BLACK DIAMOND PRESENTS: THE DARK SIDE

A film documenting the often-overshadowed bouldering of Yosemite climbing, where jedis likeave spent years learning to harness the force.

Credits: Black Diamond/ Christian Adam

On December 23, 2023, I pulled into the Camp 4 parking lot and lifted the back hatch of my camper shell. I stacked the gear I would need for the day in a pile on the ground; shoes, chalk, water, food, pads, camera, ladder, fan, and stick brush, a truly comical collection that would probably dishearten even the most hardened big wall climber. Luckily, I wasn’t going far, and I wasn’t going up. Just a couple hundred feet into the woods to the base of a 15-foot-tall boulder just off the Valley Loop Trail. This was my current project.

I warmed up slowly and got to work reconnecting with the state of my body. What does that crystal feel like when it grabs my skin today? Does it bite back, or does it shift and slide? How about the full body tension? What is lacking? Am I sweating already? I latch onto the positives, hold tight and push out the negatives. This process wasn’t new.

First go from the bottom, not ready to pull on the crimp. Second go, into the mid-section, but foot comes off. Third try, everything sits perfect, then hard dry fire off the biter crimp. Back to the pads staring up. What the hell am I doing? Why am I here?

Our motivations are rarely self-driven. Even in the best circumstances, when they derive from that inner fire, the flames are ignited by something heard or seen and fanned by a narrator, inside or out. What stories do you keep telling yourself to keep trying day after day?

In Yosemite, that was always easy because the stories are endless. But most of them involve big walls and herculean efforts that stand out because of the sheer scale of the challenge. It’s easy to find a story about El Cap because just approaching El Cap is a story. But what about under the shade of the trees on the Valley floor?

I recognize the complete absurdity of 20+ years and a thousand days in the Valley while rarely climbing higher than a small house. But that’s this story, this motivation, and this conclusion. This is The Dark Side.

Black Diamond Athlete Carlo Traversi

Launch Date: May 22^nd 2025

Landing Page: https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.corn/biogs/stories/the-dark-side

Assets: https://app.catsy.com/app/p/s25campaignportal/share/865/o/lightboxes/all/40721 76241

YouTube: https://youtu.be/RolMVOvwPmA

About Black Diamond Equipment

Black Diamond Equipment develops innovative product solutions for climbing, hiking, mountaineering, trail running and skiing enthusiasts. With its HQs in Salt Lake City (Utah) and in Innsbruck (Austria), Black Diamond is recognized for its commitment to increasing safety levels in the mountain environment and has pioneered some of the most revolutionary and advanced equipment to better support people in outdoor sports. The Company has an active role in environmental protection, through the introduction and implementation of more sustainable intemal processes – especially focusing on materials, product certification, manufacturing and transportation -and through the support of local and international environmental associations. Moreover, Black Diamond is a company of enthusiasts and proudly supports over 300 outdoor athletes and young talents all over the world. For more information about Black Diamond Equipment please visit httos:/lwww.blackdiamondequioment.com/en EU/