citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . march 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message black diamond equipment type public company traded as nasdaq bde industry climbing and skiing equipment founded december 1 1989 headquarters holladay utah parent black diamond inc. website blackdiamondequipment.com chouinard equipment company ventura california 1969 . left to right tom frost dorene frost tony jessen dennis henneck terry king yvon chouinard merle and davey agnew . black diamond equipment is a manufacturer of equipment for climbing skiing and mountain sports based in utah usa . the company also has global offices in reinach bl switzerland and zhuhai china . the company is owned by black diamond inc. a parent company formerly known as clarus corporation which also owns poc sports . 1 contents 1 history 2 products 3 environmentalism 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit black diamond equipment s history dates back to the late 1950s when climber yvon chouinard began hand forging pitons and selling them from the trunk of his car in yosemite valley . chouinard s pitons quickly gained a reputation for quality and chouinard equipment was born soon after in ventura california . 2 in early 1989 after several product liability lawsuits and a continued lack of profitability yvon chouinard placed the company in chapter 11 bankruptcy . black diamond was founded on december 1 1989 when the assets of chouinard equipment ltd. were purchased by a group of former company employees led by now former ceo peter metcalf and a few outside investors . metcalf moved the company and its 45 employees from ventura california to the salt lake city utah area in september 1991 to be closer to the climbing and skiing opportunities provided by the wasatch mountains . 3 in 1996 black diamond equipment europe was established in reinach switzerland making black diamond products more widely available throughout europe . in 2006 black diamond equipment asia was established in zhuhai china to serve as both a secondary manufacturing facility as well as a global distribution hub . in may 2010 black diamond equipment was acquired for 90 million by clarus corporation which owns armor holdings inc. a military defense contractor . the resulting corporation was renamed and is now publicly traded on the nasdaq under the name black diamond inc. bde . 4 5 in 2015 black diamond announced they would be expanding their utah manufacturing facility . 6 in 2016 they announced they would be moving their european headquarters from reinach to innsbruck in austria . 7 products edit black diamond equipment design and manufacture products for climbing skiing and mountain sports . climbing products include carabiners quickdraws harnesses active and passive climbing protection belay devices helmets ice tools and piolets crampons ice screws bouldering pads and big wall equipment . they also produce skiing and avalanche safety equipment . the company s mountain products include tents and shelters lighting trekking poles and backpacks . over the years black diamond has acquired and integrated several gear companies into its line including bibler tents 1997 ascension climbing skins 1999 and franklin climbing products 1998 . in 2010 they acquired gregory mountain products 4 a manufacturer of backpacks but sold it in 2014 . notable black diamond products include spring loaded camming devices called camalot and magnetron carabiners auto locking carabiners that use magnets in the gate and a steel insert in the carabiner s nose for added security . 8 black diamond camalot cams from around 2000 black diamond hexes from around 1990s still followed design similar to yvon chouinard and tom frost patent from 1976 black diamond stopper nuts from 1990s black diamond express ice screws atc guide belay device as is common in safety equipment industries black diamond have issued many product recalls following safety concerns . 9 environmentalism edit black diamond say that they recycle as much waste as possible make substantial use of wind and solar power and support environmental non profit bodies . 10 former 11 black diamond ceo peter metcalf has a history of political advocacy for both the outdoor industry and the public lands of utah and has united with other outdoor companies against policies that threaten public lands and outdoor recreation . 12 13 see also edit list of outdoor industry parent companies references edit mike gorell 2010 05 10 . utah s black diamond equipment sold for 90 million . salt lake tribune . retrieved 2016 03 04 . company history beginnings and blacksmithery . patagonia . retrieved 2016 03 05 . peter metcalf 1995 04 01 . lessons learned . inc magazine . retrieved 2016 03 04 . a b black diamond 2010 05 11 . press release black diamond merger . rockclimbing.com . retrieved 2016 03 04 . clarus to acquire black diamond equipment and gregory mountain products . thestreet.com . dead link black diamond is here to stay . utah policy . 2015 02 16 . retrieved 2016 03 05 . black diamond 2016 01 14 . black diamond equipment relocates european headquarters and appoints tim bantle to managing director . yahoo finance . retrieved 2016 03 05 . david crothers 2011 07 13 . new magnetron carabiner technology from black diamond . climberism magazine . retrieved 2016 03 05 . product recalls . black diamond . retrieved 2016 03 03 . sustainability . black diamond . retrieved 2016 03 05 . lauren steele 2014 08 14 . black diamond president peter metcalf steps down . outside magazine . retrieved 2016 03 05 . 2003 golden piton awards service . climbing magazine . 2004 03 31 . retrieved 2016 03 05 . michael frank 2012 08 07 . black diamond ceo fights for utah environment against utah politicians . adventure journal . retrieved 2016 03 05 . external links edit black diamond equipment official website v t e climbing types aid bouldering clean competition crack deep water solo direttissima face free free solo grass ice indoor lead rock mixed mountaineering slab speed sport top rope trad tree lists alpine clubs climbers deaths on eight thousanders equipment everest deaths first ascents knots mount hood incidents terminology terminology abseiling alpenstock anchor approach shoe ascender bachar ladder belay device belaying bolt bouldering mat cam carabiner crampons dry tooling dynamic rope exposure fifi hook grades grade bouldering harness head for heights mountaineering boot hex ice axe ice screw ice tool nut picket sure footedness pitch piton protection quickdraw self locking device shoes sling snow fluke snow protection snowshoe spotting tricam webbing media climber climbing rock & ice companies black diamond camp five ten grivel kouba la sportiva lanex mammut mountain safety research singing rock sir joseph the north face therm a rest triop ocun petzl rab red chili rock empire wild country organizations alpine club alpine club of canada american alpine club appalachian mountain club austrian alpine club austrian tourist club club alpin fran ais club alpino italiano den norske turistforening federaci n espa ola de deportes de monta a y escalada f d ration fran aise de la montagne et de l escalade german alpine club international federation of sport climbing international mountaineering and climbing federation south tyrol alpine club swiss alpine club svenska turistf reningen usa climbing category commons wikiproject portal retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title black diamond equipment & oldid 733006229 categories climbing equipmentcamping equipment manufacturerssporting goods manufacturers of the united statesmanufacturing companies based in utahmountaineering equipment manufacturerscompanies listed on nasdaq1989 establishments in utahcompanies based in salt lake county utahamerican brandshidden categories all articles with dead external linksarticles 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