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Jason Robinson rides at White sh Mountain Resort. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
legendary Mount Baker Banked Sla- lom in Washington, which put him on the map.
Still, Robinson, whose transient life- style occasionally takes him o the grid – he spent one recent summer living on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation – almost missed the call from vaunted cameraman and director Justin Hos- tynek, of Absinthe Films.
Hostynek tabbed Robinson to join the crew for two months in Haines, Alaska, heli-boarding big mountain lines for the upcoming production of the celebrated edit “Dopamine.”
The only problem was that Robinson would have to come up with $20,000 to pay for the expedition.
“I didn’t have the funds, so I asked Justin if he could front me,” Robinson said. “It was scary, because I knew I might spend the entire two months tum- bling down the mountains and I’d still be out 20 grand. Fortunately, I felt solid and ended up with the opening part.”
After three seasons riding and shooting in Alaska, including parts in the praised Absinthe lm “Eversince,” Robinson said he’s become addicted to heli-boarding and big-mountain lines.
But he’s never lost sight of his roots, without which he wouldn’t have devel- oped into the same person, or the same
caliber of snowboarder.
“More than anyone in my life, Aaron
has had the biggest in uence on me, as a snowboarder and as a human being. It’s crazy to think about, but as much as he in uenced me in life, his in uence has probably grown in his death,” Rob- inson said.
The recent accolades from Snow- boarder Magazine were a welcome
surprise, he said, particularly because the honor was bestowed on him by his peers – in addition to winning the Big Mountain Rider of the Year award, he also placed fourth overall for all- around Rider of the Year.
“J-Rob may be the most underrated snowboarder in history,” pro snow- boarder Eric Jackson said, employing Robinson’s nickname.
“Jason is sick. I’ve traveled with him only a couple times and he’s loose and it’s rad to see him charge so hard after seeing how mellow and humble he is in real life,” said Quebec-born snow- boarder Louif Paradis.
Austrian powerhouse Wolfgang Nyvelt added to the kudos: “The rst time I saw Jason ride in person I could see that he had some kind of special gift. He rips any kind of terrain but his approach to natural features and big mountains is so unique you never can tell what he will come up with,” he said. “One of my favorite riders of all time for sure.”
Re ecting on the past ve years, Robinson acknowledges that the learning curve has been steep, both as a snowboarder trying to nd purchase in a volatile industry, and as a person trying to pursue his dream.
As Robinson massages the nal parts into his new home, a ection- ately called “Le Box,” and prepares to embark on another winter’s worth of travel, he’s con dent that moving into such a tiny space is going to allow him to live bigger than ever.
“What happens outside the box is going to be as essential to the adven- ture as what happens inside,” he said.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
Aaron Robinson, left, and his brother Jason. COURTESY PHOTO
JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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