Axel Pauporté
Words and Photography by Bryce Kanights

Imagine yourself seated for a meal with friends at an Italian restaurant. Your plate of just-served pasta is steaming before you and you’re focused on feeding your malnourished body. Suddenly, the individual sitting across the table from you tosses a tiny wad of paper into your food and without hesitation you extend your fingers out to retrieve the foreign object. Upon touching the wad of paper, this person pushes your hand down into your meal and the entire table explodes in laughter. In an instant, with your entire hand now drenched in pasta sauce, you’ve become the latest prank victim of Axel Pauporté. More than likely you will not meet this witty Belgian in such a brash or alarming instance, but trust me, the shenanigans in which I met Axel were, by far, much worse.

Fortunately, I was not the victim. It’s a good thing that his penchant for pranks is fairly insignificant to the life that he leads. This season in Alaska I had the opportunity to gather Axel’s thoughts on the lifestyle he leads, his love of snowboarding and of course, the rampant tomfoolery. Read On.

You frequently enjoy playing jokes and pranks on your friends. What has been one of the better pranks that you‘ve thrown down?
One of the best was when I baked some chocolate cookies which are somewhat like Oreo’s, but the French version with chocolate between the two biscuits and substituted the real chocolate with a mixture of chocolate and shit. We put the mixture between the biscuits and cooked them intending to give them to a bunch of kids. Well, one of the guys that ate one (not on purpose) happened to be Dennis Bertrand, the editor of Snowsurf magazine. He just happened to walk into the apartment after we baked them. We didn’t offer him one, but he asked, so we gave him one. It was hard to hold a straight face, but we all did. He was talking to us and his breath smelled like shit!

He didn’t taste it?
He said, “Whoa, they’re not too good.” I don’t think he ate the whole thing, he ate like half of one. Still, we all thought that was pretty good.

Did you guys tell him later?
Yeah, I told him a year later.

Was he pissed?
Yeah, because I told him the whole story about making them and he was laughing his head off, then as soon as I told him that he actually ate one he was pissed. That was funny, but I only dared to tell him because we were drunk at a bar one night. I told him the whole story and then he was laughing so hard, and that’s when I said to myself, “OK, I’m telling him now because he’s drunk and laughing.”

I don’t trust you anymore!
(laughing) I know. You shouldn’t. No one does, and sometimes it gets to be annoying because I have had times with my friends now where they absolutely don’t trust me. When I want to give them something they won’t take it.
That’s the price that you have to pay.

I guess that is.
Growing up in Brussels where there are no mountains, how did you get introduced to snowboarding?
As a kid my parents really enjoyed going to the mountains and would take me and my sister on family holidays to the Alps to ski. I was very young and my parents had me skiing at the age of three. We went as a family at least every Christmas or spring break, a minimum of once a year. I loved skiing at the time and naturally, I tried snowboarding when the sport hit Europe in the eighties. As a teenager in Brussels I was bored since I wasn’t into drugs, partying or any mainstream sports like soccer or tennis. Living in Brussels there was not much else to do. I tried skateboarding with a friend of mine a few times but the only skatepark with ramps was 30 miles away. At the time I was sixteen and too young to drive. My friend Cedric was eighteen and would drive us. Then he stopped going and I did as well since I couldn’t get to the skatepark anymore. Around the same time I started to go to the dry slopes since one had just opened in the city. I started to go regularly which was at least twice a week and soon I noticed that I was getting better and better. The dry slope surface was very hard and felt like ice so you tried your best not to fall since it hurt badly when you went down. You can’t really hold an edge on it. Then when I would ride on snow in the winters with my family I would really progress. Around that time I felt that I was already too old to start out as a professional rider as I was already 18 or 19.

What’s it like riding a dry slope?
It’s nothing like snow. It feels like hitting your head repeatedly against a wall, so that when you eventually stop it feels good. Like running with something very heavy and uncomfortable in your backpack and then taking it off and running much faster and easier.

