# Review:  Black Diamond Sportswear Men's Avalanche Softshell



## thetrailboss (Feb 25, 2011)

Black Diamond Sportswear (www.blackdiamondsportswear.com)

Men's Avalanche Softshell Coat with Hood (Item 3SS31)

MSRP: $84.95 (mail order; available at discount retailers and at the factory's annual winter sale for less)

Windproof, water resistant polyester and spandex material. 

More information: http://blackdiamondsportswear.com/shopcatalog/ (Page 8 )

Available in S-XL (they run small)

As I mentioned in November, I learned from the Waterbury Weekly newspaper that Black Diamond Sportswear in Montpelier was having its annual Christmas sale. This six week sale is when they open the factory and sell their products directly to the public for discounted prices. This includes firsts, seconds, and closeouts. 

Having seen this I decided that after skiing at Sugarbush I headed over to the factory to see what they had. That morning I had skied in my relatively new Marmot Trango Softshell I had gotten at TJ Maxx's annual Winter Sale. Surprisingly, the Marmot proved to be not as windproof as my North Face Apex Bionic or Patagonia Guide Softshell which was surprising. The cold winds cut through the softshell and my EMS Windbloc shell underneath. 

My mission to Black Diamond was to find a softshell for my wife. Found that, check (maybe another review later). Also found some of their great fleece coats that I use for layering. 

But though I did not need one, I was drawn to the Men's Avalanche Jacket. I tried it on and it looked sharp. For the price, which was about half of retail, I could not resist. It was a good decision. 

Since then I have used it for skiing and general wear. How does it compare? Well, you cannot get a better softshell for skiing or winterwear than this for a fraction of the price of the bigger names. It has the nicest and softest silver fleece lining of any of my softshells. 







On Sunday the winds at Sugarbush were once again howling and this shell was by far the warmest and best one I have. Wind does not cut through it. The hood, with its one-hand adjustment in the back as well as two cords in the front, slides over my helmet and is warm. The pockets are easy to open and generous. 











I bought an XL with the intent of layering underneath it. I have had no problems as I knew it ran small so I went up one size. Though not articulated, the sleeves are roomy and the coat allows for unrestricted movement. The zipper has a windcuff shield to prevent wind from coming in through the zipper and the soft fleece feels good when you have to zip it up to your chin on those cold days. 






As expected, the coat has drawstrings on the hem which are easy to adjust and keep snow and drafts out. They are one-hand adjustable if needed. 











Interestingly enough were some of the other bells and whistles that one would not expect for a softshell retailed by a small Vermont company for less than $100. Other than the unexpected warmth and versatility (wear this alone on a cool day and you will be fine) there is a loop to hold a headset cord as well as a small hole to allow for one to pull the cord through the Napoleon Pocket to plug into an MP3 player or other device. Very nifty. The same Napoleon Pocket is mesh to allow for some venting if needed. 











The color (red trim and black) is very nice and the detail work is well done: 





















There are no bad stitchings and the water resistant coating holds up well in snow, but like most softshells don't expect it to be waterproof (that is what a hardshell is for). 

There are a few drawbacks. First, this is a coat for skiing and winter use. If it gets above 45 degrees and you are active this will be too warm. This coat, however, is designed though to be bombproof in the mountains in cold winter weather and it is. I have yet to shiver in it or feel any cold drafts. With a fleece coat underneath I have been warm to 0 F and with the Patagonia R4 I am plenty toasty. Another related downside is that it is not as breathable as other softshells. There are no pit zips. Most of the time this has not been an issue. Third, the black nylon has a sheen to it that can make it look more brown than black under certain lights. So if it does not match your black ski pants you know why. This is minor though and from the distance the difference is negligable. And last, the hood has the same fleece liner as the rest of the coat which can cause it to slide off your helmet or to become wet in snowy conditions. This can be remedied by pulling it tight. 

As a sidenote, I got my wife the Cascade Softshell, which is identical to mine (Page 16, Item # 4SS31). Though she :roll: at another coat from me as a gift, she has liked hers a lot and like me she naturally reaches for it. Hers does have ripstop on the shoulders and a beefier nylon in those areas. She loves the liner and her hood and I notice that she does not shiver in it as she does when she layers with the Mountain Hardwear Softshell I bought her last year. 

In the three months I have owned and used mine (well, rotated it into my outdoor gear) I have really liked how it has functioned and looked. For those wondering about durability I will leave you with this fact: I still wear my Black Diamond Wasatch winter coat to work and around town in the winter. It is a 3 in 1 coat (zip in puff liner). It was made by Black Diamond in 1995 and though I needed to fix the zipper it still looks like new! 

Overall: 

* A great winter softshell for skiing and cold weather activities;
* Very good value and pricepoint for the quality and features;
* Looks and fits like more expensive branded softshells;
* Buy one size larger than you need for layering because they run small.


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## thetrailboss (Jun 9, 2011)

Just a follow up....still going strong.  Though it says to machine wash, as with most outdoor gear it is best to handwash.  Black Diamond used to always insist on this AND line drying.  My overly aggressive washer machine got a hold of one of the shock cords on the hood and would not let go.  I contacted BD, had a response in literally minutes, and they are fixing it for me.  Very good service and right here in Vermont! :beer:


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## thetrailboss (Sep 24, 2011)

The latest word: all fixed and back, ready for winter.  Very good service and nice folks.  I hear that folks are finding BD softshells in Costco.  Worth the buy IMHO.


