For a full list of the groups we support, click here.

For nearly five decades the Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC) has championed a wide range of conservation issues all over the state. Today, the CEC performs many important functions including preserving undisturbed wild places, promoting clean energy, protecting and restoring rivers, exploring sustainable land use in urban areas, lobbying state legislature on conservation issues and educating citizens on the importance of their efforts. Of the CEC, Black Diamond's President and CEO Peter Metcalf said, "All of us at Black Diamond Equipment share a deep sense of inspiration and appreciation for what the Colorado Environmental Coalition does on behalf of the state of Colorado and the people of the United States. Their efforts to unite Coloradans to protect their natural heritage and quality of life are critical components to Colorado's outlook for achieving long-term economic success."

Tonight, May 23, Metcalf will be honored at the CEC's Rebel with a Cause Gala 2012. We caught up with CEC Development Director Beka Wilson on the eve of the event to discuss the organization and their choice to honor Metcalf.

The CEC started life in 1965 as the Colorado Open Space Council. The national Wilderness Act was signed into law in 1964 and the COSC grew out of the realization that Colorado would benefit greatly from this new law. In 1984, COSC changed its name to CEC to better reflect the new focuses of the organization.

CEC, and it's predecessor COSC, was originally just about designating wilderness in Colorado. However, over the years, it became obvious that there are other environmental issues prevalent in our state and that we had to remain nimble to meet the new challenges affecting our state's natural heritage. Over the 47 years we have been around, CEC organically morphed from a sole focus to working on pretty much every statewide environmental issue in Colorado, including water quality and conservation, energy (both oil and gas reform and the promotion of renewable energy), policy work at the State Capitol and others. We haven't forgotten our roots, however. Wilderness and public lands protection is still a big part of what we do.

Over the course of our existence as an organization the need to protect our wild lands and places for future generations has always been constant. Over the past ten years the general public's realization of the affects of climate change have led us to prioritize reducing air pollutions and pushing for renewable energy, in addition to the issue areas we have focused on for decades.

We admire and want to share Peter's accomplishments and ambitions with the Colorado conservation community. We consider him a leader when it comes to highlighting the importance of keeping the environment in mind when we're talking about economic stimulus and growth.

One of our main goals is to show how Colorado's natural heritage benefits everyone in our state in a variety of ways. Support from companies like Black Diamond shows that outdoor activity, whatever it might be, creates jobs and provides tourism money for local communities as well as the state.

For more information on the Colorado Environmental Coalition or to make a donation, click here.

@matthiasschabel captured this image while spring skiing on Mt. St. Helens. Corn harvesting on Pacific Northwest volcanos is surely a classic spring pursuit and we love the composition, textures and peaceful solitude of this photo. @matthiasschabel wins a $300 Black Diamond gift certificate.

@bryan_collins_ summitted this photo from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada just days after the opening of the wildly scenic and desolate West Coast Trail. He perfectly captured the reasons why finally getting back outside after a long winter is so, so sweet. @bryan_collins_ wins a $100 Black Diamond gift certificate.

RUNNER UP: Instagram user @eddie_raburn

This photo was clearly selected by our voting panel due to the off-the-charts level of stoke. Sure it's kind of cheesy, but the ingenuity and pure awesomeness (you have to admit you want to give it a try) of it made this one a standout in our 20 finalists. Remember to have fun out there folks! @eddie_raburn wins a $100 Black Diamond gift certificate.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert is pushing a lawsuit against the federal government that seeks to give Utah counties control over 25,000 miles of so-called roads that traverse most of Utah's Wilderness-quality federal land. According to Conservation Alliance grantee Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance:

"The vast majority of these routes have never been established or maintained, and they don't really exist on the ground. They are but cow paths, old seismic lines, dry stream beds and one-man joyride trails. This is not really about transportation at all. Utah is simply using an old mining law, Revised Stature 2477, as an excuse to undermine future wild lands conservation and to open these special places to development, extractive industry and off-road vehicle assault. If they succeed, such lawsuits will spring up throughout the West, and our last wild public lands will be lost forever."

Following is a map showing the extent to which these "roads" (in red) would intrude on Utah's wild public lands. 


