Black Diamond Equipment’s Fall/Winter 2017 Product Line Recognized for Excellence

November 9, 2017

Black Diamond’s ski products and its first climbing shoes earn over a dozen editorial awards.

November 9, 2017 (Salt Lake City) – Black Diamond Equipment^®, a global leader of innovative active outdoor performance equipment and apparel, today announced a series of awards for its forthcoming 2017/18 winter season.

Coming on the heels of much recognition around its Spring 2017 collection, Black Diamond carries this momentum into winter with awards from Backcountry, Backpacker, Men’s Journal, Men’s Health, Outside and Powder magazines, as well as from the Gearjunkie.com.

The annual Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards honors the products that Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year. With no set categories for the awards and no set numbers of recipients, the products and testing process drive the award categories. For this winter, Black Diamond earned an “Editor’s Choice Gold” from Backpacker editors for its Mega Light tent. The Gold award is typically reserved for outstanding products that have been out in the market place for several years and still outperform current competition in the field. Black Diamond’s Mega Light tent debuted in 2004 and has only seen minor updates to the product since its inception.

“With our reputation in the backcountry and our history of building the most innovative products, we absolutely needed the right ski manufacturer to collaborate with us on our ski designs,” states Pete Gompert, lead ski designer for Black Diamond Equipment. “In moving our ski manufacturing to Austria and partnering with Blizzard, our skis are now being made with the highest quality products and the leading edge of ski manufacturing standards.”

North American editorial ski specific product awards for Black Diamond for this winter 2017/18 include: 

Backcountry magazine awarded “Gear Guide Select” awards to the Boundary Pro 107 ski, Helio 105 ski, Route 95 ski, Helio 88 ski, Fritschi Tecton 12 binding, Fritschi Vipec EVO 12 binding, Black Diamond Saga 40 JetForce avalanche airbag, Carbon Whippet ski pole, Cirque 45 ski pack, Apollo lantern, First Light Hoody insulated jacket and Helio ski glove.

Powder magazine awarded “Skier’s Choice” awards to the Boundary Pro 107 and Boundary Pro 115 skis.

Blistergearreview.com awarded “Blister Recommended” awards to the Boundary 107, Helio 105, Helio Alpine Shell, Sharp End Shell – Women’s, Mission Shell, Ascension Nylon STS, Glidelite Mix STS, Ultralite Mix STS, Fritschi Tecton 12

For its debut in the climbing shoe category, Black Diamond introduced Engineered Knit Technology, which provides stretch where necessary, support where it matters most and exceptional breathability for unparalleled comfort. Knit Technology is featured throughout the complete line of climbing shoes, beginning with Momentum, a shoe that utilizes the technology for a breathable upper refined for gym climbing. Its new Momentum and Aspect climbing shoes just launched for Fall 2017.

Thus far, trade and editorial product awards for Black Diamond’s new Momentum climbing shoe include:

Outside magazine “Gear of the Show”

GearJunkie.com “Best in Show”

Men’s Journal magazine “Best of Outdoor Retailer”

Men’s Health magazine “Best New Fitness Gear You’ll Crave”

“To be recognized in today’s competitive marketplace in the climbing and backcountry ski markets for the most exceptional products is something we take pride in as a category-leading brand,” states Doug Heinrich, Vice President of Products for Black Diamond Equipment. “Earning these awards conveys our team’s ability to understand consumer demand and bring well designed, high-performance gear to market.”

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About Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd.

Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. is a global leader in creating innovative outdoor engineered equipment and apparel for climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, skiing and a wide range of other year-round outdoor activities. Black Diamond Equipment, and its sister brand PIEPS™, are synonymous with performance, innovation, durability and safety in the outdoor consumer community. Headquartered in Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, our products are designed and exhaustively tested by an engaged team of discerning entrepreneurs and engineers. The Black Diamond Equipment culture of precision and excellence enhance the authenticity of our brands, inspire product innovation and strengthen customer loyalty. Black Diamond Equipment’s products are sold in approximately 50 countries around the world. For additional information, please visit our website at www.blackdiamondequipment.com or www.pieps.com.