
Light, stiff, solid, and quite similar to a premium tool already for sale by the brand, Black Diamond Equipment is adding a new member to its technical ice tool family.
I had the chance to test out the to-be-released Fuel recently on some frozen falls.

The Black Diamond Fuel will be unleashed to retailers in fall 2014 and will fetch a retail price of around $260 each. Black Diamond describes it as an all-around performer, able to get you up ice, rock or mixed routes.
Featuring a lightweight shaft “hydroformed” from a single piece of aluminum, Black Diamond claims a light feel, superior swing, and better handling.

“No one else in the industry is doing anything like the Fuel’s one-piece hydroformed shaft,” says Kolin Powick, Black Diamond’s new Category Director for Climbing Equipment. “It’s a quiver of one for the modern winter climber.”
The resemblance to Black Diamond’s Fusion ice tool is obvious. I had the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison on 60ish feet of WI4 at an ice festival in Minnesota.