When you’re not on the road you now spend your winters in Les Arcs, France. Why did you choose to live there? What does the resort have to offer?
I chose to live there mainly because of Regis Rolland and because that’s where the Apocalypse Snow movies were mostly filmed. Those movies were a big influence on me at the time. They shot all over the world for Apocalypse Three and in the conclusion it was mentioned that the best terrain they’d found was at home in Les Arcs. So when Regis started his board company in the eighties, Les Arcs wanted to have his team located there. When I got sponsored by him, I instantly moved there. My first two seasons were spent in Val Disere and then when Regis sponsored me with A Snowboards. I got a free place and free pass there instead. I was stoked especially since he was there and showed us around the place. It’s more of a family resort where many of the skiers stay close to the groomed terrain. At the others like Chamonix and Val Disere there’s too many people where everything gets tracked out within the first day much like the big resorts in the States. In Les Arcs there’s always stuff that stays untracked for days after a snowfall and only a few people there go and do it. That’s one of the main reasons that I like it. The terrain is huge and you can’t even ride all the terrain that is accessible in one season. There’s a variety of terrain too, ranging from steep exposures, wooded areas, open powder fields and a big terrain park.

Describe the difference between riding at the majority of resorts in the Alps and here in North America?
I think the length of the runs are much different. In Europe you’ll take a few lifts in a row and then a tram or gondola to get to the top of the mountain for a half hour run whereas most resorts that I’ve been to in the States are much shorter with one or two lifts to the summit. The Alps have the best lift accessible terrain. There’s some terrain similar to the Alps in Russia, Canada or Alaska but I think as far as resort areas the bigger and better ones are in the Alps. It doesn’t really matter if it is in Switzerland, France, Italy or Austria; anywhere in the Alps is going to be big.

Within reason, the European resorts permit you to go out of bounds. Is that true?
Yeah, you don’t have to stay on the groomed runs or trails. The ski patrol will warn you if they feel the conditions are dangerous. You are at your own risk and responsible for yourself. It’s not a matter of people being sued or whatever there. People that go out of the ski area boundary usually know what to expect. That’s the only thing I really don’t like about the U.S. The whole law system where people create lawsuits just to get money for their own negligence. That’s why people end up not being free anymore. Our life’s choices are changing right now because of the law system. That’s really my opinion. The law system ruins the freedom that was once there of doing things for yourself and at your own risk. Whenever something happens people look to someone else to be responsible. That really sucks.

You’ve been primarily focused on freeriding. Why did you go in that direction whereas with freestyle you could have had more financial reward?
I think it came naturally to me that there was more to snowboarding than just riding in a halfpipe. Back when I started, terrain parks were not really there yet. It was just hand cut pipes, slalom or freeriding. There was no question to ask when there’s powder whether I wanted to ride powder or in the pipe. Especially in Europe; there’s so much natural terrain. I really didn’t see the point of riding in a pipe all day. Then of course after riding with people like Regis in Chamonix; places like that made me want to freeride more. It’s either you get scared of it and quit and do something else or you want to get more into it.

To date, what has been your favorite region of the world to ride?
I would most definitely say Alaska. As far as lift accessible terrain goes, I would say Europe, but if you have the chance to be spoiled and fly helicopters all over the place then of course you would understand why Alaska is my favorite region of the world to ride.

What has been your most memorable season?
They’ve all involved something different. Probably last season (1997-1998). The conditions all over the world were really not that great, but I got lucky with the weather by traveling around all the time. Usually, you can run the risk of fucking up and leaving a place with good snow and ending up being in a place with terrible conditions, but I had luck on my side. I was fortunate to have good conditions all season long and I didn’t stop traveling.

What goes through your mind before dropping into a sickly steep chute or exposed face of a mountain?
You cannot be too scared, but you also have to be scared. If I’m not scared enough, that right there can be dangerous. I think it’s normal to be scared. Everybody is at some point, but you have to analyze everything and figure out if you are going to be able to do it or not. Make the call. It’s OK to say no, sometimes it happens. I’ve done it. Especially this year in Juneau, the conditions didn’t seem right. It’s totally cool to hold back from a line if you feel it will more than likely slide, or it doesn’t seem right to you. If you don’t feel good about the snow or anything that makes you feel that you’re not going to be able to do it right, don’t do it. If you decide to go for it, concentrate on where you’re going to go. Know your line and try to memorize it. Know what to expect as far as snow conditions and terrain are concerned. Usually the snow quality and features of a slope will change several times within a descent. Sometimes a line will roll away and you can’t really see it once you’re on the slope. If at all possible, get a good look at it from the bottom and memorize and visualize it from the top. Most of all, concentrate on your turns and what you are going to do.

