If the chill in the air has you itching for the season’s first snowfall and the promise of powder days ahead, you might just want to escape into an evening of watching some of the world’s best snowboarders glide down untracked mountains.
Absinthe Film will be screening its newest snowboard film Dopamine at the Capitol Theatre this Wednesday, October 2 as part of an 18-city North American film tour.
Named for the naturally occurring chemical in the brain that influences movement and reward, Dopamine follows 16 riders — including Canadians Scott Brown and Rusty Ockenden — as they explore mountains in the Kootenays and Monashees, as well as the the Yukon and Switzerland.
All the filming was done on high definition cameras last winter, then edited by Justin Hostynek at his home studio in Blewett. The final product, which runs 43 minutes, is now available as a DVD or for digital download on iTunes. It’s Absinthe’s 22nd film since its inception in 1997.
Absinthe was founded in Switzerland, but has been featuring more scenes from BC since Hostynek moved to the Kootenay four years ago.
“I’ve been blown away by the mountains here,” Hostynek said. “We’ve filmed here every winter since I moved here, and I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface.”
Compared to shooting on BC’s coastal mountains, he says it’s much easier to find isolated, untracked slopes in the Kootenays and Monashees.
“There’s not a lot of companies working in this area,” he said. “It’s a filmmaker’s heaven.”
See Dopamine on the big screen on Wednesday, October 2 at the Capitol Theatre. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $11, available at Ripping Giraffe, Tribute Boardshop and Valhalla Pure. There will be giveaways and opportunities to talk to some of the featured riders at the screening.