chaehyun Seo was born into the climbing life. Her parents own a climbing gym in Seoul, and by age 14, the South Korean phenom was already sending 9a. Now at age 19, Chaehyun has established herself as one of the top competitors on the World Cup circuit, winning the overall lead gold in 2019. Chaehyun still takes her next-level skills to the world's best crags, however, and this past November, she let the Black Diamond team in on her plans to try the legendary La Rambla (9a+/5.15a). The team deployed to Spain to document Chaehyun's attempts, and on November 22, with cameras rolling, she fired the route, making the second female ascent of La Rambla and ticking her hardest route to date.
The Black Diamond X John Jackson Collection Black Diamond Equipment 2022-11-14 | Inspired by Black Diamond athlete John Jackson and his unmistakable style both on and off the mountain, this collection features apparel and equipment in John’s favorite mountain forest green colorway. Combining the Recon Pro bibs and shell with a signature Legend Glove, this collection brings the technical superiority both BD and John are known for, with a little on-slope mountain flair.
The John Jackson Collection: Born To Freeride Black Diamond Equipment 2022-11-14 | Inspired by Black Diamond athlete John Jackson and his unmistakable style both on and off the mountain, this collection features apparel and equipment in John’s favorite mountain forest color. Combining the Recon Pro bibs and shell with a signature Legend Glove and Minaret Tee, this collection brings the technical superiority both BD and John are known for, with a little on-slope mountain flair.
Black Diamond X SITKA Gear: The Eric Jackson Collection Black Diamond Equipment 2022-11-08 | Brought together by Black Diamond athlete Eric Jackson’s passion for big-mountain snowboarding and backcountry bowhunting, Black Diamond and SITKA Gear have partnered to create the Eric Jackson Special Edition Collection. Inspired by the hunt and built for the backcountry, this specialized kit fuses Black Diamond’s technical apparel and equipment with SITKA’s signature GORE® OPTIFADE® Subalpine concealment to bring the forest to steep alpine faces and deep powder stashes.Video credit: Cole Taylor, Eliel Hindert, Yancy Caldwell, Cold Collaborative
Black Diamond X SITKA Gear—Eric Jackson Mission Outerwear Kit Black Diamond Equipment 2022-11-08 | Inspired by Eric Jackson's passion for hunting and the backcountry, this specialized kit fuses Black Diamond’s technical apparel and equipment with SITKA’s signature GORE® OPTIFADE® Subalpine concealment to bring the forest to steep alpine faces and deep powder stashes.
Black Diamond Presents: Dawn Patrol—Why We Rise Black Diamond Equipment 2022-10-18 | The alarm goes off. It would be so easy to bail. You could hit the snooze and crawl back into the warmth of your bed and slip into another dream. But that fantasy ends as the aspiration of the morning’s reality slowly builds. Your feet touch the cold floor, and the ritual begins. Coffee brews, gear is packed, and you step into the dark. The cold catches your breath. You slide into the skin track and the world comes alive. We all have rituals that define who we are. At Black Diamond, the Dawn Patrol is ours. To live is to rise.
Black Diamond Presents: Impact Day with Hazel Findlay Black Diamond Equipment 2022-10-06 | After whipping from the crux years ago and taking a near-catastrophic fall, Hazel confronts her fears and goes round two on the infamous Impact Day (E8/6c).
Black Diamond Presents: Behind the Lens with Chris Burkard Black Diamond Equipment 2022-09-13 | As an adventurer and athlete, it’s clear that BD Ambassador Chris Burkard can hike, bike, run, and climb to a vantage point that offers a unique perspective. But there’s also something that happens between the moment he spies the line and the second his shutter clicks. On a recent assignment for Black Diamond, Chris took his camera on a trek through the braided rivers and mountains of Iceland—his indelible muse for photography. He returned with a suite of images that leave the viewer with the insatiable need to get out and go for a hike. It was on this trip that we set out to capture those fleeting moments before Chris lifts his lens and presses the shutter. In this film, we set out to discover how the magic happens on a Chris Burkard photo shoot.Video: Ted Hesser
Peaks Project: Episode 2—Crestone Needle with Kyle Richardson Black Diamond Equipment 2022-08-30 | The peaks project is about living in the moment and exploring high places. Sometimes that means going fast and testing yourself against the terrain when it feels right, and other times it's about paying your respect to the place and being more observant and relaxed with the approach—being in tune with your mind and soul, carving your own way through the mountain landscapes.Follow Black Diamond Athlete Kyle Richardson on an end-of-summer exploratory run through the Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Welcome to the Team: Connor Herson Black Diamond Equipment 2022-08-23 | Born into a climbing family, Connor has been hooked on climbing from a young age. He enjoys pretty much any style—big walls, single pitch trad, bouldering, sport climbing, competition climbing, and all-day backcountry climbs. He's lived in the Bay Area his entire life and he climbs as much as possible, whether in the gym or at local crags. He is best known for hard trad climbs and big wall free climbing—he became the youngest person to free climb the Nose on El Cap at age of 15 and recently made the first gear ascent of Empath (5.14d)—but he also tries to stay well-rounded by switching disciplines based on his motivation. Outside of climbing, Connor is currently a student at Stanford University and feels as driven to pursue his academic interests as he does to climb.
