Black Diamond Equipment has named Mike Hattrup business unit director for its ski category, reporting to the company’s global vice-president of product, Kolin Powick. He will cover the brand’s entire ski and snow safety business including skis, avalanche transceivers, JetForce airbag backpacks, probes, shovels, as well as snowpacks and ski poles. As BU director, he will be responsible for line planning as well as R&D and design in the category. Hattrup is no stranger to the ski scene. He comes from Fischer Sports, where he served in the last four years as U.S. alpine product marketing manager, responsible for the development of the freeride collection. Prior to that, he was, among other things, brand director for K2 Skis’ Backside department for six years, including three years as international sales director for K2 skis overall. In total, Hattrup spent more than 20 years at K2, as he also led the K2 Telemark and Randonee segment as brand director from 1996 to 2009 and was product manager for skis and poles from 1988 to 1991. In between, he was a testimonial and consultant for Kästle/Nordica in Vermont, design consultant for softgoods at Marmot and co-developer of the freeride collection at Outdoor Research. Prior to his business career, he was a mogul competitor on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, where he starred in more than a dozen ski films, including the legendary classic Blizzard of Aahhh’s. He subsequently became one of the American Mountain Guide Association’s first certified ski mountain guides, taking clients in the Americas, Norway and the European Alps.

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