Black Diamond to Appoint Vice President of Finance Aaron Kuehne to Interim CFO

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Diamond, Inc. (Nasdaq:BDE) (the "Company" or "Black Diamond"), a global leading supplier of innovative, high performance, outdoor and action sport equipment as well as aspirational active outdoor lifestyle products, is expected to appoint Aaron Kuehne to interim chief financial officer, effective March 15, 2013, serving as the Company's principal financial officer and principal accounting officer.

Kuehne, the Company's current vice president of finance, will succeed Robert Peay, who has tendered his resignation from the position to pursue personal interests effective as of March 15, 2013. Peay plans to remain involved with the Company on a part-time basis through the end of 2013.

"Robert has been with Black Diamond for more than 16 years and we owe him deep gratitude for the quality of his service and significant contributions," said Peter Metcalf, president and CEO of Black Diamond. "He has been a trusted partner who earned the respect of our board of directors, our shareholders and all of our associates, and we wish him the very best in his new endeavors."

Kuehne, who has been with Black Diamond for more than two years, earned his MBA from the University of Utah and is a CPA with prior experience as a manager at KPMG. Before joining the Company in 2010, Kuehne served as the corporate controller of Certiport, a leading provider of value-added test delivery services for the global workforce and academic markets.

"Aaron has the complete support of the board and our executive management team in assuming these responsibilities," said Metcalf. "During his time at Black Diamond, he has shown leadership and dedication, being intimately involved in our global accounting, finance and treasury functions, including the development and execution of key strategic and financial initiatives, risk management and the integration of our two recent acquisitions of POC and PIEPS. Through his many travels to our worldwide locations, Aaron understands the dynamics at play in continuing to execute our long-term strategic plan of growing a profitable business that provides meaningful returns to our shareholders."

The Company intends to conduct a formal search for a permanent CFO and Aaron Kuehne will be considered part of that search.

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, cycling and other outdoor recreation activities for a wide range of year-round use. The Company's principal brands, Black Diamond®, Gregory™, POC™ and PIEPS™, 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 outdoor and action sport 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, slopes, crags, roads 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 50 countries around the world. For additional information, please visit the Company's websites at www.blackdiamond-inc.com, www.blackdiamondequipment.com, www.gregorypacks.com, www.pocsports.com or www.pieps.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Please note that in this press release we may use words such as "appears," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "intends," "future," and similar expressions which constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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 exposure to product liability or product warranty claims and other loss contingencies; 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 press release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this press 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 press 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

         Investor Relations:

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

Released February 14, 2013