Dave Hatchett's first descent down the backside of the Mendenhall Towers in the icefield near Juneau in 1994 was an epic event that has become legendary in big mountain snowboarding circles.
Hatchett overrode his colleague's warnings that taking that line was a death wish. It was so steep, so long and so exposed that the most experienced riders were telling him, "No, don't do it."
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INFO BOX
Film Premiere
"Lines"
What: A film about big mountain snowboarding
When: 7 p.m., April 22
Where: Chilkat Center, Haines, Alaska
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Hatchett loaded up, dropped in at the top and made snowboarding history.
The extended version of that story and the footage of his descent appear in the snowboarding documentary, "Lines," produced and directed by big mountain snowboarding legend, Axel Pauporté.
The film premieres in Alaska on Sun., April 22, at 7 p.m., at the Chilkat Center in Haines. It is a free show and open to all ages. The event, sponsored by Billabong, is a benefit for the Southeast Alaska Avalanche Center.
Last year, Pauporte and his wife, Flora, spent a month in Haines following the world's most notable big mountain snowboarders and filmmakers. Axel shot camera and directed the photography, while Flora archived the footage and guided the storyline. The effort was made in collaboration with Absinthe Films, who contributed extensive archival footage, and Billabong, who backed it.
"The whole structure of the film is it's separated in different days," Pauporte said. "They get up in the morning, they go, it's a go, they're up on the mountain. And then since you're up there we talk about all different subjects, how dangerous, how hard it is, dah-dah-dah," he said.
One of highlights in the film for Pauporte was a scene between pro-rider Gigi Rüf and filmmaker Justin Hostynek on a spring day in the Chilkat Mountains.
"I got to film from both angles - up with Gigi on top of the line and down with Justin," Pauporte said. "Just to see how it all works out and to see Justin's reactions ... You can see he's really bummed out when Gigi doesn't land the trick or doesn't do a good line, 'cause he spent the whole time setting up for it and everything. Then the next time around, when Gigi lands it and does a good line, you see the genuine smile on Justin's face ... the stoke and that kind of emotion," he said.
Other snowboarding legends featured in the film are Tom Burt, Shawn Farmer, Mike Ranquet, Jeremy Jones, Kurt Wastell, Jonaven Moore, Johan Olofsson, Victoria Jealouse, Nicolas Müller, Romain de Marchi, Wolle Nyvelt, Travis Rice and more.
Juneau avalanche specialist Bill Glude, former backcountry guide Bruce Griggs and Juneau-raised snowboarder Ashley Call, each have segments in the film.
Besides interviews, action shots and behind-the-scenes footage, the film features the local Haines scene as well.
"There's a cool tribute to the people of the town towards the end in the outro, or the finish section of the film," Pauporté said. "There's a couple of portraits and you see all these people ... They're all the people that we hang with and we love," he said.
"Lines" will be released for distribution in August 2007. It has had premieres in Las Vegas, Munich, Aspen, Mt. Baker, Chamonix, Oslo and Leysin since January.
"I don't see this film as an encyclopedia of big mountain riding," Pauporte said. "There's a couple people who might have been left out, a couple places too ... but this was kind of my vision of the sport and what I lived and that's what I wanted to showcase, you know, just give an insider's look of how its done. Not only how big mountain riding is done, but also how filming big mountain riding is done."
