Black Diamond Finalizes Ski Boot Timeline

Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., a global leader in climbing and skiing manufacturing, announced today the final timeline for its much anticipated ski boot launch.

Peter Metcalf, BD’s President and CEO states, “ The BD Ski Boot Line will officially launch in Fall/Winter 2008. We are breaking this news well in advance of the SIA and OR Winter trade shows for many reasons, including the desire to test the boots for a full season before bringing them to market. We want to focus in winter 2007 on the unmatched strength of our new freeride ski line, refining our boots and honing the development of a proprietary binding system.”

Metcalf continues “BD has been at the leading edge of boundary-free skiing for over twenty years, and while the progress on the ski boot program has been phenomenal to date, the emergence of a new lightweight, ingenious telemark binding design that can be integrated into a new boot/binding system has encouraged us to move the launch to 2008.”

Riding the current momentum from the award-winning Havoc, Verdict and Lyric skis, the Fritschi Freeride Plus binding and the new 01 telemark binding, BD has set the table for a strong Winter 07 with the launch of ten new styles in their Freeride Ski Line. In 2008, Black Diamond will dually launch their new alpine touring and telemark ski boot line in addition to the new integrated telemark binding system.

Metcalf details, “ The new telemark binding is a patent pending design that integrates boot and binding in a step-in, 360-degree releasable, compact and light weight system. The Fall 2008 telemark boot line will be reverse compatible – meaning the new boots will work equally well with the new binding system as well as all existing 75mm bindings.”

The development of the freeride/alpine touring ski boots will coincide with the telemark boot launch in Fall 2008 as an equally dynamic and featured element of the line.

Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. is an employee-owned manufacturer of equipment for rock climbing, alpinism and freeride skiing. By consistently building innovative products and actively preserving the mountain environment, Black Diamond has assumed a leadership role in the international outdoor community. For more information on Black Diamond visit www.blackdiamondequipment.com