Take Action!
Ask Interior Secretary Salazar to defend Utah's public lands today! Click here to send a message to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, asking that he vigorously fight the State of Utah's lawsuit.

This lawsuit is one of a growing list of efforts and proposals that elected officials are making to undermine protections for public lands in Utah. In March, Governor Herbert signed into law a bill that authorizes the state to do everything within its power to transfer title of federal lands in Utah to the state.

Also in March, the BLM authorized nearly 1,300 new natural gas wells in Utah’s Desolation Canyon wilderness and other remote areas. In approving the so-called Gasco development project, the Department of the Interior rejected calls by the Environmental Protection Agency and tens of thousands of citizens from across the country to approve an alternative to Gasco’s proposal. This alternative would have allowed for significant development while protecting the department’s plan to designate Desolation Canyon as wilderness and reducing the overall footprint and impact of the project.

It is disappointing to watch Utah—which benefits economically from outdoor tourism and from the outdoor industry's twice-yearly trade show in Salt Lake City—work so hard to diminish the wild and natural places in the state.

The Vector is designed for climbers who prioritize weight. Long trips, alpine routes. Many climbers who don't wear helmets very often tell us that helmets are too heavy or too hot and uncomfortable. We designed the Vector to address those concerns.

The Vector is a lighter, better fitting more breathable helmet than the Tracer without giving up any of the protection. One big difference is that the Vector is less bulky than the Tracer. It allows climbers to work in tighter spaces and conforms better to the shape of the head.

We were able to make many different prototype helmets early in the design process that helped us make multiple adjustments  and refinements to the shape and fit of the Vector. People's head shapes and sizes have a lot of variability and its important to make sure that you address those needs. We spent a lot of time in the sample room here sewing and testing the design of the suspension system to make it comfortable, testing webbing that was lighter and that felt nice next to your face and ears.

The shell of the helmet is made up of two materials. The protective outer material is a thin layer of polycarbonate and the inner layer is an energy absorbing foam called EPS. The polycarbonate layer helps protect against scratches and dents. It provides some of the overall strength of the helmet and it helps to distribute any  impact loads on the foam. We spent a lot of time tweaking and tuning the density of the EPS foam and the thickness of the polycarbonate to make sure that it would handle the impacts required for safety, be as light as possible and still be durable.

The Vector has some extra large vent openings that help increase airflow to keep your head cool. The internal fit system eliminates pressure points and increases comfort by extending the anchor points to the foam further forward. We used extra thin velcro to attach the internal comfort pad and recessed it into the EPS to make sure that you wouldn't feel any pressure points or irritating lumps.

We really wanted to make a helmet that more climbers would want to use. Some of our competitors make "one size fits all" helmets that don't work well with the shapes of your head and don't compliment the features of the face. The vector comes in different sizes and allows for a much better fit that looks great when people wear it and eliminates many of the reasons people often give for not wearing a helmet.

Climbers spend a lot of time looking up. You want to reduce the bulk of the helmet to give them as much visibility and mobility as you can without sacrificing protection and safety. We spent a lot of time making sure that the front of the helmet lets you see your partner while still protecting your forehead, and that the back of the helmet would let you look up without getting caught on your pack or irritating your neck.  We reduced the thickness and width on the sides of the helmet while making sure that we left enough room for sunglasses and eye protection.

About the Copp-Dash Inspire Award: 
Sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia, the Copp-Dash Inspire Award will help support small teams tackling difficult climbs in the great mountains of the world who plan to personally document and share their ascents through a multimedia blend of storytelling elements. Proposed trips or climbs should be focused on unclimbed objectives in distant ranges and regions, requiring a high level of skill and commitment and climbed in a fast, light and clean style that stays true to the progression of expedition climbing. Proposed documentation styles can include any mix of photos, video or writing that will vividly capture the essence and adventure of the trip or climb. Proposed sharing of these storytelling elements could aspire to involve slideshows, viral film clips, magazine articles, multimedia presentations, etc. The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is supported with in-kind support from Adventure Film Festival, Alpinist Magazine, American Alpine Club, Sender Films, and the Jonny Copp Foundation.

