Black Diamond Brings on New Leadership for Business Process and Supply Chain Management

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 4, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Diamond, Inc. (Nasdaq:BDE) (the "Company" or "Black Diamond"), a leading global provider of outdoor recreation equipment and active lifestyle products, has kicked off 2012 with two new key hires: leading industry consultant, Walter M. Wilhelm, was appointed to the newly created position of vice president of business process, while Glenn Ritter, formerly an executive at Flextronics International Ltd., was appointed to the position of senior director of supply chain management.

Wilhelm brings more than 15 years of experience in the outdoor and action sports markets, with a focus on the development of strategic and structural plans, business process implementation, and systems integration. This has included developing product line management and enterprise resource planning systems for leading brands like Arc'Teryx, Patagonia® and Quiksilver.

"Given his strong industry background and successful track record with leading outdoor apparel brands, we believe Walter will play a key role in structuring our organization for optimal execution," stated Mark Ritchie, Black Diamond's vice president of operations. "He also has worked closely with our apparel team as a consultant, and now that we have him in-house, he can better focus our design and development groups on bringing the most innovative products to market."

As Black Diamond's new senior director of supply chain management, Glenn Ritter succeeds Ryan Gellert, who was recently promoted to Black Diamond Equipment brand president. Ritter brings more than a decade of experience in supply chain management, most recently as the supply chain director of Flextronics' Service Parts Logistics Division, where he was responsible for sites across the Americas, Europe and Asia. At Black Diamond, Ritter will be responsible for strategic vendor management, purchasing, logistics, planning and customer support functions.

"Glenn's appointment to this key position demonstrates our investment in strong talent and processes required to take our business to the next level," said Ritchie. "While both Walter and Glenn are highly experienced and capable leaders in their respective fields of expertise, they are also passionate climbers and skiers who fit perfectly into the culture of Black Diamond -- a culture that has produced iconic brands known worldwide for performance, innovation, durability and safety."

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: 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

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

Released January 4, 2012