Tom Wallisch
Tom Wallisch will make his mark on the sport. He isn’t trying to change skiing as we know it, but he is making his way to the top of it.
Age 21
Hometown Pittsburgh
Sponsors Amplid Skis, Spy optics, Sweet Protection, Jiberish, EC Headwear
Results 2nd, 2008 Aspen Open Slopestyle, Buttermilk, CO
Filming Turbo: Level 1 Production, Get Lucky: Field Production, Slamina: 4Bi9 Production
photo: Ryan Gertken
What is it like being Tom Wallisch?
I’d say it’s fun.. I have a pretty carefree lifestyle without a ton of responsibilities. I travel a lot, and meet a lot of different people.
So you’re living the dream?
I am living the dream. I wouldn’t say I’m making a ton of money, but I’m not going around loosing a ton, either. I’m floating along having fun.
Floating like you’re drunk on your own power?
I’m definitely floating. All these people are telling me to do fun things, and I get to go do them.
When you won Super Unknown in 2007, what did you do?
I didn’t really go crazy. Just cleared up my school schedule so I could have enough time to go to Colorado for all the late-season park shoots. It became really stressful trying to balance classes and al the shooting I did.
Was that your big break?
I had some hype on the Internet, but with Super Unknown, I finally got some recognition from bigger sponsors and a legitimate film company. It was my biggest break for sure.
Speaking of big, who wears bigger clothes, you or Henrik Harlaut?
I’m going to say Henrik. We might wear the same size, but he makes them look bigger since he’s a little Swedish boy. And he’s definitely way more gangster than me. He wears my Jiberish hoodie and it looks like a dress it’s so big. I’m jealous of him.
Does your gangster lifestyle fit well into the Salt Lake City community?
It fits on the mountain, but not in the valley. Tom’s pretty normal off the hill. It’s an on-hill only thing. I’m the average kind of collage kid in my downtime. Working, hanging out, community service, that type of thing.
Community service? Seriously?
I like to give back to the community that has given me so much (laughs)
photo: Ryan Gertken
Your community in Pittsburgh, how the hell did you learn how to ski?
There are no hills close to the city at all. Luckily, my parents and Uncle own a condo by Wisp Resort in Maryland. I’d go up there on the weekends and get a couple days in. I had a ton of fun doing it. It’s not a huge hill, but it was good. They had a pretty decent little park where I learned how to grind rails and hit small jumps. It was a lot of fun, and it encouraged me to move to Utah and learn how to ski jump legitimately.
You’re known for urban and you dabble in double flips. No love for the switch 10?
Well, I’ve definitely done my fair share of switch 10’s this year. It’s funny, I went from a rail skier to trying to progress the slopestyle game with doubles. So yeah, you could say I skipped that phase. I mean, I’ve got a couple switch 10s on film and they got me that 2nd place in Aspen this year. As much as everyone hates them, I think they are awesome. You definitely don’t want to do them all the time, but you can’t just do switch 540s all the time either. Just trying to get good grabs and smoother style with bigger spins is a part of the game. Part of the struggle, living the life on the grind.
That was a nice answer, collage man?
Yeah, you have to know how to speak.
What’s the next big trend?
I think double are going to become huge. They are getting better and better every day. The more I see, the more I like them. I think it’ll shift from straight double flips to a cooler, double-corking phase. The 10s and 12s that Jacob Wester and Michel Clarke are doing, with grabs throughout the whole trick, that is where competition skiing is headed, I think.
photo: Ryan Gertken
And your plans for next season?
I’d like to make my way around to all the comps. I traveled a bunch this year, but I’d like to do a little more than last year. I want to film a full segment with Level 1s Josh Berman and a couple other people. Some more backcountry would be nice. But mostly just ski every day and try to progress. Figure if I do a little better every year, I’m bound to end up near the top.
Freeskier Mag