I spent my Easter in Fontainebleau, helping out with a Black Diamond organized event called Chasin' The Rubbish. Fontainebleau is one of the biggest and best-known bouldering areas in the world and Easter is the busiest time of year there. Climbers from all over the world come to visit the forest and it can get very crowded at the boulders. One day we counted over 500 cars in the Trois Pignons parking lot alone. That's thousands of people in just one of the areas. With crowds like this, the impact on the climbing areas is big.

One of the biggest issues in Fontainebleau seems to be trash and so that was the main focus of the event. We wanted to get three messages across to people visiting the areas:

- Don't leave ANY trash in the forest, and if you see thrash on the ground pick it up 
- Clean your shoes before climbing, because dirty shoes severely polishes the footholds
- Brush off tick marks and chalk, so holds won't get polished

For most climbers these things are, and should be, obvious but it's good to remind people (for example, not everyone was aware that climbing with dirty shoes is bad for the rock). The purpose of this event was not so much to directly go clean up climbing areas, but more so to educate people to do their own part in keeping the forest clean. However, with the help of a lot of people we managed to remove about 250 kilos of trash from the climbing areas over three days!! Bas Cuvier, especially, was looking cleaner than I've ever seen it!

Luckily there haven't been any area closures in Fontainebleau yet, but the traffic can be seen on polished holds and worn through footholds everywhere. We can all do our part to keep the areas open and in good condition also in the future. It's important to remember that YOUR impact on the areas is just as big as anyone else. Happy climbing to everyone!“

— Nalle

Here at Black Diamond we have been really enjoying Instagram as a way to take and share photos with our friends, and we can now be found on it at @blackdiamondequipment. If you know about Instagram, we don't have to tell you how rad it is; and if you don't know, well, it's basiclally an awesome way to share photos from your mobile phone with friends and build a sense of community. You guys, our fans, are our community, and we want to see the images from your spring inspirations and adventures: shredding corn, bagging peaks, climbing at your favorite crags, or whatever springtime means to you.

Here's the deal: Take a great spring action or lifestyle shot between Monday, April 23 and Monday, May 14, 2012, share it with us on Instagram (tag it with #blackdiamondspring AND @blackdiamondequipment) and you could win a $300 or $100 Black Diamond gift certificate or one of many daily poster prizes.

How it works: Upload sweet spring photos to your Instagram feed, make sure they are public, and mark them with #blackdiamondspring AND @blackdiamondequipment. Each day we will select a daily winner who will recieve a fresh BD poster. At the end of the contest, an internal panel at Black Diamond will gather and filter through all of the photos hash tagged with #blackdiamondspring AND @blackdiamondequipment and decide the winners based on both technical and thematic execution (as well as general awesomeness). You can enter as many photos as you want, but they MUST be taken with an iPhone or Android device (i.e., no DSLR or regular camera shots), MUST be taken within the time frame of the contest, and MUST be public and marked with #blackdiamondspring and @blackdiamondequipment on Instagram.

Prizes:

-First Prize: $300 Gift Certificate for Black Diamond Equipment.**

-Runners Up (2): $100 Gift Certificate for Black Diamond Equipment.**

-Daily winners: Black Diamond poster (climbing or skiing, winner's choice)

**Gift certificate value must be spent in one order. Any balance will not carry over.

The Fine Print: No purchase necessary. No automated entries. Enter as many photos as you like. This contest is open only to legal U.S. or Canada residents who are 16 years of age or older, possess a valid ID proving age, and personal Internet email address. To receive the prize(s), the potential winner must reside in one of the fifty (50) United States or Canada. The winner may make no substitution or transfer of the prize(s). The prize(s) may not be redeemed for cash or anything else of value. Noncompliance with any of the Official Rules and Regulations will result in disqualification. Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. is not responsible for any typographical error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest or in the announcement of the prizes. Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. reserves the right to modify these Official Rules and Regulations at any time and without notice. Any modification to these Offical Rules and Regulations will take effect immediately upon posting in the Sweepstakes area of our website: BlackDiamondEquipment.com.

What's your ultimate dream adventure? Surfing the sky-blue waves in Malibu? Kayaking the class five rapids of the Appalachian foothills? Star-gazing in Bryson Canyon?

