Thomas Laakso

USA

Being Finnish and comfortable with the snow, Thomas Laakso learned to ski soon after he learned to walk and knew immediately that the meaning of life and the secret to happiness was going to revolve around Winter and skiing. He received his degree in Plastics Engineering Technology with an emphasis in composites from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA in 1994. He spent 5 years in Hood River, Oregon designing and manufacturing the first prepreg manufactured high-end snowboards and various carbon fiber products from parts for the space shuttle to artificial limbs, to windsurfing masts and bike parts. He left the aerospace portion behind, focusing on recreational products and joined The North Face becoming the Advanced Products Manager for a 6 year stint, before coming to Black Diamond Equipment in 2003 where he is the director of the Ski Category business managing the product lines of Skis, Boots, Bindings, Skins, Poles, and Avalanche Safety essentials.

Birthday? Today. 5/13/71. Thanks for asking.

Year you first started at Black Diamond? In training since birth. But finally accepted into the organization in 2003.

Memory/story of your first week at Black Diamond? “Why again do they call you tomb?”

What does working at Black Diamond mean to you? I grew up in Seattle almost within eyesight of Vashon Island and since the first grade I wanted to work for K2. You can say I liked skiing a little more than the other kids, so much that I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Call me focused, or narrow minded. Fast forward a few years and today I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position to help shape the future of the sport that I love as much today as ever. It’s incredibly satisfying to help direct and create gear that plays a large part in the evolution and progression of skiing, knocking down previous performance barriers, and both witnessing and experiencing myself an entire shift in what is capable in the mountains today enabled by technology advancements that we make here at BD. I like my job.

If you weren't working for Black Diamond, what would you be doing? I’ve always joked, if you have to work, you might as well ski.  So if I wasn’t working for BD I’d probably be trying to make skis in my garage, trying to make it happen somehow, somewhere. Or I’d be applying to Black Diamond.

Worst job you've ever had? Sliming fish in a fish camp up in Alaska when I was 16.

Do you have any pets? One smart lab and one not so, and a fish my daughter named Library Hunkledoodle Head.

Favorite sports/activities? Was anyone paying attention earlier?

Favorite skiing area and why? This is a tough one. In terms of the pure quantity of “best day of my life” experiences in a single local, it’s got to be Little Cottonwood Canyon luckily here at the foot of our headquarters in the Wasatch.  But a close second is the mind blowing Chugach mountains in Alaska which I try to head to each year if lucky.

Best climbing experience? Fresh in my mind right now are the 7 bluebird and deep days I had with Powder Mag flying helicopters last year where every day and every run was my most epic ever. Or there was that one 5 YEAR stretch up at Mt. Baker that ranks high up there. Or on a different pee-your-pants experience any of the numerous trips to Alagna/LaGrave/Chamonix/name the Euro classic scare yourself silly experience.  But then again, due to my short term memory and it being quite fresh in my mind, my best ski experience might be this morning’s 3500’ descent of Tanner’s Couloir on mostly solid ice, mixed with bonus frozen debris?

What's your dream trip? Where? With who? I’ve been looking for a while for that humongous peak covered in knee deep snow that doesn’t melt because at the bottom is a warm surf break with nobody there.

Guilty pleasure? Helicopters

BD gear you use every time you go skiing? Most probably a weird one off prototype that needs testing, and on the other foot something even stranger.

What/who inspires you? Being the slightly focused guy I am, I’m just going to talk skiing, and in chronological order it’s been: Franz Klammer, Scot Schmidt, the late Shane McConkey and his insane versatility and longevity. For some life balance outside of skiing which is important… throw in Bubba Stewart as well.

What's in your iPod? 10,000 songs of mostly good quality metal

Strangest place you've ever woken up? At gun point in a train on the eve of the Velvet Revolution in Praque.

Strangest person you've ever woken up with? I fall asleep immediately on any form of public transportation, which is usually ripe with strangers.

Three things you'd never travel without? 1) My giant 6 pair ski rolling travel bag loaded full.  2)  My treasured copy of License to Thrill. 3) checking NOAA

Superstitions? Horses.

What's your dream job? To be the category director of a ski company and make gear for myself that luckily others would like as well.

If you could steal one thing and not get caught, what would it be? A joy ride on the space shuttle.

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be? Jim Morrison, Franz Klammer, Lita Ford?

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Negative.