So why do you choose to do this? Why do you continue to put yourself at risk?
I think it’s just for fun. If it’s a little dangerous and you push yourself, I think you get a good rush out of it. I don’t know, it gets me going. I know if I take a lot of risks I’ll feel really good after. But, I’m not stupid about it and take many risks. I try to calculate everything I can and be as safe as I can because I don’t want to get hurt or die. Sometimes you take risks, but I don’t think you take much more of a risk than someone who drives their car around on the highway everyday. Really, I do it for fun.

At this past season’s Extremes in Verbier, Switzerland I felt you did really well despite the judging outcome. Some of the competitors were trying to talk you out of your line and into spinning off the forty foot cliff in the middle of the face. You told me you didn’t care what they thought and that you were going to do it your way. What goes through your mind when your peers are telling you to hold back from a line that you’re focused upon?
I think you have to listen to people that are around you, but also there is only really one person that you can trust and that is yourself. You have to know your limits; no one can judge things for you in any situation. Even when someone tells you, “Yeah, you can jump, it’s a good landing,” you shouldn’t only trust their words. Go see for yourself. If you haven’t seen where or how far you’re going to land it’s really a gamble. The opposite is true when someone tells you, “No, I don’t think you can pull it off,” but if you can see from the top that you can nail it and you know you surely have the abilities, then you should just do it. It’s really an instinct thing and nobody can really judge that better than yourself.

Do you enjoy competing? Are you competitive by nature?
Yes and no. When I first started riding I entered a few halfpipe and slalom contests. I did and didn’t enjoy it, but it was cool because I got to meet many people and other riders had I never shown up for those contests. I didn’t really like the whole judging criteria thing. It all comes down to whoever wins a contest is not for sure the best rider, but just the person who may have done the best run that one day. The judging criteria is not always accurate and there’s always somebody who is going to be bummed on the results. For a while, I didn’t like contests because of that. Snowboarding is not a sport where you need to compete, but a sport that you can share with others. I have a much better time going freeriding with friends than competing with them. It’s not like tennis or football where you have to compete in order to participate. Snowboarding is cool since it can be something that you just do together with others. That’s the way I saw it. Then came the Extreme Freeride contests which appealed to me more as a contest between you, the rider, and the mountain and its conditions. You’re just trying to beat yourself really. In Verbier it’s really not a contest between the riders since all sixteen riders are there by invitation. They’re all excellent riders and they all could win. We’re all friends and the event doesn’t have a competitive vibe. Sure there are some guys who want to win, but most of them are out there to be together and ride and put on a good show for the spectators.

How did it feel being crowned “King of the Hill” in Valdez this year?
It felt really good because I come from a country with no mountains. There were many people back in Belgium that were definitely not supporting me when I decided to leave and pursue my dreams. They called me a fool, saying that I should keep on studying and have a regular life. In their minds I was an idiot and didn’t have a chance compared to those who were born and raised in the mountains. So in winning that event, it’s definitely going to show them that they were wrong. That more than anything pleases me. Also, it was a dream since the first videos that I saw were of Matt Goodwill, Shawn Farmer and Mike Ranquet. Being up there with some of them and competing, and ultimately winning was truly something that I never thought I would be able to do.

It was really cool to see the support from your family during the contest in Verbier. How does their presence make you feel at an event?
Sometimes I think that my mom shouldn’t see it because she gets very worried about me. But that’s just about the only time that we get to hang out during the year, so I guess it makes it all right. I’m stoked that she came, and hopefully she will be able to come back again next year.

Do you feel your parents would have rather had you pursue your studies in college?
I don’t know, and I’ve been wondering about that. I really don’t think so, because they are proud and they are happy to see that it is working out for me. Before I left home for the mountains, they could see that I was not happy with what I was doing in my life. I needed to be outdoors and do something exciting, and that was not happening. They really wanted me to be happy and they knew I wouldn’t be if I’d continued to do what they’d expected of me.