There's no better way to adventure than with your favorite gear in tow. A Swiss Army Knife of campers, the SylvanSport GO is the ultimate adventure aid. A GO can hold up to 10 kayaks or 5 bikes, or all your camping and a few surf boards, or an ATV and rock climbing gear, or...well, you get the idea!

Detail your GO adventure in this online essay contest for bold and creative outdoor adventure junkies-that means YOU-and you just might win a chance to GO on the adventure of a lifetime.

ENTER at our contest homepage, and in 400 words or less tell us what your epic plans are for a gear-heavy GO expedition AND how you would promote your adventure. Blogging? Stop-motion photo stream? Sky writing? Would you brag to your friends? How about your office, your ex or your grandma? Tell us!

The three best essays win a hooked up gear package from our premier outdoors sports sponsors including Yakima , Kelty, Keen, Black Diamond,  Wenger, Jackson Kayak, SPOT, Grand Trunk Goods, and Orbea AND... the GO itself for up to three months to live and document your adventure story.

The most epic and well documented resulting adventure of the three finalists keeps the GO itself and bonus gear from our sponsors-That's the GO, thousands of dollars worth of gear, major online publicity, and bragging rights.

Contest ends May 31st 2012, but don't wait! Each week contestants are automatically entered into weekly giveaways for more great gear from our sponsors! The earlier you sign up, the more chances you have to win prizes.

Day 10 of the basic class—Exam Day. Everything that the students had learned would be tested, and it wasn’t easy. Not everyone passed, but even those that didn’t walked away with a wealth of knowledge and skills that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. It’s the intent and hope of the Khumbu Climbing Center that these students now have a foundation that will help keep them and their clients safer in the big hills, and I believe that was accomplished. The next day was graduation: a ceremony, speeches, handing out of certificates and the obligatory photo opportunities.
Most of the students immediately blasted down valley to get back to their families and lives, while we had about 36 hours before the Advanced Class started. So a few of us Western Instructors decided to head up valley, a quick day’s walk, to the next village in order to get better views of Everest, Lhoste, Nuptse, Tawoche and Ama Dablam. It was mind blowing. To be standing in the midst of these great peaks was something I’ve always dreamt of—now I’ll just need to return in order to climb something.

Our one day off was a much needed break, but as the Advanced Students arrived, it was directly back to work. Fewer students (about 30), smaller groups and a more intense program allowed and required more one-on-one direct instruction. There was review of rope work, belay technique and general safety, but then it was right into the meat of it: advanced climbing techniques, leading, multi-pitch climbing, advanced anchor building, crevasse rescue, vertical rescue, tandem rappelling, hauling systems, ascending and descending fixed lines, etc. A full-on jam-packed, intense eight-day course.
Upon completion of the curriculum and another graduation ceremony, there was no time to waste—I needed to get back to work. A few of us made the trek back to Lukla in one long day and managed to get on the first flight out the next day back to Katmandu. Shortly after it was the 45 hours of travel back to Salt Lake City—and mere hours later I was sitting in my office.

As I sit here, in my heated office after having a hot shower this morning and wearing clean clothes, it all seems surreal. What seems like yesterday I was in the Himalaya meeting amazing people, seeing incredible scenery, and teaching climbing: truly a life changing experience. Everyone is asking me how my vacation was – my one-word response is always the same, “exhausting”.

— KP

For a full list of the groups we support, click here.

The growth and evolution of the American Alpine Club (AAC) and alpinism and climbing have been undeniably intertwined over the last century. Established in 1902, the AAC's mission statement reads: "We provide knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community." What began as a social club of elite adventures on the East Coast is now a "more centrally located Denver-area organization that actively participates in international dialog about environmental policy, high altitude safety and medicine, innovation in alpine tools, clothing and survival technologies, sponsors expeditions, and investigates controversies in the world of exploration." Notable past presidents and founders include John Muir, Annie Peck and Fannie Bullock Workman. The club has both sponsored and participated in such notable expeditions as the 1939 summit of K2, the 1963 first American summit of Mt. Everest and the 1966 summit of Antarctica's Mt. Vinson.

