Black Diamond

Black Diamond emerged from Chouinard Equipment and was the natural continuation of the passion and ethos that Yvon Chouinard and his friends started in 1965. Peter Metcalf, Maria Cranor, and the employees of Chouinard Equipment took over the company in 1989, changed the name to Black Diamond, and moved the business to Salt Lake City.

Their passion for innovation is changing the way we engage in mountain sports today – a legacy that began with hammer and anvil in a backyard and continues to this day. With revolutionary gear such as the world’s first wiregate carabiner or our Camalots, we have set milestones.

At the core, they are a company of mountain enthusiasts. For this reason, the development of Black Diamond is a process that will never end. Whether at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City, Utah, or in the Alps in Innsbruck, Austria, they are fully committed to the design and development of the most innovative mountain gear and apparel in the world.

Their mission statement is based on the belief that the style with which you achieve your goals is just as important as achieving those goals themselves, and this applies both to their business and to their outdoor activities. For this reason, they have paired an innovative approach to gear manufacturing with a unique corporate philosophy – for the preservation, protection, and access to mountains, climbing rocks, and nature, while at the same time minimizing their environmental footprint.