Do you ever feel fellow riders are quick to discredit you since you ride and endorse step-in bindings?
Some people did for a bit, but it’s just like anything else. People often judge things quickly without any basis, so it’s expected. I don’t really understand it because when I look at what other people are riding it doesn’t matter to me. It’s your personality, style and technical ability that should matter. Many people seem to care what others ride. It seems weird to me for people to vibe someone for something that they themselves have never tried. I happened to try it and like it, and enjoy working with great people who’ve done a great job and actually snowboard.

What is your current setup and stance?
I don’t know in inches, but it is 52 centimeters apart from each foot with 0° on the rear binding and between 25 and 30° in the front, depending on the conditions. I think every rider’s stance should be a natural position.

Three of your product sponsors have been acquired by larger companies and corporations. Has that affected your relationship with them?
Not really, because I still deal with the same people. It actually didn’t change a thing, but I know that in the long term it may be affected because a bigger company means that people on the top don’t really know what I’m all about. They might just get rid of me because they really don’t see first hand what I’m doing or what is going on. I guess that’s the way things are going these days.

What are your thoughts and feelings on the state of snowboarding as we know it?
I’m a little disappointed the way that snowboarding is headed right now because it used to be punk. It used to be much more like skating. The industry as a whole was a lot more fun. Now it is a lot more serious and all about the money involved. Which is a normal cycle I guess. It’s too bad, I’m sure some people could afford to keep it where it was and have fun with it. I know some people still like the guys at Mervin. I think they’re doing a great job. There are others too, but some of them are just there because they waited and waited without a real feeling for the sport. Now they see that it can become a potential market for them and just buy their way in. That sucks, but hey, whatever. It doesn’t really change my life. It’s still cool, but it’s changing towards a more mainstream sport. It’s an Olympic sport now, which I really don’t think it needed to be. But freeriding is not included, and that’s the real aspect of the sport for me. Nowadays there are little kids with coaches training them with workout schedules, and that means that it is becoming a real professional sport. Before this, snowboarding was just like skateboarding and rock n’ roll basically. Being a pro skater or snowboarder was just like being in a band and touring, having fun or whatever. Now, it is turning into a serious professional sport. I really do not consider myself as a professional athlete in that regard.

Do you ever get tired from your continual travel schedule? How do you maintain a relationship with your girlfriend?
That’s probably the only real price to pay, because this is the life I’ve always dreamed of. Now that I have it, I’m not going to complain. Sometimes it’s a little hard because you’re away from home all the time, but that’s a small price to pay for the life I’m living. As far as my girlfriend is concerned, she understands my schedule and what is involved. I love her because she respects and understands what I’m doing. She pushes me to do it as well. It’s good to have that support if you feel what you are doing is right. If someone is going to be your significant other, she can’t be holding you back from your passion or responsibilities.
I think of snowboarding as pure fun. Since it’s not something you can do every day like indoor sports, where you can say I’m going to go there at 2 o’clock and it’s going to happen. You don’t know with snowboarding. It’s like surfing or skateboarding on the streets. If it rains you’re pretty much shut down. I think it comes down to that. It’s unique when you have the right conditions: the snow, the sun, the right people and terrain. You have to seize the moment and get the best out of it that you can, even if you have to ride all day long. It’s about fun. I will never be able to look at this point of my life as a job because of the fun involved. It makes me want to do more and more and more.

Who inspires you and your riding?
Well, a lot of people have inspired me in the past. Regis Rolland was the first since he was probably the first person I saw snowboarding. Then in the magazines, people like Craig Kelly, Terje, Jamie Lynn, Mike Ranquet, Matt Goodwill, Shawn Farmer, Tex Davenport and Tom Burt influenced me. Also riders from France like David Vincent have had an impact on me for sure. Steve Graham had an impression on me from the first time he came to France. More recently I’ve learned a lot from two of my friends: Jerome Ruby and Didi Rehm, who are both guides in Chamonix. Those two guys are at a whole different level in their riding and achievements.

Do you maintain a healthy diet?
Yes and no. I’m not really a big junk food fan. I don’t really pay attention; I just eat whatever is available. On trips it’s really hard to maintain a healthy diet. I’m able to eat whatever and it doesn’t make any difference for me.

