"Our roots stem to 1957, the year an eighteen year old named Yvon Chouinard bought a hammer and anvil and started pounding out hand-forged pitons. To support his climbing habit, Yvon traveled to Yosemite and sold gear from the trunk of his car. His intelligent designs were quickly recognized by climbers as the best available. Chouinard Equipment, located in Ventura, California was born in 1958.

Among the early products developed by Chouinard Equipment was the Chouinard carabiner. A vast improvement over existing biners, the Chouinard Standard was light, strong and uncomplicated. It rapidly became the industry standard, embodying the principles of simple, high-function design, durability and performance.

In 1968 Chouinard introduced the world's first rigid crampon, accelerating the trend that had begun from step-chopping to the faster, more efficient technique of front-pointing. Then in 1969, frustrated by the inability of current ice tools to provide security in all types of ice, Chouinard conceived, tested and forged the first curved picks onto all his ice axes. The result propelled ice climbing to new levels of difficulty.

In the early eighties, telemark skiing was experiencing a rebirth. One of the main reasons for this growth was a new focus on gear that could withstand stronger forces. During this time Chouinard introduced the XCD Binding, a strong, heat-treated aluminum binding that stood out in sharp contrast to the more flimsy bindings of the time. In 1984, Chouinard Equipment also introduced the first cable binding.

In 1989, after Chouinard Equipment was brought down by chapter 11, Black Diamond was born. Since then, we've devoted our energy toward the goal of creating a company which fosters the enthusiasm and dreams necessary to design and manufacture the best climbing and skiing gear in the world. To facilitate that goal, we moved in 1991 from the surf of California to the mountains of Utah. Our base in Salt Lake City is located within minutes of great rock climbing, ice climbing and backcountry skiing. We're surrounded by a high-energy climbing and skiing community and a quality of life that suits our quest to climb and ski as much as possible. Although our address changed, one thing never wavered-the design philosophy that had begun years before."