Laurel LastName

USA

Laurel moved to Utah warily and is still baffled half the time. Once upon a time she was a full-time artist living in the urban jungle, now she frets over the crime in Salt Lake City and spends as much time as possible exploring all the crazy beautiful places in Utah.

Birthday? April 11, 1970

Year you first started at Black Diamond? 2006

Memory/story of your first week at Black Diamond? My first day was at the sales meetings at Snowbird and it dumped about 4 feet of snow. My car got stuck in the parking lot and I had to have my boyfriend rescue me.

What does working at Black Diamond mean to you? We make great gear and do the right thing. Plus it’s a great work environment with awesome folks.

If you weren't working for Black Diamond, what would you be doing? Looking for a sugar daddy?

Worst job you've ever had? Data entry at a credit card payment center. Horrible.

Do you have any pets? Emma, the sporty princess Catahoula and MFW, the awesome gray cat.

Favorite sports/activities? Mountain biking! Second faves include other cycling sports, climbing, running and snowboarding. And once upon a time I was a decent surfer.

Favorite climbing/skiing area and why? For climbing I’d say Owens River Gorge, just because it’s in the Eastern Sierras, one of my favorite places. But Thailand is super fun — the beach and the monkeys! Skiing the Wasatch — seriously the best, surfiest snow I have ever been on.

Best climbing/skiing experience? Some random day skiing at Kirkwood when it was snowing Utah-like powder— just enough to have fresh powder every run but not so much to shut it all down. Not sure why the giggle factor was so huge, but it was one fun day.

What's your dream trip? Where? With who? Mountain biking in Peru, with RK and the Santa Cruz posse, and a good guide.

Guilty pleasure? Not much into guilt.

BD gear you use every time you go climbing/skiing? Easier to list the gear I use that isn’t BD…

What/who inspires you? Big, wide open landscapes, fresh air and people who think a little on the crazy side and follow through.

What's in your iPod? All kinds of things. Some faves in the current rotation include Curumin, Lyrics Born, Tommy Guerrero, Mulatu Astatke…

Strangest place you've ever woken up? Utah.

Strangest person you've ever woken up with? I’ve worked pretty hard to erase that memory, so let’s leave that one alone.

Three things you'd never travel without? Bike, chapstick, sunglasses. Superstitions? Who me?

What's your dream job? Dream job is a trust fund and no job other than making art and getting outside. But working at BD comes in second.

If you could steal one thing and not get caught, what would it be? I don’t steal. But since we’re talking hypothetically… maybe a Calder mobile for my stairwell…

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be? This question is too hard! Only three? Only one dinner? A lot to consider here… smart people, funny people, the dynamic of the group… I’ve heard that Josef Albers could blow your mind talking about color... but over dinner? Bill Russell has always seemed to be a super thoughtful and interesting guy. But I can’t imagine the conversation between these two. I guess I can include my good friend Charlie Campbell who is incredibly funny and intelligent and would smooth over what could be awkward dinner conversation.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Yes I do.