Do you stretch or exercise before riding?
A little bit more than I used to, but still not all that much. I try to start slowly and at least get a few warm up runs, since I think that makes a big difference. After a big day I’ll probably stretch but that’s about it.

Is there anyone who has played a significant role in your career?
That would probably be you, since you’re my team manager. You’ve definitely helped me to develop more of a career. It became more organized where all the trips have been planned in advance, and all the contacts with the magazines and other sponsors in the U.S. Steve Veytia also helped, as he’s been a really good friend for years now. He definitely helped me too. He and Dave Mailman first got me hooked up with Switch. Reid Pinder at Billabong in Europe, and Bruce Beach at Arnette here in the States have definitely made a difference as well. It’s good to feel that you’re supported by people that you like and consider as friends, rather than someone who just likes you because of what you can produce and will pay you for it. I think that’s a really important aspect of my career, in that I’ve paid attention to riding for people that I really like, and not for someone who will pay me the most.

You put yourself at risk on the mountains by riding dangerous terrain. Have you ever taken an avalanche safety course?
I have been to a few, but haven’t attended a full on class where you receive a degree or anything. The first two seasons that I was in Val Disere, I remember that there was a Swedish guy that put together a slide show and explanations of avalanches in the bar every week. I went to check it out a couple of times, and then from there I’ve been trying to learn what I can from other people, like the guides over here in Alaska or in Chamonix or wherever. I think, of course, that it is really important because we are exposed to avalanches every day and we will never be able to avoid them. That element is always there. It’s like a car accident; you can be the safest driver but you can always be hit by someone else. The same thing goes with avalanches. You can be the best guide and still get caught. But you can definitely decrease the risk if you learn to understand the history of the snow fall in a season. If you can dig a pit and look at it and check out the different layers you can definitely minimize your risk. That right there is worth it. Also, learn how to properly use and operate an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe rather than just carrying it with you. In an emergency you can waste a lot of time if you’re not prepared.

So even though you haven’t attended formal instruction at this point, you do feel somewhat informed?
Yeah, you never know. I don’t really even know how much I know. It’s really hard to figure that out, but you keep learning every year. The experience that we recently had here in Juneau, Alaska is crazy. I mean I’ve been riding for years and years, and it’s never been this risky. In the past two weeks we’ve seen several big releases and a few close calls. It’s scary because it’s totally different from what I’ve been used to. That shows us right there that we can never know what to expect. It’s a big reality check.

What is important to you in your life?
Friends. Having fun, too. As long as you have fun it’s cool. I don’t think life is worth it if you’re working too much or not having fun most of the time; if you try to be something that you’re not, and doing something for someone else. You have to do things for yourself and enjoy it because you only live once and life’s not that long.

Do you have any strong beliefs or ideals that you adhere to?
It’s rather hard because I’ve never been religious or raised that way. But it still seems to me that I ask myself too many questions. I don’t really believe that there is a God, but still don’t know where we came from and what we are here for. So there are a lot of questions out there that I can’t find answers for. Sometimes I actually try not to think about it too much because it’s almost disturbing.

Do you believe in karma or that events in life happen for a reason?
I really relate it to a hand of cards. You receive cards at the start of a game and then that’s where luck comes in. You either have good ones or bad ones. If you get bad ones you can still make it happen and win, and if you get good ones you can still fuck up too. You are dealt cards which is something that is given to you, but you create the change and you can make it happen or not. It’s half and half I think. With the hand you’re dealt, you can make it better or worse. I believe that there are events that happen to you, or in front of your eyes, and you can somewhat direct or alter the outcome. You can lead your life in a general direction or you can go the opposite way. That’s up to you.

What fascinates you?
In a good way, technology: like airplanes and helicopters. Digital technologies like cell phones, televisions, and computers amaze me. In a bad way, I’m fascinated by the mentality of people. Like, why do humans do such bad things and do fucked up shit? On a larger scale, there are wars, and on a smaller one it’s shit that I don’t understand. It fascinates me in a bad way.

What activities are you involved with when you’re away from the mountains?
Surfing is definitely number one. That’s why I live by the ocean when I’m not in the mountains. Skydiving is another favorite too, and probably riding around on my motorcycle when I have the time. Lately I’ve been getting into golf as well.

