I became aware of snowboarder John Jackson and his little brother Eric back in 2016, when YouTube began releasing their mini series The Book of John J. Unfortunately, ever since that show ended, I’ve failed to see much of their work out and about. So I was a bit shocked, and very very happy, to see both of the brothers’ Black Diamond athlete collections pop up on my screen this past week.
John, I love your work and your style, both on and off mountain, and don’t get me wrong, your new athlete collection is sweet. The green’s go crazy, and I really want those bibs. BUT, we’re talking about Eric’s collection today. For the Eric Jackson athlete collection, Black Diamond didn’t put together a typical set of gear. Instead, they worked to combine Eric’s passion for snowboarding with his passion for bowhunting by collaborating with Sitka.
Both the shell and snow pants are from Black Diamond’s Mission line, with the shell featuring a burnt orange top with a camouflage bottom, and the pants covered in camouflage all the way down. The backpack, the Dawn Patrol 25 (which I personally think is the best part of the collection), features custom Sitka camouflage, and it’s got space for skis, a snowboard, a helmet, ice tools, and plenty of other stuff. Finally, the custom Storm 500-R Headlamp features the Sitka OPTIFADE print around the headband. All together, this is a gorgeous collection.
If you like the look of it and are considering buying, but have never owned anything Black Diamond and therefore don’t know if you should send it, take it from me, they make good gear. I’ve been skiing on the Black Diamond Helio 116s for four years now, and they’ve treated me incredibly (and are still holding up quite well. Not rock skis yet!).
Image Credit: Eric Jackson via Instagram