These days, the AAC provides its membership support in the form of rescue, insurance, grants, retreats and guide referrals in addition to continued advocacy for conservation and access. The AAC's marketing director, Erik Lambert, describes the club's goals going into the new year:

Our longterm goal is to build a better club that engages and supports our members. We're one year into a five-year strategic plan to do just that, and we've already made heaps of progress. We've hired four Regional Coordinators around the country to support volunteers, build relationships, host events, and simply listen to what each community wants and needs. We've hired a Conservation & Policy Director to fight for climbers' rights in Washington D.C.-and mobilize local stewardship projects around the country. We've increased member benefits (rescue insurance has doubled, for example). We're on a digitization crusade to make our library's publications and archives available online. $25,000 is now delivered locally every year for crag infrastructure projects, which keep our climbing areas here in the United States open and clean. And we're building two much-needed campgrounds at the Gunks and New River Gorge. This is just the beginning, and we have more members than ever before. Added together, we are truly building a better and more inclusive national club for climbers.

Lambert goes on to describe the relationship between Black Diamond and the AAC:

Black Diamond's partnership with the AAC is critical. Partner funds allow us to provide better benefits, services, and programs to our members-who are also Black Diamond customers. BD's early pioneers were AAC members. It's great to look back and see how far both organizations have come, supporting each other along the way.

For more information on the American Alpine Club or to become a member, please click here.

Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, N.W.

Washington DC 20240

Phone: (202) 208-3100

E-Mail: feedback@ios.doi.gov

BLM POISED TO APPROVE DISASTEROUS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN DESOLATION CANYON   PROPOSED WILDERNESS—Rejects Nationwide Call to Protect Jobs and the Environment

WASHINGTON (March 16, 2012) --- The Obama Administration’s decision today authorizing nearly 1,300 new natural gas wells in Utah’s Desolation Canyon wilderness and other remote areas will degrade the pristine region’s air quality and hurt the state’s tourism industry, according to a coalition of environmental groups.

In approving the so-called Gasco development project, the Department of the Interior also rejected calls by the Environmental Protection Agency and tens of thousands of citizens from across the country to approve an alternative to Gasco’s proposal that would have allowed for significant development while also protecting the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness and reduced the overall footprint and impact of the project. The Desolation Canyon region is important to Utah’s desert recreation and tourism, a $4 billion industry that generates approximately $300 million annually in state tax revenue and supports 65,000 jobs.

“Secretary Salazar is making the wrong decision to approve the Gasco project in a way that creates irreversible risks to Desolation Canyon,” said Peter Metcalf CEO/President of Black Diamond, Inc. “This decision is particularly disappointing in light of the fact that conservationists, and the EPA (with support of the leading companies in the American outdoor industry) endorsed an alternative drilling plan that protected the sanctity of the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness, while allowing for robust drilling to occur on a huge parcel abutted to the proposed wilderness area. It is truly tragic that the BLM can't show some small degree of balance.”

The Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness is the largest unprotected roadless complex in the lower 48 states. Centered around the Desolation Canyon stretch of the Green River, the area’s spectacular solitude and endless vistas are awe-inspiring. But now this remarkable place is once again in the crosshairs for destruction.

“It’s bewildering that Secretary Salazar—who has been such a strong advocate of conserving America’s great outdoors—would allow turning Desolation Canyon into an industrial wasteland,’’ said Sharon Buccino, director of NRDC’s Land and Wildlife program. “Desolation Canyon has some of the most stunning wilderness vistas found anywhere. It is no wonder that EPA gave this proposal its worst environmental rating possible.”

Gasco—a Colorado-based natural gas company—wants to drill nearly 1,300 new gas wells in the area, including more than 200 new wells in the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness and gateway areas.

The administration analyzed two alternatives to the company’s proposed action, both of which would have barred drilling in the Desolation Canyon proposed wilderness and while affording greater protections for the Green River and Nine Mile Canyon badlands. But the administration ended up supporting the company’s plans to drill in all these sensitive places.

This approval comes at a time when natural gas prices are at near-record lows due to an abundance of gas supplies, and companies are idling drilling rigs in developed fields in the Uinta Basin.

