carabiner.net

The name Black Diamond has long been synonymous with quality carabiners and it manufactures more than 1.5 million biners every single year!

The origins of the company date back to 1957 when Yvon Chouinard started pounding out hand-forged pitons and selling them from the trunks of his car. In 1958, Chouinard Equipment was born. One of its first products was the Chouinard Carabiner – simple, light, strong and durable it soon became an industry standard. In addition to Carabiners, Chouinard also developed new technologies for ice axes, ski bindings and other mountain equipment.

In the late 1980s Chouinard Equipment was forced into bankruptcy (facing liability suits because of its “failure to warn” customers about the inherent dangers of climbing) and in 1989 its former employees agreed to become the first employee-owned company in the climbing industry – Black Diamond.

The innovations have continued. For example, Black Diamond created the world’s first wire-gate carabiner – the Hotwire – and also the Neturino, one of the lightest full-service carabiners ever made.

Black Diamond is located in Salt Lake City, with rock climbing, ice climbing and back country skiing only minutes away from HQ.