Ep. 30 | Black Diamond’s Kolin Powick

Kolin Powick knows about as much as anyone when it comes to cams, carabiners, and quickdraws because he’s a crucial part of climbing’s history. As the Director of Product at Black Diamond for over 20 years, he used his engineering experience to develop some of the most impactful climbing equipment of all time.  

 In this episode, Nils probes Kolin about the current state of climbing and the impact of indoor climbing on the greater community. The pair also dive into Black Diamond’s unlikely beginnings as a continuation of brand that stemmed from Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard. 

 Learn everything about the vertical world in our Climb Guide: https://www.backcountry.com/service/climbing-gear-guide 

Chapter Timestamps:   

0:00 – Intro 
1:14 – Climbing Roots In BC 
5:56 – Relocating To Salt Lake City 
8:52 – Getting Started At Black Diamond 
13:59 – Black Diamond History 
17:06 – QA & Product Development  
22:53 – R+D Influences 
28:28 – QC Lab Reports 
36:37 – Gym Climbing Influence 
41:28 – Trail Running Thoughts 
45:08 – Outro 

Check out the featured products here:  

 Black Diamond Camming Devices: https://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond-camming-devices
Black Diamond Quickdraws: https://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond-quickdraws
Black Diamond Chalk, Bags & Buckets: https://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond-chalk-chalk-bags-chalk-buckets 

Everything Black Diamond: https://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond 

Backcountry Climbing Gear & Apparel: https://www.backcountry.com/backcountry-climb
Everything Climb: https://www.backcountry.com/climb 

 Climbing Shoe Guide: https://www.backcountry.com/service/climb-shoe-guide 

 Shop The World’s Biggest Gear Closet: https://www.backcountry.com/  

#venturebeyond 

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What makes Backcountry the best place to gear up? One-on-one Gearhead expertise. The greatest selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and accessories out there. And the tools to elevate your entire outdoor experience, from training smarter and sending harder to toasting at après. Harnessing the insights of our Gearhead® Experts, we also build our own products for ski, camp, MTB, fly fish, and more pursuits, including exclusive collabs with industry leaders. Backcountry is the place to Venture Beyond.

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