Module: gallery_album
Item: Absinthe Premiere 2015
Displays the photo gallery for a selected Gallery Album.Even after two decades in the game, Justin Hostynek still gets nervous before a premiere. He told me this last night, before screening his latest collaborative project under the Absinthe Films label, “Eversince,” to a packed house at Seattle’s Egyptian Theatre in the Capitol Hill district. That’s because he cares—cares about independent media, about the snowboarders who appear in Absinthe Films year after year, about sharing a perspective with substance beyond marketing initiatives and the forgettable three-minute full part cult of cool that bombards your facebook feed on a daily basis. He still believes in the full-length feature as the ultimate visual essay on the state of snowboarding. And after watching “Eversince,” well, I believe too—and I think the 600-or-so folks in attendance would agree.

See, “Eversince” goes beyond a coffee-break-friendly package of tricks. Take a cross-section of riders elevating their game and contrast their styles on the big screen and you gain a deeper insight into the state of progressive snowboarding today. Add an after party with music from a few of our tribe members—specifically, Brandon Cocard, Tim Eddy and company’s Easy Giant—and you have a rallying cry for the year past and the season to come. A reason for snowboarders to believe in one another.

And that’s why Justin cares: snowboarding needs this now more than ever. We need a rallying cry for a culture that can easily become diluted by over-caffeinated sugar water and the inter-hype machine. We need something real to remind us every fall that we’re part of a whole that goes beyond one line, one trick, and one run. Ever since we first strapped in.

So with that in mind, here are my CliffsNotes for the latest Absinthe feature—do yourself a favor and get down to one of their screening in the coming weeks. Or buy the movie, invite a few friends over, and share the stoke of seasons past and season to come.

– No matter what, the crowd still likes backflips. They make people cheer, maybe because they’re a little more relateable. PNW folks also seem to appreciate big straight airs and pillow lines as much as a perfect cab 9 or clean triple kink handrail.

– Keegan Valaika got the opener. The young veteran deserved it.

– Lucas Debari, Manuel Diaz and Jason Robinson spent half of march and April in AK and it paid off. They all ride fast on heavy, steep spines, and clearly feed off each other in a big mountain environment.

– Austen Sweetin likes to launch.

– Street style is evolving to include a lot more lines with multiple features as much as it’s gone towards XXL transfers in the past few years. A bit of flow brings a good balance to the parade of one-hit hammers that had become the norm. Check Garret Warnick, Scot Brown, Cale Zima and Ozzy Henning’s parts for proof.

– New recruit Max Buri’s got a natural, buttery freestyle flow that’s kind of reminiscent of Swiss counterpart Nicolas Mueller.

– Speaking of Nicolas, he has a short part right after another Swiss legend, Fredi Kalbermatten. Fredi and Nico are always a pleasure to watch and it’s good to see them back in the Absinthe fold.

– Wolfgang Nyvelt is now going nearly as big on his bindingless AESMO shapes as when he is strapped in.

– Brandon Cocard can ride most any terrain with confidence.

– Jason Robinson‘s ender part, which moves from streets to steeps with a unique style on both ends of the spectrum, is proof positive that J Rob is one of the most talented snowboarders in the world, hands down.

As for the rest? Well I’m not gonna give it all away. Go see it for yourself, or check their facebook page for all the details and to stay up on where its showing next.