Black Diamond Retail Store, Salt Lake City

Black Diamond Store's roots stretch back to 1957, when 18-year-old Yvon Chouinard began pounding out mountain-climbing gear with a hammer and an anvil. Chouinard's gear was a quick hit within the climbing community, and today, some 50 years and a name change later, his backyard operation has prospered into a global corporation with offices on three continents.

Despite such profound growth, the company holds true to the values that helped it thrive. Its climbing and skiing products undergo rigorous testing to sustain the highest possible quality while utilizing the latest technologies to keep users one step ahead of the game. And, rather than testing gear on trembling, acrophobic mannequins, the company's employees try out Black Diamond products themselves—like the company's customers, they're climbers, skiers, and adventurists, too.