BlackStrap is sharpening its focus and setting the course for its next chapter, with longtime action-sports leaders Chris Vaday and Randy Torcom now leading the brand forward.
Vaday, who has served as General Manager since April, is joined by Torcom, who returned to BlackStrap on October 5 as Vice President of Brand & Product. Together, they bring decades of experience building brands, products and businesses around winter, action sports and the people who live for them.
The mandate is clear: double down on what BlackStrap does best.
That means a renewed focus on purpose-built winter accessories, stronger product storytelling and a brand built from the core rider outward.
“BlackStrap has always had a real place in winter culture,” said Vaday. “The opportunity now is to focus that energy, build great product and make sure everything we do feels authentic to the people who spend their winters on snow.”
Vaday brings more than 30 years of experience in the outdoor and action-sports industries, including a long tenure at Dakine, where he served as Sr. Director of North American Sales. During that time, he spent nearly a decade working alongside Torcom.
Torcom returns to BlackStrap after previously serving as Vice President of Brand & Marketing. His career has included senior brand and marketing leadership roles with Burton, Anon, Dakine, Ride Concepts and BlackStrap, helping build brands and products across snowboarding, outdoor and action sports.
As Vice President of Brand & Product, Torcom will lead BlackStrap’s brand, product and go-to-market strategy, working closely with Vaday to strengthen the connection between what BlackStrap makes, how it shows up and who it serves.
“We’re not trying to be everything to everyone,” said Torcom. “We want to make incredible winter product, tell better stories around it and build the brand around the people who care about winter the most. If we get that right, everything else follows.”
The renewed leadership direction reflects a broader shift within BlackStrap toward a tighter, more focused business centered on winter.
For a brand that started with handmade facegear in Bend nearly two decades ago, the direction is both new and familiar: get closer to the product, closer to the mountains and closer to the people who made BlackStrap matter in the first place.
About BlackStrap
BlackStrap is a winter accessories brand born in Bend, Oregon. Since 2008, we’ve grown from a grassroots idea and a small collection of facemasks into a brand built around purpose-driven product for people who live for winter. Today, BlackStrap creates winter essentials for skiers, snowboarders and anyone who measures the season in days on snow.
