Photos: DarcyBacha / Rider: Johnnie Paxson
Interview by Scotty The Body

Mt. Hood is my backyard, always has been, always will be. I watched a lot of riders come and go since I was a little kid. So when I heard that there was some big story coming out about how Mt. Hood is coming back, I laughed. We haven’t gone anywhere. If you don’t know how dope Mt. Hood is in the winter your blowing it. So now, I have to start exposing some of the riders who have been doing our great volcano justice for years. Johnnie Paxson, Corey Noble, Nick Jacobson, and all the hoodrat kids dominate. Here is a look into Johnnie Paxson’s world. This kid is a hard working, blue collar guy, who charges Travis Rice style. He isn’t afraid of anything and really has a positive outlook.

Age: 21
Sponsors: Rome Snowboards, DA KINE, Dragon, Nomis, Northern Alliance snowboard shop, Timberline.

Give us some background Johnnie?

I was born in Portland, Oregon and there for ten years. There was too much gun clappin and I was getting way to hard. So my Mom moved us out to Gresham. A couple years later I picked myself up a Burton Free6. My brother helped me saw off the high back bindings and it was on. Well, not really…I didn’t even become a weekend warrior until the 8th grade. In high school we had a team and I started riding with Corey Noble, and Kyle Martin. We had Los, and Arch as coaches. Those were good times. After high school I got a full time job working construction. I didn’t mind the work, but only being able to snowboard on the weekends made me realize that snowboarding was what I really wanted to do. The next year I quit construction and got a job working in the parks at Mt. Hood Meadows. Got freshys every morning so it was dope. Last year I tried to work parks again, but it started burning me out on snowboarding so I just started shredding outta my own pockets.

So you are one of the overlooked riders on Mt. Hood, who deserves a lot more attention, is this a frustrating thing for you while trying to make it as a pro shred?

I really didn’t know that I was overlooked. The only way I can describe it is when you go to the fridge and grab some milk only to find the carton empty. That’s what it feels like. Maybe they don’t know who I am because I ride in the trees. Ha-ha.

When you see kids who aren’t even on your level getting sponsorship deals, filming parts, getting photos in mags, what do you think about? Does it bother you?

Not at all. Im no hater. I’m stoked for any rider coming out of the Northwest, and better yet, Mt. Hood. Anyone getting it done and trying to live the dream. I think when I see this stuff it just pushes me harder to be someone companies would be proud of. I want to make things happen for myself.

So what direction do you want to take your shredding this winter?

Up for sure! This is the first season I’m not going to have a job so its all about riding. I’m not going to let time I have to shred go to waste. There are so many aspects of snowboarding…backcountry, heli boarding, park, street, contests, and whatever else you can ride your snowboard on. I wanna do em all. The main thing for this year is to get solid video footage that covers as many different aspects of snowboarding as possible. I want to be happy with the footage I’ve built at the end of the year. I also wanna step up the contest plate and have fun doing it.

What kinds of things did you do this summer to get ready for a solid winter of contests and filming?

Well, we started a Timberline Free ride Team which is dope. T-line is sick and they’re all about letting us build some fun stuff to shred so that will be good for filming. I rode timberline and Windells for a bit this summer. I started an illegitimate painting company and painted a lot. I made enough money to buy a truck, pay off bills for six months, and hopefully enough money to last me threw the wintertime. I also skated a ton of tranny with Nick Jacobson, and went to Maui and surfed it up.

Whats up with you current sponsors?

I’m super duper stoked on Rome. The boards are so good, and everyone from the reps to the top seem like their in it for the right reasons. Also this snowboard shop in Sandy call Northern Alliance is so rad. Also Timberline, Dragon, Da kine, and Nomis are dope. Hopefully these companies will realize I really want to make a mark in the snowboard world in a positive way.

Related articles:
From the Shadows: The Lukas Wilson Mini Interview
From the Shadows: The Corey Noble Mini Interview