Who is Skaði?
Skaði Nordic was created by an aspiring Olympic cross country skier in 2009. As a professional skier, Laura Valaas grew tired of constantly digging the snow out of the bottom of her ski boot before being able to clip into her ski bindings. "If I could change the world," she thought, "I would make something to keep the snow out of the soles of cross country ski boots. And then I would create world peace and preserve the wilderness." She still has a long way to go to make the world more peaceful and green, but that snow-in-the-boot problem? Solved! What started as a solution created to make her own life easier has been demanded by other skiers so much so that Laura started producing her "BootBuddies" in quantity.
As how something is done has always been as important to Laura as what is done, all Skaði Nordic products are manufactured here in the United States out of 100% recycled plastic and sold, where possible, with reusable, zero-waste packaging. Since bringing the BootBuddy to the cross country skiing community, Skaði Nordic has continued to explore the realm of nordic skiing accessories. Laura is content to, as she says, "make those gizmos that I always wanted when I was skiing." She is pleased whenever others also glean some use out of her creations.
Laura brings the same passion and dedication that brought her success in her skiing career to her role as CEO of Skaði Nordic. She also brings a strong desire to contribute back to the ski community since she acknowledges and appreciates how much support and encouragement the ski community contributed to the years she spent as a professional skier. Because she understands exactly how crucial the support of family, club, community, & industry is to a cross country skier, Laura is always looking for deserving athletes whom she can support in chasing their dreams.
