The BD team went hard this past year, with historic sends and game-changing product drops. Let’s hit replay on the greatest hits of 2024 and glance back at the fresh tracks of another legendary year.
The Hydra: A Many-Headed Beast is Born
This fall, we went metal and launched the revolutionary Hydra Ice Tool. A modular system, this many-headed beast is a paradigm-shifting, winter climbing machine. In fact, the Hydra was behind some truly epic ascents while being field-tested by BD Athletes—...from Will Gadd pioneering new ice routes in South Africa, to Jackson Marvell’s mind-bending first ascent of Jannu’s north face (which recently was awarded the 2024 Piolet D'Or, alpinism's highest honor). Take a deep dive into the cool world of the Hydra, the one ice tool to rule them all.
Dorian and Mya Go Deep in Alaska with the Impulse Ti Ski
Our new Impulse Ti ski dropped like a fresh Kendrick track, immediately winning accolades and garnering glowing reviews. Plus, we already had a few fans taking the skis on big missions—notably Dorian Densmore and Mya Atkins. Dorian and Mya dropped their own banger, Deep in Alaska, a self-shot, self-edited ski film featuring big lines and good times in the Chugach range. Hit play on this jam and get Impulsive this winter.
It Goes Boys: Babsi Flashes Free Rider (VI 5.13a) on El Cap
Stepping onto the scene like T-Swift, Babsi THE GOAT Zangerl made history by becoming the first person ever to flash El Capitan. Supported by her partner, BD Athlete Jacopo Larcher, Babsi spent three days climbing the iconic 1000-meter big wall, with ZERO falls. Oh, and this was on the heels of sending Magic Line as well. Time to swoop that exclusive Babsi BD gear, and channel one of the greatest climbers to ever do it.
Connor Herson: The Sender That Keeps on Sending
Connor Herson followed up his breakout 2023 year with a sophomoric effort that’s truly legendary. In Squamish, Connor established a 5.15a sport route, and a new 5.14 trad pitch while on summer break from his studies at Stanford. Between mid-terms in the fall, he made a quick strike mission to the Valley where he racked some Z4’s and claimed the second ascent of New Leaf—a nails hard 5.13d crack. Feeling good on the thin stuff, he also squeezed in a send of the iconic Magic Line (5.14c) a few weekends later. Check out the footage of his New Leaf send with Honnold below.
The Deploy Down Hoody: Lightest in the World
Weighing in at just 148 grams, the Deploy Down Hoody floated into the world this fall as the lightest down hoody in the world. A fan favorite of Joe Grant and Hillary Gerardi, this ultralight, ultra-packable insulator played an integral role in 2024’s epic mountain missions, from Joe’s 500-mile vision quest in Colorado, to Hillary’s blazing times on peaks in the Alps.
Seb Bouin Sends … Everything
Sometimes, it’s seems like maybe you’ve got that Seb story on loop. But look closely, that’s actually ANOTHER 5.15 he sent. And another. And another. Thing is, Seb never stops rocking. Like Metallica, he’ll keep playing the game as long as there’s a venue. This year, Seb sent more 5.15s than we can count. Literally, we don’t have the time to hit that endless scroll and to tally it. But we got a couple banger edits below of a few. And there’s more on the way. Enjoy.
Hard Sends - Jamming Destruction 9a+/b
Hard Sends - Bibliographie (5.15c)
Black Diamond Founders in the Spotlight
The roots of BD run deep, and this fall, our legendary story was told to the masses by Black Diamond co-founder Peter Metcalf. Featured on Guy Raz’s How I Built This Podcast, Metcalf dives into our origin story, and how he and a few dedicated climbers started Black Diamond Equipment. Drop this track on your next drive, it’s worth it.
The Mentor Film
This year also saw the release of The Mentor, a beautiful short film by our friend, filmmaker and former BD employee Mike Call, telling the untold story of Maria Cranor and her journey from Stonemaster to Black Diamond co-founder and beyond.
Top Products of 2024
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