In case you were not already aware, the 2002 release of Absinthe’s seminal snowboarding movie Vivid cemented Swiss maverick Romain De Marchi’s reputation as one of the sport’s true greats. In the years since, the backcountry ace and consummate hell-raiser has established himself as a bona fide legend among fans and fellow pros alike. Renowned for being the last to leave the bar at night and the first to hit the powder in the morning, Romain’s formidable attitude of rock solid resolve and sheer death blind courage left most others in the shade.

Right from his early days back in the late nineties when he dominated the Euro freestyle scene, Romain pushed the limits of what it had previously been thought possible to achieve on a snowboard. He was equally at home pulling off gnarly freestyle tricks in the park, or ripping up the toughest backcountry terrain. But despite his wild man reputation, he has always been adamant that simply being reckless is not nearly enough. In order to innovate and not just emulate, you have to plan properly, think creatively and work hard. For proof you don’t need to look any further than Romain’s virtually peerless skills, captured so perfectly here.

Romain may have settled down somewhat in recent years, becoming a father and setting up YES Snowboard with fellow riders DCP and JC Solberg after the dissolution of Burton’s infamous UnInc crew, but he can still rock the slopes with the best when the mood takes him. For many snowboarding fanatics, these classic early Absinthe productions were where it all started, so sit back and marvel at Romain’s jaw-dropping backcountry slamming all over again.