AK is Aldo Kuonen.
AK is our family.
AK is our company.
Pa was so much to us: our best friend, our role model, our boss. But above all, he was all about the pure joy of skiing.
He grew up in Törbel in the canton of Valais. His love for the mountains was contagious. It brought him to St.Moritz where he was a ski instructor. Afterwards he worked for Rossignol in the racing department and later for Atomic. He worked with great racers like Joël Gaspoz, Michela Figini or Mike von Grünigen. World Cup winners, Olympic champions or world champions.
His second passion was restoring old Porsches, especially the 356 model. In summer, Pa was usually to be found in the garage, or we were water skiing on the lake.
His technical know-how for Porsches as well as for skis was huge.
His revolutionary idea of making World Cup quality skis available and skiable for everyone gave birth to AK Ski. When Pa stood in the living room with his broad smile and the first AK carving model "Number ONE", the brand was born. 600 pairs of this ski were built.
Then came 15 years in which Pa continued to grow the company on his own. He never did classic marketing, never ran ads. He used to personally present the skis to the customers, explaining all the details and construction himself.
He knew that the moment you stand on an AK ski for the first time, you feel the difference.
In September 2011, Pa was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Nine months followed between hope and fear. Pa died in June 2012. He was 60 years old. For us, the worst possible thing happend. We had not only lost our father, but also our best friend and mentor - our idol.
His passion and inventiveness will live on with his initials AK forever.
Thank you, Pa, for everything.
Your enthusiasm is always with us.
Your philosophy continues to guide us.
Your dream lives on.
