Athlete interview: Tom Wallisch

11.06.10

FP: Hey Tom. How´s life? What are you up to these days?

TW: Life is good! Lately I’ve just been chillin out in Salt Lake City doing all kinds of summer activities. Just enjoying the sun and warm weather! It’s been a lot of fun. I also got to go home to Pennsylvania and visit my family a little. Now it’s time to get back on the skiing program. Looking forward to shredding in Juvass, Norway!

FP: What is a typical summer for you? Do you prefer skiing on glaciers, or do you rather go on vacation far away from the snow?

TW: I love doing a little bit of both. I love skiing on the glaciers in the summer, just because it’s soo nice to shred with a hoodie or t-shirt on. You can also get sooo bronzed on the glaciers, so that’s tight. I definitely enjoy getting away from the snow also during the summer, just to keep me focused and motivated for when I’m on snow.

FP: You have been filming with Field Productions a couple of years now. How has it been like hanging with us Norwegians? Any particular episode/trip you want to mention that is memorable?

TW: Well I gotta say I definitely love coming to Norway to hang out with everybody. It’s awesome to have such a cool group of friends half a world away. I guess I’d probably say may favorite trip so far was our urban trip last fall in Stockholm/Helsinki. Such a fun time, and quite the ridiculous boat ride from Stockholm to Helsinki! haha

FP: You had one of your best contest season of all time. What is your highlights?

TW: I guess I’d say the highlight of my contest season was definitely winning the European X-games. It’s always been a childhood dream of mine to win an X-games gold medal and being able to do well at the inaugural European event was incredible.
FP: The progression in skiing is very intense these days, both in the big mountain and in the park. Do you think skiing in general is progressing in the right direction? Do you prefer double/triple flips, or rather slower tricks with more style in it?

TW: It’s definitely been getting really crazy lately. I love seeing the sport progress in lots of different directions. I think it’s awesome that people are doing more and more crazy doubles/triples corks, but I also love watching people perfect smaller tricks with good style. It’s just cool to have so many people in the sport doing different and unique things that there’s tons of different paths for young kids to follow.

FP: Since you have been visiting Norway quite a lot. Tell us, what do you like about our country?

TW: Well I guess there’s a lot of different things to like. All the people here are really nice which is awesome, and the skiing here is great too. It’s cool to visit at different times of the year also just to see how unique the location is being so close to the arctic circle. I really like how stoked on skiing people are here also. So much more of the population here cares about skiing/snowboarding and our sector in general, which is really cool. Plus the girls are all rather good looking, which is nice haha.

FP: How is it to film urban street rails in Scandinavia compared to the States? Any big differences?

TW: It’s awesome filming street rails in Scandinavia. The whole process of filming over here in Scandinavia is just easier and less stressful. It’s really rare to be kicked out of any filming location by the police or other civilians which makes hitting any feature far easier. It’s also just fun to film over here because of how interested everyone is in what you’re doing. It’s a really cool spectacle for people in Scandinavia, rather than a huge “lawsuit issue” like it is in the states.

FP: Thanks for your time, Tom. Looking forward to some good times here in Norway the next weeks.