2012 ANNUAL REPORT Dear Fellow Shareholders: LACK DIAMOND experienced a milestone year in 2012 as Finally, we acquired the Japanese distribution assets of Gregory we moved closer to our boldly envisioned goal of becom- Mountain Products from Kabushiki Kaisha A&F and established our Bing the leading portfolio of equipment and lifestyle-defi ning own distribution in Japan. As a result, beginning January 1st of this companies in the active outdoor industry across all four seasons. year, Gregory began assuming all of its own sales, marketing and dis- In spite of a second consecutive winter season with less than ideal tribution functions in Japan, and we are pleased with the transition. weather conditions and continued economic headwinds in Europe, In 2012, we were also able to make a number of meaningful addi- Black Diamond still managed to grow sales to record levels and tions to our human capital and well-deserved promotions. In total, keep pace with our long-term revenue growth objectives. we welcomed more than 161 new employees to our global team At the start of 2012, we said we expected to launch apparel, who have helped shape Black Diamond into the organization acquire other like-minded companies and invest in our oper- it is today. ational platform to support our growth expectations. We To highlight just two: Mark Ritchie, a 20 year Black Dia- believe that we have accomplished all of these objec- mond veteran, was promoted to the newly created tives, and that Black Diamond has entered 2013 as position of chief operating offi cer, leading our global a far stronger, more diverse and better positioned operational platform that now supports four active company than it was just one year ago. Black Diamond outdoor companies. We also welcomed outdoor For example, at the end of 2012 we offi cially has entered 2013 industry veteran Mori Hikari as general manager introduced our Fall 2013 apparel line to the as a far stronger, more of Gregory Japan. Mori brings more than 20 trade globally. This included showcasing years of industry experience, including eight the line to over 200 of our North American diverse and better years with Goldwin as the general manager and European retailers and communicating of The North Face business in Japan. His our plan for future season introductions. We positioned company unique blend of outdoor industry experience, were deeply gratifi ed by the overwhelming pos- than it was just insight, relationships and energy make him itive response. the ideal candidate to lead the establishment of one year ago. Gregory Japan and the broader Black Diamond Black Diamond entered one new primary product platform in Japan. category and six new product niches with the strategic acquisitions of POC and PIEPS. As a result of our strategic initiatives, we entered 2013 as a meaningfully larger, stronger and more diverse enterprise. We believe POC™ is one of the most innovative and Together, we are a well-rounded collection of lifestyle-defi ning fastest-growing brands in action sports protective gear outdoor brands, and with our apparel expected to be in stores today and a strong addition to our platform. Their product this fall, we believe that we are executing on our goal. line developed for the alpine and free-ride ski, mountain and road bike markets—including its paradigm-changing innovations While the wonderful progress we’ve realized in 2012 was the result in helmet design—provides us with an array of products that expand of careful planning and concerted efforts, it was nurtured by a large the breadth of our multi-seasonal offerings. Along with its innovative and vibrant outdoor industry. We are fortunate to support a growing POC Lab and valuable intellectual property, POC fi ts our ultimate global community that likes to climb, hike, cycle or ski while enjoying vision of bringing together the best and brightest companies in the outdoor lifestyle. We believe this year’s record sales also refl ect terms of product design, aesthetics, culture and commitment to the long-term macroeconomic trends that involve the pursuit of greater customers we serve. health and wellness by way of increased participation in outdoor lifestyle activities. PIEPS™ is widely recognized among backcountry enthusiasts for its electronic innovation, premium quality, product reliability and We believe 2013 is shaping up practicality. Their intellectual property in snow safety products to become an equally trans- and avalanche beacons—which includes its award-winning Global formative year, as we con- Finder—supports our continued focus on developing our electronic tinue to invest in our organic technology and applications product portfolio. growth initiatives and aggres- sively integrate our two strate- We are now in the process of combining POC and PIEPS onto Black gic acquisitions. In 2014, we Diamond’s global operating platform where we own and control the expect to begin realizing the majority of our distribution in North America, Europe and Japan. benefi t of these investments Thus far, we are performing in-line with our integration schedules. with accelerating profi tability. POC