“Desolation Canyon and Nine Mile Canyon along the Green River are some of the wildest places left in Utah, and they should be protected from drilling,” said Nada Culver, Director and Senior Counsel of The Wilderness Society’s BLM Action Center. “There are more than 1,000 approved BLM drilling permits going unused by oil and gas companies in Utah alone. We should take the most responsible approach to developing this area in order to preserve the spectacular wilderness-quality lands, the rare and extraordinary rock art, and the threatened plant and wildlife species in Desolation Canyon.”

The BLM itself has described Desolation Canyon as “…one of the largest blocks of roadless BLM public lands within the continental United States. This is a place where a visitor can experience true solitude – where the forces of nature continue to shape the colorful, rugged landscape.”

Eastern Utah has experienced several years of record high wintertime ozone levels that are largely linked to oil and gas development. According to Gasco’s own data, this project will add to those unsafe pollution levels.

“Secretary Salazar’s approval of the controversial Gasco project stands in stark contrast to the agreements worked out over the past few years between industry, the Interior Department, and conservation groups over several natural gas projects in eastern Utah,” said Stephen Bloch, an attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “There is a proven, better way to bring parties together and produce a win-win solution. It is inexplicable why the Secretary is turning his back on this approach.”
"The Desolation Canyon region is one of the most iconic landscapes of wildness that Utah is known for," said Tim Wagner of the Sierra Club. "People from all over the world come to Desolation every year for the many outdoor experiences. To permanently mar this area over 200 new natural gas wells is a serious error in land management decision-making.”

[Russ Clune, front and center, as Peter Metcalf makes his remarks during the party.]

How do you, in a few moments, capture the contributions of someone who has played such a significant role in this company’s history, development, personality and brand qualities?  You really don’t… but I can share a few highlights.

I was first introduced to Russ early in 1987 by Maria Cranor. I believe it was at an annual meeting of the American Alpine Club. Russ had a much deserved, larger-than-life reputation as one of the best trad climbers of the time – a pioneer Gunks climber and without question the best traveled, most accomplished, best known and most liked America climber of the time. When we met and had an hour or so to talk I realized the guy had:
•    an infectious smile
•    a warm, outgoing, and egoless personality
•    a life that was truly forged from the sports
•    a true dirtbag living ability
•    a bright and curious mind that could hold a conversation on nearly any topic, making him an ideal travel-companion
•    and, his global posse included a who’s who list of the best and most admired rock climbers in the world!

Chouinard Equipment was growing—at that time we may have been all of $5 million—and I wanted to continue to recruit climbers who were defining the sports, our values and our lifestyle as they would be accretive to defining who we were and continue to build the core and iconoclastic nature of BD.

[(left to right) Peter Metcalf (CEO and founder), Chris Grover (VP of Sales), and Russ Clune during the party]

No one better personified that then Russ. He had just completed his Masters at Columbia and we hired him. He moved to California and became part of the most vibrant climbing scene Ventura had ever witnessed.  Russ surely played an integral role in defining us!

When Chouinard Equipment went down and I put together the plans to create Black Diamond Equipment, Russ was there fully – committing himself rather than take advantage of other opportunities being offered to him. He committed a truly meaningful amount of dollars to BD’s opening capital, NOT because he believed it would ever make a meaningful return, but because he believed in the sports, in our community and the righteousness of the our purpose and mission.

Hence, he was in….110%, and in those early years the multiple roles Russ played covered not only sales, but key responsibilities in our growth strategy, the products we did and did not make, marketing and more. During Russ’ early days at BD not only did he handle dealer service and a multitude of territories and more, but for several years he was our international sales manager.

[Russ Clune with his new guitar amp and custom-made BD cover that was presented to him in recognition for his 25 years with Black Diamond]

Two highlights of my time with Russ include a trip to Japan to work with our Japanese Distributor. We travelled from Hokkaido to Jogasaki and experienced some amazing skiing and rock climbing. Another was a trip to ISPO Munich in February of 1990,  just after the Berlin Wall came down. The Cold War was ending and the world felt like it was going through a major paradigm and power shift. The US dollar wasn’t worth much then, but it was great to be there and experience this amazing time in history with Russ!

