Black Diamond Builds Apparel Team to Support Long-Term Growth

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Diamond, Inc. (Nasdaq:BDE) (the "Company" or "Black Diamond"), a leading provider of outdoor recreation equipment and active lifestyle products, has made several new hires as it builds out its new apparel design and development team.

"We continue to invest in the people and processes needed to drive our business forward and achieve our key strategic objectives," stated Peter Metcalf, president and CEO of Black Diamond.

Black Diamond welcomes industry veteran Cheryl Knopp as the design lead for the Company's apparel initiative. Knopp's experience includes working as a freelance designer for Mountain Hardwear and Simms Fishing Products, consulting for W.L. Gore & Associates, and serving as the vice president of product development for Arc'teryx Equipment. Knopp will direct a team of designers including Damien Kelly, Jenny Grad and Teri Davis. The new Black Diamond apparel team possesses diverse and deep experience inside many industry-leading brands.

"Apparel is a major global initiative for Black Diamond, with the launch slated for Fall 2013," noted Tim Bantle, the Company's director of apparel. "We are assembling a team of talented individuals. They represent the key components of design, sourcing and materials innovation that will drive our apparel business forward in the years ahead."

Ajay Badiga joins Black Diamond as its director of sourcing and development for apparel. Badiga brings 20 years of experience in the apparel business, with the last 10 of his 15 years with The Sports Authority serving as its director of sourcing and development managing outerwear, sportswear and athletic apparel.

Also joining the team as Black Diamond's vice president of engineering support services is Jeff Nash, the former director of material development at The North Face ("TNF"). As the lead subject matter expert for materials innovation, supply chain and sustainability at TNF, Nash served as vice chair for the American Society for Testing and Materials Subcommittee on Camping Softgoods and contributed regularly to the Outdoor Industry Association Eco Working Group. Nash was instrumental in the implementation and adoption of bluesign® certification in the TNF supply chain.

According to Mark Ritchie, vice president of operations for Black Diamond: "Ajay and Jeff bring deep expertise in sourcing, material development and engineering that will be incremental to our platform services group. Their energies will be primarily directed towards the establishment of an industry-leading product and materials development function in support of our apparel initiative. This will augment what is already an industry-leading hardware design, development and manufacturing function that has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of our success."

About Black Diamond, Inc.

Black Diamond, Inc. is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of innovative active outdoor performance products for climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, skiing and other active outdoor recreation activities for a wide range of year-round use. The Company's principal brands, Black Diamond® and Gregory™, are iconic in the active outdoor industry and linked intrinsically with the modern history of these sports. Black Diamond is synonymous with performance, innovation, durability and safety that the climbing, mountaineering, skiing and backpacking communities rely on and embrace in their active lifestyle. Headquartered in Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, the Company's products are created and tested on some of the best alpine peaks, crags and trails in the world. These close connections to the Black Diamond lifestyle enhance the authenticity of the Company's brands, inspire product innovation and strengthen customer loyalty. The Company's products are sold by leading specialty retailers in the U.S. and 40 countries around the world. For additional information, please visit the Company's websites at www.blackdiamond-inc.com, www.blackdiamondequipment.com, or www.gregorypacks.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, the overall level of consumer spending on our products; general economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence; disruption and volatility in the global capital and credit markets; the financial strength of the Company's customers; the Company's ability to implement its growth strategy; the Company's ability to successfully integrate and grow acquisitions; the Company's ability to maintain the strength and security of its information technology systems; stability of the Company's manufacturing facilities and foreign suppliers; the Company's ability to protect trademarks and other intellectual property rights; fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products; foreign currency fluctuations; our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards; and legal, regulatory, political and economic risks in international markets. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results is included from time to time in the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this release, and speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

CONTACT: Company Contact:

         Warren B. Kanders
         Executive Chairman
         Tel 1-203-428-2000
         warren.kanders@bdel.com
         or
         Peter Metcalf
         Chief Executive Officer
         Tel 1-801-278-5552
         peter.metcalf@bdel.com

         Media Contact:

         John L. DiCuollo
         Backbone Media, LLC
         Tel 1-970-963-4873
         jld@backbonemedia.net

         Investor Relations:

         Liolios Group, Inc.
         Scott Liolios or Cody Slach
         Tel 1-949-574-3860
         BDE@liolios.com

Released October 13, 2011