Wallisch was the one who made it clear that fame, fortune and success could be achieved in the ski industry through alternative channels. With more than 246,000 followers on Instagram, 180,000 Facebook fans and a YouTube channel with more than 2,500,000 views, Wallisch holds a beloved place in ski social media. He came onto the scene right as online edits and social media was blowing up and developed one of the most loyal fan bases on the Internet. He even got his start by winning an online talent search called “Superunknown” in 2007 at age 19. He was invited to a park shoot, where he blew the minds of every cinematographer onsite, landing tricks no one was doing at the time with an original style never seen before. In 2012, his breakout competition season, Wallisch landed on seven podiums and won two X Games medals—gold in Aspen (with the highest score in Skiing Slopestyle history) and silver at Euro X. He won the overall Dew Cup, was named 2012 Men’s Slopestyle World Champion and came in first in the AFP Slopestyle World Rankings. Through it all, he still produced a highly acclaimed film segment and traveled to Japan and Alaska to film following the competition season.
Since then, Wallisch has produced dozens of films segments for Level 1 and Field Productions, his own film, The Wallisch Project, and founded his own production company, Good Company, which has produced five films and more than 50 edits. He stars in Imagination, a short film by Sherpas Cinema and The North Face that honors the late JP Auclair and won Best Film at the Banff Film Festival. He’s only the second skier in history to win Powder's coveted Reader Poll back-to-back years and has twice one Freeskier Magazine's Skier of the Year. In 2016, after several days and hundreds of attempts, Tom added his name to the Guinness Book of World Records for riding a 424-foot rail, the longest rail grind on skis.
Even after all the fame, Wallisch is still a personality kids can relate to. Tom Wallisch isn’t a rock star; he’s the kid next door, and that’s just the person people want to root for. His mass appeal stems from his approachability with fans. He comes from Pittsburgh, grew up skiing a 700-ft resort in Maryland and never had a personal coach. Nothing was handed to him. Wallisch even looks normal. He’s not an intimidating jock. He’s not noticeably ripped or particularly tall. He doesn’t have the chiseled jawline of a male model. He’s your average, everyday 31-year-old guy. An average guy with a contagious love for skiing.
Accomplishments:
- Gold, X Games Aspen, 2012
- Silver, X Games Tignes, 2012
- Dew Tour Overall Champion, 2012
- Skier of the Year, Freeskier, 2010, 2012
- FIS Slopestyle World Champion, 2013
- 1st AFP Slopestyle World Rankings, 2012, 2013
- ESPN Action Sport Athlete of the Year, 2012
- Guinness World Record Holder for the longest rail grind at 424 feet