THEME: Futureproof
PHOTO: Justin Hostynek
RIDER: Axel Pauporté
LOCATION: Juneau, Alaska
RUN: Sheriff
CAMERA: Canon EOS 1 (analog)
WRITER: Arlie Carstens ©
This photo of Axel Pauporté was captured during his first trip to Alaska with Absinthe Films in 1998.
In 2024, when shown this photo and asked to recollect his first impressions of Pauporté, Absinthe filmmaker Justin Hostynek replied, “True story, this is the very first thing Axel ever did in front of our cameras. It was his first run with us in Alaska. What you see in the frame is just the tip of the cliff. From here it continues down for thousands of feet. Axel was definitely pushing the limits of high-risk big mountain snowboarding during this era. But there was nothing haphazard about his approach to the mountains. His riding was strategic, calculated, and cutting edge. I remember him telling me he was either going to be a snowboarder or a lawyer. Glad for all of us that he chose to be a snowboarder.”
From this moment forward, Hostynek and Pauporté went on to work together for the next eight Absinthe feature films.