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• QC Lab: How Ice Screws Are Made

  Check out this QC Lab with KP and the crew as they tour you through our factory floor and show you firsthand how we manufacture ice screws. Read more >

• Tech Tip: Taper Trimming Your Skins

  Dialing in your new backcountry kit for the season? Straight from our design crew, this latest tech tip about taper trimming your skins will help make the uphill a little more enjoyable. Read more >

• QC Lab: Ulimate Strength Testing of the Gear You've Always Wondered About

  KP and the QC Lab crew field the most common questions they get about gear and do what they do best—break it! Check out the fascinating results in the latest QC Lab. Read more >

• QC LAB: Gear Doesn't Last Forever—Crampons

  Our QA engineers take a look at the realistic life span of a crampon. Read more >

• QC LAB: Gear Doesn't Last Forever - SLINGS and QUICKDRAWS

  This month, KP and the crew present Part III of their Gear Doesn't Last Forever series (check out Part I and Part II), where they investigate the complex world of slings and quickdraws. Enjoy. 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: Weakness of Nose-hooked Carabiners

  I've seen and/or heard of only a handful of carabiners that have broken in the field, and most have broken in the same way: nose hooked. The nose of the carabiner gets hung up on something. Read more >

• QC Lab: What is the strongest rappel knot?

  Rappel knot choice (Double Fisherman's, Ring Bend or Euro Death/Overhand) has always been up for a large amount of debate. Read more >

• QC Lab: Worn Anchors

  Over time cold shuts, leaver biners and chain links wear from countless lowers. Will these grooved-out anchors hold? Will the sharp edges trash your rope? Read more >

• QC Lab—Re-slinging Camalots and C3s

  One of the most common questions we get at Black Diamond is regarding reslinging our Camalots, Camalot C3s and Camalot X4s. Gear doesn't last forever and eventually your cams will need to be reslung. Read more >

• QC Lab: The Electric Harness Acid Test

  This month, the Quality crew investigates a mysterious harness failure and dives into the effects of chemical contamination on climbing textiles. Read more >

• QC Lab: Autoblock Misuse

  Lately I've been getting quite a few questions on the use of the Black Diamond ATC-Guide and/or similar "autoblock"-style belay devices—and another installment of QC with KP was born. Read more >

• QC LAB: Can a hot belay device melt my slings?

  Our QC Lab posts aim to answer some of climbing's most common gear-related questions. This month—how hot do belay devices really get? Read more >