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## thetrailboss (Sep 24, 2011)

Their catalog:  http://blackdiamondsportswear.com/shopcatalog/

Free shipping.


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## thetrailboss (Oct 21, 2011)

FWIW someone mentioned that they saw these at Costco.  The ones that they have at our Costco are the basic softshell (no hood) that is a step down from this model.  Still a great deal though at $29.00.


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## thetrailboss (Sep 19, 2014)

Sad news.  I had not heard anything in a while about these folks and went on to their Facebook page to find:



> After 40 years Double Diamond Sportswear is closing their doors. We will miss our customers and appreciate your business over the years.
> All remaining blankets, fleece and softshell jackets and vests are reduced to $10.00. Limited sizes available and all sales are final. Cash and carry only, sorry no shipping.
> Everything must go including office desks, files, bookcases. All at $10.00.
> Stop by and check out our free tables full of hangers, banker boxes, desk organizers, staplers, office supplies, etc.
> Thanks for a great 40 years!





Well, Bittersweet in a way since it looks like the owner just finally retired.  

It's kind of appropriate that I just bought my newest Black Diamond/Double Diamond item only a few weeks back at Snowmass.....a nice softshell vest on clearance with the Aspen/Snowmass logo.  Love it.  And it was only a few weeks from the 20th anniversary of my first purchase at Black Diamond...that was a vest as well.  

I'm sure that DHS and others who were in Vermont in the 1990's remember Black Diamond.  They had a hole-in-the-wall shop on Route 100 in Waterbury Center on the way north to Stowe.  They sold their outerwear and custom T-Shirts that you could make to order with the different graphics.  

They also had a retail store in the University Mall...right in the corner by the Guest Services Desk.  It was a nice shop that showed all their stuff. 

I wax on because the store and their gear played a role in my "coming of age" as an outdoors sports enthusiast.  First, I remember first learning about Sugarbush there in 1993 or so when they were promoting Warren Miller's "Black Diamond Rush" movie.  I grabbed a trail map and an oversized "Sugarbush" Magazine that I still have from the store.  As I rode home with my family, a young impressionable teenager then, I read about the Egan Brothers and stared at awesome action shots and the map of the area.  I wanted to ski there so bad...and I did for several years in college, law school, and after.  

But their gear was the first I could afford to buy for hiking, camping, skiing, and snowshoeing.  In 1993 my Grandfather died and it really was a big blow to me.  I inherited some of his outdoor gear, including his handmade wooden snowshoes.  That next summer I mowed my Grandmother's lawn....my "first" real job.  With the money I earned from that and other odd jobs I bought my first REAL outdoor item of my own with my own money....it was a Black Diamond Polartec 200 fleece vest that I wore pretty much everyday that year and often as a layer skiing.  It lasted me a damn long time.  In typical Black Diamond fashion the price was "marked down" in pencil.  After that I bought two more fleece jackets, a pair of fleece pants for insulation, and a "3-in-1" ski jacket that I still have and use to this day.  

In those years they were ahead of their time.  They were one of the first to really embrace the "Polartec" fleece made by Malden Mills.  They also used other experimental fabrics and materials.  As someone said in another thread the thing that was extra special was that the MADE their own stuff in Vermont....first in Waterbury and then in Barre/Berlin.  

But like everything else times changed.  After I went graduated from College and moved away for a brief time they began to outsource their stuff.  Sometime around 2005 or so they closed their retail store in the Mall.  They went into wholesale (go to Sierra Trading Post for their leftovers) and then a small online store of their own.  As others said, they did logo stuff for resorts and sold Costco for a number of years.  

In 2010 I stumbled upon an ad in a local paper in Waterbury...turns out that for years they did a "warehouse" sale for locals--cash and carry--during November and December.  It was an institution...like the "Darn Tough" sock sale weekends.  I decided to go and look after skiing one day.  I was a kid in a candy store...and walked out with a lot of nice stuff (including the softshell mentioned here).  

Since then I've seen their stuff at Snowbird, Alta, and at Snowmass.  I have a couple fleece pullovers logoed for Snowbird and a fleece vest from Snowbird.  This spring I found a vintage Sugarloaf/USA vest from probably the late 1990's made by the old school Black Diamond...."Made in Vermont."  Got it in my office and wear it.  I always said to folks out here that it was nice to find something here from Vermont...with Utah on it as well.  

It was that Fall sale that made me go to their Facebook Page....as well as the fact that Costco does not have their jackets this year.  I was hoping that they would be open on the weekend I am in Vermont this fall.  It turns out that they will not be.  

Rest in Peace, Black Diamond/Double Diamond.  You played a big role in my outdoor life.


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## thetrailboss (Apr 5, 2015)

Bump.  

Since posting this, I have seen some new stock from Double Diamond/Black Diamond around here.  It seemed that they either did one last run or had reorganized/moved.  Well, I can say it is the latter.  

Surfing tonight I saw found this:  http://www.doublediamondsportswear.com/

They moved back to Waterbury (ironically where they began) and are planning on outerwear for next fall.  Their catalog is pretty nice but geared for wholesale.  

I just got this from Snowbird....it's available on STP for a sweet deal.  The articulated sleeves are awesome--especially for such a light layer.  It is very warm for weight and very nice.  Glad to see that they are still going!






More here:  http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s~double-diamond-/?perPage=96


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