U.S. distribution has been consolidated into our existing Salt Lake City warehouse and dealer services. We have also experienced Sincerely, some early wins in supply chain management and consolidation. We also set up our own 43,000 square foot, state-of-the-art ski manufacturing operation, and we expect to begin delivering product for the 2013/2014 ski season. The ski line incorporates new man- ufacturing processes, which we believe will result in signifi cant per- formance enhancements and superior quality control. Ultimately, we Peter Metcalf expect to reduce lead times, maintain competitive pricing and be President and more responsive to our customers. Chief Executive Offi cer BLACK DIAMOND construction, material combinations and engineering, with patented solutions to increase athletes’ degree of protection. POC’s line of 2013 APPAREL LAUNCH products is sold in 27 countries worldwide and includes helmets, body armor, goggles, eyewear, gloves A major initiative, on par with any in Black Diamond’s history, was and apparel. launched in 2012 with our entry into the Apparel market. Set to ® debut in fall of 2013, the Black Diamond apparel line has been built Founded in 2006, with roots dating for alpinists—a diverse back to 1972, PIEPS is widely group of climbers and recognized as an innovator and skiers—in the same technology leader in alpine safety way that our equipment equipment. PIEPS offers a focused is: through intuitively range of premium alpine performance designed, rigorously products, including avalanche engineered and beautifully transceivers and probes, shovels, safety executed pieces that we equipment, packs, and satellite-based trust and use. Built with devices for messaging, route tracking premium fabrics such as and navigation. PIEPS is the only Schoeller,® PrimaLoft® and Polartec,® the Black Diamond® apparel line will grow from an initial offering of 24 styles of jackets and pants in three distinct alpinist-specifi c collections. The launch of the apparel initiative is an exciting and proud time companywide, and one that we expect will play a major role in the growth of Black Diamond for decades to come. ACQUISITIONS In 2012, as part of our fi ve-year strategic growth plan, Black Diamond acquired PIEPS and POC, two leading companies in the snow safety and action sports protective gear industries, authorized European Iridium® satellite network partner within the respectively. alpine sport and outdoor sectors. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, POC was founded on a strong POC will join Black Diamond Equipment and Gregory Mountain mission to do everything possible to save lives and reduce the Products as the third discrete company operating from Black consequences of accidents for gravity sports athletes by developing Diamond’s powerful outdoor equipment and lifestyle platform, and continually renewing what personal protection is all about. and PIEPS will be run as a semi-discrete but closely linked Black POC has set a new standard when it comes to technical solutions, Diamond brand. BLACK DIAMOND SKI FACTORY product development and design that Gregory has handled for this market during the past 15 years. The creation of Black Diamond/ Representing a signifi cant expansion of Black Diamond’s Gregory Japan will allow Gregory to have greater control over the manufacturing footprint, a wholly-owned ski manufacturing factory sales strategies and marketing of the brand, ensuring the continued was established in 2012 at our Black Diamond Equipment Asia success of the brand in a critical market. operations in Zhuhai, China. The all-new, 43,000 square foot, state-of-the-art ski factory Black Diamond/Gregory incorporates new manufacturing processes that Japan will also help launch ® allow for signifi cant performance enhancements Black Diamond apparel, and and a higher level of quality control. The in the coming years other construction of this facility and its world-class Black Diamond brands are manufacturing capabilities is a prominent expected to be brought onto addition to our Black Diamond Equipment Asia the Black Diamond/Gregory campus and advances upon our strategy to Japan platform. Similar to our invest in and expand our manufacturing footprint. internal distribution platform in Europe, controlling our own distribution in Japan is expected to allow Black Diamond to develop a robust platform to support and scale recent and potential future acquisitions in this important market. PUBLIC OFFERING As part of realizing our long-term strategic plan, on February 22, 2012, Black Diamond consummated the closing of a public offering of 8.9 million shares of our common stock at a price to the public of $7.50 per share. The gross proceeds to Black Diamond from the offering, before expenses, were approximately $66.8 million. We utilized the net proceeds from the offering for the acquisition of POC, the repayment of debt (which was later incurred to acquire BLACK DIAMOND/GREGORY JAPAN PIEPS), and other general The end of 2012 saw the formation of Black Diamond/Gregory corporate Japan, a new subsidiary in Yokohama that will be headed by purposes.