Black Diamond is still more known by many as a climbing brand than a ski brand. Not surprising, of course, because the company has been making fantastic gear for climbing ever since. In the meantime, they have also been running an apparel line for a while that is aimed at more adventurous skiers and boarders. Touring and freeriding, simply what visitors to this site prefer to do.
Black Diamond has added the Boundary Line Mapped Jacket to the collection this season. In short: it is perhaps the most all-round jacket that Black Diamond has in its collection. According to Black Diamond itself it's 'providing intelligent warmth and uncompromising wet-weather protection on deep, stormy days from Alaska to Alta'. That definitely sounds good.
The jacket is quite technical and is equipped with a nice piece of R&D. The most important component of the Boundary Line Mapped Jacket is the use of BD.SOLUTIONWOOL. By integrating the wool only where it is really needed, the perfect combination of a warm jacket and sufficient freedom of movement is created. Of course wool is a bit heavier than synthetic materials or down, but the jacket does not become very heavy (just a little more than a kilo). And if you ask us, wool naturally has a lot of advantages.
The jacket has a Lavalan wool lining and, just like with Merino, this has a number of advantages. It reduces body odors (which you probably recognize from your powder buddy at the end of the day) and ensures that you stay warm. Anyway, the most important thing is perhaps the moisture regulation.
Because wool is hygroscopic (meaning that it can attract moisture, up to 30% of its own weight), it pulls the moisture from your skin and this can be transported through the other breathable layers of the jacket. Less sweat on your body! The condition is of course that you must also wear something breathable as a first layer. The wool ensures that your temperature is perfectly regulated.
Add fully taped seams, BD.dry with a 20,000 mm water column and lots of useful pockets to it and you have a super allround jacket that will make freeriders, ski tourers and people that love to ride on the slopes very happy. With a price of € 380 the price / quality ratio of the Black Diamond Boundary Line Mapped Jacket is just very good. The jacket is really too warm for the hot days, but anyway, you want to wear this jacket especially when it is really cold!