You mentioned skydiving. How long have you been doing that?
I’ve been jumping for a couple of years now. Two or three, but I don’t have that many jumps since I haven’t had much time to devote to it. I’ve done about fifty jumps and have a license, so I can jump anywhere I want. It’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. It’s so anti-natural just jumping out of an airplane and just flying on your own through the sky. At the end you have to open your chute, but still you’ve been flying for a minute! It doesn’t really feel as if you’re falling, but truly like you’re flying. That’s one thing that I discovered a couple years ago and really gets me going.

Have you given much thought to base jumping?
I’m considering it since I have a friend that has been skydiving for years with over a thousand jumps. He’s now into base jumping and really enjoys it. I think that will be the ultimate rush, like a calculated rush in a certain way. It’s pushing the limits of your abilities and being conscious of what you can and cannot do. Some people may say it’s crazy or stupid but that’s because they cannot relate to it. It’s all relative; something will always be crazy to someone whereas it won’t be for somebody else.

What achievements would you like to accomplish in your career?
Well, one of them I just did! That was winning the King of the Hill in Alaska this year. Of course, I would like to win more but if I don’t I’ll be happy with the one I have. More importantly, I’d like to stay free from injury and keep traveling to new places.

You’re very close with your immediate family in Brussels. Do they support your career at this point?
At first, of course, they were not too happy that I was going to leave my hometown and try to do my own thing. I’m not blaming them at all now because I know why they were worried At the time they really didn’t think that I’d be doing what I am today. Right now they are stoked because they can see that I’m happy and I’ve followed my dreams.

At this point I suppose you’d like to thank and acknowledge those important to you?
First of all, I want to thank my parents and my sister. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. Also my girlfriend Aurelie Jouan, for her love and support. Reid, Derek, Carl, Gilles, Christel and Enich at Billabong, they’re a great team and are really important to me. Special thanks to Tony Guerrero, Jeff Sand, Erik Anderson, Jared Bevens, Ben Hunter, Jake Rivas , Lee Bryan, Mike Conroy, and of course, BK at Switch, who have done so much for me. They’ve all helped greatly to get me where I am today. Regis and Valerie at A Snowboards; the entire crew at Arnette US, especially Bruce Beach, Mike Carter, Greg and Kip Arnette. Alistair Craft, Dave Seone, Dave Mailman, Steve Veytia, Pat Colton, Trey Cook, Daz, Buffalo, Mathieu Garcia, David Pitschi, Yves Tchao and Jacques Doetsh; Chad and Andy at Nixon; Phil Lalemant, Demir and Youbi for being my closest friends, and all of the other Belgian riders. Cedric DuMont and Thierry Willer for being my long-time friends. Drew Stevenson, Gary Maidment at Onboard; Scalp, Eric Bergeri, Mathias Fennetaux, and Florent Ducasse for being my favorite French photographers and working with me. Justin Hostynek for being a friend, a photographer and a tripper. David Vincent, Yannick Amevet, Steph Routin, Serge Vitelli for being my teammates and friends at A Snowboards. Stephane Grenet at Northwave, John Sommers and his brother, Roman Carlier for showing me how to do my first backside airs and freestyle tricks. Mike Ranquet, Stephan Saglia, Marc Frank, Jay Nelson and Kurt Wastell; Chamonix’s Jerome Ruby and Dedi Rehm for their inspiration and abilities; Out of Bounds Adventures’ crew with Bruce and Mary Frances Griggs; Sean Dog, Bill Glude and Gil, our pilot; and last but not least, Nick Perata and Bonnie McDonald for putting the King of the Hill event together this, and all past seasons.

What are your future plans or goals?
I’ve been thinking about getting a pilot’s license or perhaps doing stunts for movies after snowboarding. That’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. I’d love to stay within the same group of people and perhaps work for one of my sponsors in some type of position.

One more thing. You’ve amazed many people with the floating card trick that you displayed in Blackbox. How many times has that trick paid itself off since you first bought and learned it?
It’s easily paid off a thousand times over! All I know is that I’ve gotten a lot of people pleased, stoked, and a lot of people pissed off at the same time. There is nothing more that they want than to know how it is done. They should accept the unknown because most of them will never know. Sorry!