Exciting to hear that Black Diamond is buying the Pieps company. According to BD’s top man Peter Metcalf:
“Why Pieps? Simply because they are a global market leader in snow safety and electronics with significant opportunity in the year round GPS/Personal Locator market. As macro trends supporting mobile technology in the backcountry intersect with Black Diamond’s experience in building life-dependent products the result is an improved and safer shared experience for consumers.”
“This reputation continues to be earned with the recent introduction of the PIEPS Vector in 2011. The Vector is the first device to use four antennae, integrate GPS tracking and use rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries for higher performance and reliability in cold temperatures.”
“PIEPS has significant upside opportunity in North America and in parts Europe. The ability of integrating multiple electronic technologies is evident in their new Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and Vector transceiver, and the complete line of snow safety equipment, shovels, probes, and packs nicely complements the Black Diamond brand.”
Shop for Pieps avalanche transceivers and more.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.