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• BD athlete Colin Haley makes first-ever solo of Cero Standhardt in Patagonia

  Colin Haley is back down in the alpine-wonderworld of Patagonia and in late November he nabbed another big "first" with the first solo of Cerro Standhardt. Below is his report. Read more >

• BD athlete Colin Haley reports on his recent climbs and summits in Argentine Patagonia

  BD athlete Colin Haley is down in Patagonia for another season of spectacular alpine climbing and has sent back some great reports and photos and his most recent climbs. Read more >

• A GYM AND A CRAG: DANIEL JUNG

  “A lot of people are afraid to make failures,” Daniel Jung says. “But failures are the best teacher.” Read more >

• Dave MacLeod makes FFA of Long Hope Route

  Black Diamond athlete Dave MacLeod recently made the first free ascent of the 500-meter Long Hope Route on the Orkney Islands' St. John's Head, a massive sea cliff in northern Scotland. Read more >

• David Göttler’s expedition to Nuptse's east ridge

  Black Diamond athlete David Göttler is back in Nepal, this time set to tackle the formidable east ridge of Nuptse (7864m). Below is his first report from the expedition. Read more >

• David Göttler’s on south face of Gauri Shankar

  Black Diamond athlete David Göttler set off on an expedition to Nepal with Stefan Glowacz and Klaus Fengler, with the hopes of opening a new route on the south face of Gauri Shankar (7146m). Read more >

• Hayden Kennedy’s season in Patagonia

  Black Diamond athlete Hayden Kennedy recently returned from his first season in Patagonia, visiting both the Torre del Paine and Torre Valley regions. Read more >

• Ines Papert: Reflection

  After years of dominating the competition circuit, Ines Papert now dedicates her time to exploring new locations and putting up first ascents of cutting-edge ice and mixed climbs all over the world. Read more >

• Ines Papert’s FA on Mount Asgard in Baffin Island

  Ines Papert teamed up with Jon Walsh and Joshua Lavigne to establish a new route on the northwest face of Baffin Island's Mount Asgard. The named the 1200-meter line Sensory Overload (5.11+ A1). Read more >

• Jasmin Caton’s expedition to the Waddington Range

  Jasmin Caton took a brief summer vacation from coastal granite to sample the big mountains and epic alpine climbing in Canada's Waddington Range. Read more >

• QC LAB: Gear Doesn't Last Forever—Ice Tool Picks

  This month is first part of a series the QA engineers are doing on gear lifespan. Gear, no matter how well designed and constructed, doesn't last forever. First off, they'll focus on ice tool picks. Read more >

• QC Lab: Girth Hitching a Stopper

  In this post, KP weighs in on a weird one, but curious nonetheless. What happens when you girth hitch a stopper to a bolt hanger? Read more >

• QC Lab: How Sketchy Is a Sharp-Edged Carabiner?

  I've yanked a lot of worn, sharp-edged biners off of routes, and I've tested a lot of them. It's not the ultimate strength that makes me the most nervous; it's the risk of cutting a rope. Read more >

• QC Lab: How strong are Himalayan fixed lines?

  Our QC Lab posts aim to answer some of climbing's most common gear-related questions. This month features fixed ropes from the Himalayas. Read more >

• QC Lab: How strong is the Spinner Leash?

  In this post KP weighs in on the intended use and risks of using the Spinner Leash. Read below for more knowledge and insight from our Director of Global Quality. Read more >

• QC Lab: Retiring Old Ropes

  Our QC Lab posts aim to answer some of climbing's most common gear-related questions. This month, KP and the crew look at retiring ropes. Read more >