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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Black Diamond Gear 20-Apr-2004 At 2:29:27 PM trent

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as already posted in the For Sale section, Black Diamond will be available to any outdoor retailer as of July 1st. This means that BD will no longer be exclusive to paddy's and will be available in regional areas.

In reference to questions about exclusive distribution the case in Oz with most climbing gear is that it is only available to selected retailers. As a result stores only tend to stock one major brand in shoes, ropes and pro. Subsequently retail staff tend to be biased when recommending gear. For example they may recommend Aliens as opposed to BD micro camalots or WC Zeros, not because they are better suited to the job required but becasue they are the only micro cams available to that particular store. Its a bad setup. Look at the US and Canada where most products are available to all retailers. Prices are lower, and you can get the best shoes, rope or protection for your particular requirements at one store. You can shop around for the best price but retail staff are recommending products based on performance rather than availablity.

On another tangent I heard a rumour that because the BD patent on the double axle cam is nearly expired PETZL is looking to break into the trad climbing market with the introduction of double axle camming devices. Its just a rumour......