Black Diamond taps industry veteran Mike Hattrup for key ski business role
The Clarus Corp.-owned outdoor equipment and apparel brand named Hattrup as business unit director for the ski category, which has seen impressive growth of late.
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Black Diamond Equipment’s ski business is booming, having just notched 111 percent growth in the second quarter. But the Salt Lake City, Utah-based brand will head into the new season with even more momentum thanks to a recent hire designed to elevate the category and further fuel sales growth.
The Clarus Corp. subsidiary late last week named industry veteran Mike Hattrup as business unit director for the brand’s ski category.
Hattrup is not only a legendary backcountry skier but also has vast experience in sales, marketing, product development, and brand management for a host of core outdoor brands.
Read more: More brands flocking to Boulder as outdoor business booms
“We are very excited to have someone with Mike’s stature join the Black Diamond team,” said John Walbrecht, president of BD and Clarus. “His knowledge of the marketplace, identifying trends, and developing disruptive products that enhance the user experience make him the perfect fit to lead Black Diamond’s ski program.”
Hattrup most recently was the U.S. alpine product marketing manager for Fischer Sports, where he led the development of its award-winning freeride collection. Before that, he worked as the international sales director and global backside director for K2 Skis. He’s also got soft goods experience, having spent a decade on Marmot’s design board team and four years spearheading the development of Outdoor Research’s freeride collection.
Hattrup’s cred on the slopes is equally impressive. He was a mogul competitor and a member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team. He starred in more than a dozen ski films, including the seminal extreme skiing flick “Blizzard of Aahhh’s.”
In his business unit director role at Black Diamond, Hattrup will be responsible for creating the strategic direction of its ski category, including business and product launch planning, global product line management, product development, and the delivery of activity and consumer-driven product initiatives. He will report to Kolin Powick, Black Diamond’s vice president of product.
“I’ve been a fan of BD products ever since I went through the guide program,” Hattrup said. “When I was their competitor, I admired the passion of the employees, envied and at times loathed the power of the brand, so I’m honored to join the BD team and excited to advance Black Diamond’s ski category in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.”
Hattrup joins BD at a time when the brand’s performance has stood out in that increasingly competitive global marketplace. His addition means the company is further leveraging newfound interest in backcountry skiing and ramping up its efforts to take share in the category.
Read more: Clarus racks up another ‘superfan’ brand
“I think what we saw in 2020 and 2021 was this massive outdoorism and people starting even more tailwind into the sports of climbing, backcountry skiing, trail running, hiking, you name it,” Walbrecht said on Clarus’ most recent earnings call. “We are an equipment-driven house, and therefore, we believe that in these communities that we not only have an opportunity, but we have a responsibility to be one—a leader in the voice of access to the outdoors where all these works take place, but also to be a builder of the community from an educational and experience perspective, and to lead on that.”
Read more about how Clarus and Black Diamond—plus a dozen other companies—performed during the second quarter when OBJ publishes the second part of our Q2 earnings recap later this week.
