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First Look: Black Diamond’s Touring Skis and Backcountry Gear for 2026

Originally posted on Powder | By Max Ritter | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 7:41 AM ET

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Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond Equipment might fly under the radar as a major "ski" brand, but if you've ever made turns outside a resort boundary, the odds are pretty good you've used their gear. Alongside their world-renowned climbing equipment, BD has long made backcountry skiing gear and apparel. For 2025/26, they've listened to modern ski touring trends and are launching a new apparel collection, updated some fan-favorite technical gear, are offering two new ski models in their ultralight Helio Carbon collection, and debuting one of the best-looking ultralight ski packs I've seen.

Of note among the new ski collection is the addition of a new 102mm and 108mm-waisted ski to the Helio Carbon line, and updates to the existing skis. These are aimed squarely at the crowd seeking big vert and technical descents, with carbon construction and fairly traditional directional shapes. The new Helio Carbon 102 and Helio Carbon 108 are made with a poplar wood core construction and come in at a respectable 1600 grams for the 185cm Helio Carbon 102, and 1650 grams for the 187cm Helio Carbon 108. These skis are made in Blizzard's ski factory in Austria and feature similar construction to Blizzard's fan-favorite Zero G touring skis.

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What really caught my eye among the new collection, however, are two new roll-top ski packs, the Cirque Ultra 25 and Cirque Ultra 35. Both are constructed with Challenge Sailcloth Ultra 200D and 400D fabric, a material known for its excellent durability-to-weight ratio. The smaller 25-liter version is built around vest-style shoulder straps and can be stripped down for ultra-minimalist days. Despite the svelte 1.1 kg weight, it still features ski-necessary features like a separate avalanche tool pocket, and a separate compartment for skins or crampons. The larger 35-liter version features traditional shoulder and waist straps, more volume, but only a little extra weight.

On the apparel front, Black Diamond is releasing updates to the minimalist Dawn Patrol softshell jacket and pants, and the full-featured Recon Stretch jacket and pants. These are available in both mens and women's styles. Additionally, they are releasing the Deploy Down 0.5 Pullover Hoody, stated to be the lightest down hoody on the market at a puny 148 grams.

View the 2 images of this gallery on the original article

Finally, in the technical gear realm, Black Diamond added a few new nifty products. They redesigned their fan-favorite technical ice tool, the Viper, with a refined pick angle for better technical climbing, added a stowable pinky rest/pommel and compatibility with the I.C.E. interchangeable pick system, and lightened up the shaft. Additionally, BD released what they are calling the Infinity Cord, a super-compact, super-strong and lightweight Dynex cordelette that comes in pre-sized lengths. It features a seamless continuous loop construction that foregoes any bar tacking or stitching to finish, saving weight and making it more packable. This is meant to replace traditional Dyneema cordelettes while extending technical anchor systems.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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