Though I value greatly—more with each passing year—both the contributions that Russ made to defining who we are and getting us here… and though I enjoy remembering this rich historical narrative of time with Russ…what I love and admire most about Russ is that he lives life not in rearview mirror, not by talking about the good ol’ days, but rather he lives it for today and for tomorrow. His passion and zest for the climbing, the culture, the people, its values and lifestyle has not diminished one iota, and if anything has only grown.

His fitness, ability and energy for “getting after it” is absolutely inspirational and continues to help define the BD brand today as it did 20 years ago.

Russ, I cherish my memories and your contributions of the past 25 years, and that is what we are celebrating today. I am excited by the future and all that holds as well. Thank you and congratulations!

— Peter

Here at Black Diamond, I answer more emails about the longevity and durability of climbing gear than anything else. Contrary to popular belief, climbing gear doesn't last forever. For instance, I recently received a #2 Camalot in the mail that was manufactured in 2002. The thing was destroyed—it looked like it had been up El Cap 300 times. The customer wanted a new one because it was worn out. News flash: climbing gear doesn't last forever.

If I took a set of tires with 60,000 miles on them back to the tire shop to get replaced, I'd get laughed at—same is true for climbing gear. Perhaps it's a legacy thing. Yes, back in the day some climbing gear did last longer, because it was designed and manufactured to be more robust and consequently was heavier and ultimately didn't perform as well. But even back in the day, climbing gear had a useable lifespan. Also, as the climbing standards increase, we're torquing our picks and crampons, whipping on sketchy pins and cams and just generally being way harder on our gear.

But just as you can buy beefy, all-terrain radials that last longer than high-performance race tires, you can buy rugged climbing gear that'll last longer, but at a cost of weight and performance. You can also purchase more specialized, lighter gear, but it generally won't be quite as burly. It's up to each individual climber to make the choice and understand the possible ramifications of these decisions.

One last thing: my job at BD is to manage a team of engineers that test and break gear all day, every day.  We test all gear (not just BD, but all our competitor's gear, too) and do so scientifically and objectively. Yes, we monitor the blogs and chat rooms for trends, information and what is being discussed, and are constantly surprised by both the nature of the commentary (sometimes factual and sometimes not) and the tendency of most blog/forum readers to accept everything as true. As a caveat, don't believe everything you read online—if you do, I have a friend in Nigeria who will wire you $100,000 and all you have to do is send him your bank account information.

Read on for some objective test data on the realities regarding the fatigue life of some of the products that continually pop up. We'll start off with ice gear, then in subsequent posts I'll discuss rock climbing and mountain gear. First up, ice tool picks.

There are basically three types of ice-tool picks: beefy mixed climbing picks, mountain picks, and high-performance, ice-specific picks. Mixed picks and all-mountain picks usually have a larger cross section (i.e., thicker with more material at critical stress areas), and therefore can take more abuse. High performing, ice-specific picks with smaller cross sections are designed for easier penetration and less ice displacement. But does this ice-specific performance characteristic come at a cost of durability? YES!

What most people don't realize is that picks don't typically weaken by being slammed into the ice, rather they weaken from being removed. If you're a guy who buries his picks with each swing (like me), it's the levering motion of REMOVING the pick from the ice that puts a three-point bend load on the ice pick; the ice acting as a fulcrum. This repeated motion and loading can eventually cause a fatigue failure in the metal.

Several years ago, with the desire to obtain real comparative cyclic data on ice-tool picks, we created a test machine that simulates that loading scenario. We call it the 4-Banger—it's awesome.

We load the 4-Banger up, set to the appropriate load, and let it do its thing until the pick breaks, keeping track of the number of cycles. One thing to keep in mind is this is all relative testing—the test setup is consistent, but not necessarily correlating directly to real-world usage, so the data should be considered comparative within itself. Of course picks are also greatly weakened by torquing (but rarely break in this mode). To test this, we have torqued picks, followed by our cycle tests in the 4-Banger and found the fatigue life can be reduced by upwards of 50%.

We've tested and broken so many picks it would make a grown man with a gear fetish cry. We test all of our picks during design and development, and we test other manufacturer's picks as well. We test hot-forged picks, laser-cut picks, water-jet cut picks, machined picks, Aermet picks, and many prototypes using special materials or manufacturing processes.

