Historic Snow Drought Impacts Black Diamond Q4 Sales

March 6, 2026

Clarus Corporation, the owner of Black Diamond, Rhino Rack, and other brands, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results Thursday, detailing several market challenges within its Outdoor and Adventure segment.  

The company also highlighted some bright spots as the company continues to transform the Black Diamond brand. 

The Outdoor segment, driven by Black Diamond, recorded a Q4 revenue decline of 8% to $47.2 million. Excluding the PIEPS brand, which the company sold in July 2025, Outdoor revenue fell 2.9% in constant currency. A significant factor driving this decline was an unprecedented lack of snow, which severely hampered the brand’s winter sports categories, executives said. 

“Overall, Q4 came in somewhat softer than our expectations due primarily to adverse seasonal conditions affecting our ski segment,” said Neil Fiske, president of Black Diamond Equipment.

Fiske said that the ski business unit dropped 30% compared to the prior period. He attributed this steep drop to “a combination of our rotation out of low-margin categories like bindings, beacons and airbags, and the most unfavorable seasonal conditions in 50 years in key ski destinations in the U.S.” 

There were some bright spots in the quarter, however. Despite the severe weather headwinds, other areas of the Black Diamond portfolio maintained their momentum. Global apparel sales grew 10% in the fourth quarter. Combined, the apparel, mountain, and climb categories grew 3.7%, accounting for 86% of the brand’s quarterly sales. SESO