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FeedLet it Ride
Photo by Matt Georges; Courtesy of Absinthe Films (Snowboarder Gigi Ruef)
Back in 1986, Justin Hostynek (pictured below) was an Acalanes High student who liked to take pictures while he was snowboarding. Now, he travels the world making snowboarding movies. Talk about living the dream.
Hostynek, who was raised in Switzerland and moved to Lafayette at age 11, got his start blending photography and snowboarding in high school, when he worked with a friend to produce a snowboarding calendar. He lost money on the calendar, but three years after graduation, he got a job as a photographer for Snowboarder magazine.
In the early ’90s, a snowboarding clothing company called Twist asked Hostynek to film its team of riders. The budget was tiny, but the movie was a hit, and he began to make new movies annually for Twist.
Twist went defunct in the late ’90s, but Hostynek kept making movies, under the name Absinthe Films. Hostynek’s films use elaborate Cablecam systems to catch snowboarding stunts, and also offer the viewer a taste of travel and the outdoors.
“We try to encourage people to enjoy nature and go play outside,” says Hostynek, who now lives in Truckee. “Being able to work outside is very sustaining for me.”
Hostynek’s latest film, Ready, is being shown around the country this winter. Visit sphereofinfluencetour.com for information. To view a clip from the film, click HERE.