As you can see in the graph, the thinner cross-section, high-performance ice-specific picks break earlier than the thicker cross-section mixed and mountain picks. Makes sense. This is true for every company's ice tool picks that we have ever tested. No company has a magic material or process that produces an unbreakable pick. Could we design and manufacture an indestructible pick? Yup. But it likely wouldn't perform well and no one would use it. So climbers are left with having to make a ice tool pick choice between A) high performance and compromised durability, or B) slightly more durable with a sacrifice of performance or weight—just like tires.

We sell thousands of ice tool picks (on ice tools and sold separately) each year (the majority of these are our ice-specific Laser pick). We see a handful back. All companies have ice tool picks that break in the field—no exceptions. I even know of some companies that have finally given up and discontinued their high-performing, ice-specific picks because they were tired of hearing complaints of them breaking.

Most reputable climbing gear manufacturers will CE-certify their gear. One interesting thing is that in general, there are no durability requirements for climbing gear—almost all standards are based on single-pull ultimate strength. So a company could, in theory, design and sell a carabiner that meets all the CE requirements when loaded once and then turns to glass, and it would pass all the current requirements. My point is, the CE standards don't count for fatigue. Up until recently there actually WAS a fatigue requirement for ice climbing picks, but it was removed from the standard because the data was so variable (as all cyclic data is), it didn't really tell you anything, and the test wasn't actually relevant to real world use. So it really is up to the manufacturer to find the balance between ultimate strength, durability and performance.

Many manufactures supply various pick options, and CE has categories for these picks. Burly picks, which used to be called T picks for TECHNICAL, are now are called Type 2 and are for climbing rock, snow or ice. More ice-specific picks that may not necessarily be as robust are formerly called Type B picks for BASIC and are now called Type 1 picks. These classifications are stamped on the pick for easy identification.

Here are instruction excerpts from four different manufacturers (including Black Diamond):

LIFESPAN

Under normal use (20 to 50 days per year), the lifespan of a pick on a Type T ice axe is 1 year. More frequent use or extreme climbing can reduce the lifespan of your ice tool. Some activities that would reduce its lifespan are hitting rocks, twisting the axe and pick, and drytool climbing on rock.

WARNING, certain extreme techniques using ice axes and crampons (e.g.dry-tooling...) are very stressful on the equipment. Levering or torquing the pick or the shaft can cause accelerated wear and/or failure of the equipment during use. This equipment may be used for dry tooling, but only on well protected routes. Ice axes used for dry-tooling should be used exclusively for this activity and must be carefully inspected before each use. Do not use your dry-tooling gear on adventure climbs. The material fatigue caused by dry-tooling could result in a catastrophic tool failure on a poorly protected route. This product must not be loaded beyond its strength rating, nor be used for any purpose other than that for which it is designed.

LIFE OF ICE AXE:

• Sporadic use with a seasonal concentration = between 5 and 10 years.

• Regular use throughout the year on difficult routes and some ice falls = between 3 and 5 years.

• Frequent, professional use on new routes and ice falls = between 3 and 6 seasons.

• Dry tooling, modern mixed, competitions = between 1 and 2 seasons.

WARNING: The materials do not last forever. Check the tool before using it every time and do not hesitate to replace it.

So what does all of this actually mean? It means that not all gear is created equal: some ice picks will last longer than others, but it depends on the type and frequency of use. It ultimately also means that gear doesn't last forever, and if you try hard enough or use it for long enough, you can break anything. It's up to you, the climber to check your gear, understand its limitations, and replace if it's getting worn or you're unsure about its integrity.

As it pertains to ice tool picks specifically, when I'm in the mountains I usually run a burlier pick. I'm usually not climbing as technically hard of ice and am more likely to be scraping around on rock, so I go with the Titan pick, a beefy, more durable all-mountain rig. But when I'm climbing pure ice routes and need all the help I can get to get up the thing, I use the ice-specific Laser pick. The Lasers penetrate the ice better, and are easier to clean, leaving my flailing arms with a little more gas to finish the pitch. If I'm on a long route, I'll usually carry a spare pick, although in 20 years of ice climbing I've still never broken a pick.

There you have it. Next up in a couple of weeks: crampons.

Stay safe out there,

KP