My first encounter with Mark Gallup took place at Peaks Lodge, in Revelstoke, BC, back when I was the team manager for a now defunct snowboard company in the mid-‘90s. I'd hired Gallup for a catalogue shoot but had only spoken with him over the phone; we'd yet to meet in person. I rolled in with a crew of cranky team riders several hours earlier that day, after a tiring drive from Vancouver in a rented Dodge Caravan with bald tires - not ideal for the icy roads of Roger's Pass. I'd been waiting up for Gallup to arrive long after everyone else had called it a night; I figured that staying awake to greet him was the least I could do.

Shin Campos jumping over Dwayne Wiebe, Mustang Powder, BC.

I finally got a call in my cell phone around 1 AM. "Houghton!" he yelled. "It's Gallup! I'm downstairs. You want to get a drink?" I complied and said I'd meet him in the lobby. Two minutes later, I found myself posted up at the bar with a cold pint in hand, having my first in-person conversation with the legendary photographer. As we clinked glasses, he shot me a look and said, "I'm half Irish, half native and all-drinker!" before laughing and downing half his beer in one gulp.

Since then I've many memorable moments with Gallup, both on the snow and in the bar, and am continually amazed by what a unique character he is. He has a zeal for life greater than almost anyone I know, whether he's chest-deep in powder shooting A-list riders, jamming out Santana riffs on a mini travel guitar, eating potato chips in Jake Burton's kitchen, or raising a tepee in the backyard of his Calgary home. He's also one of the most influential and prolific snowboard photographers in the world, having earned more covers, editorial pages and ad shots than a rookie shooter chasing his first cheque could possibly dream of.

If anyone's earned the right to say, "been there, done that" it's Gallup. So why not give him the opportunity? Push.ca hit him up with a few questions to get his opinion on the state of snowboard photography today... and it was also a great excuse to run a gallery of his favourite shots.

Self-portait, BC highway.

Is photography a life-long pursuit for you? Do you still feel as challenged now as you did in the earlier years, when the learning curve was steeper?

There are different challenges now-a-days. Back then it wasn't just the pursuit of photography. It was the traveling to new places, meeting new people, riding new terrain and all that... Okay, that's still attractive now, but back then there was a shitload of money in the industry and we rolled around like rock stars. We broke new ground every season, whether it was pioneering new locations like Greenland, Nepal, or Alaska, or applying photography techniques never done before in the middle of a snowstorm. The backing was there from the magazines and companies and the potential seemed unlimited. The challenge then was how far can you go? The challenge for me these days is trying to keep things simple so the creative process doesn't get run over by the business of photography.

DCP, Chatter Creek, BC.

How do your goals now, specifically with snowboard photography, compared to the goals you had when you began? Does getting a cover shot still give you the same satisfaction?

To tell you the truth, the editorial images are not that important to me anymore. If it involves riding powder with good people then I'll get the shot. But it's a pretty fickle industry. Digital photography has made it easy for anybody to get a beautiful shot. I'm surprised the magazines have enough room for the list of photographers on the mast head! But the flood of photographers these days is good timing for me, because my goals have expanded beyond getting the cover. I've been focused on snowboard editorial for over 20 years, so I'm pretty relaxed about it these days.

Lisa Filsmoser over the hot tub, Mustang Powder, BC.

Have you ever felt a sense of competition between you and other photographers?

I was browsing this photographer's web the other day, a guy named Joey Lawrence... great digital photography. And somebody looked over my shoulder and asked me how his photos made me feel. I thought it was a silly question. I love getting inspired by other photographer's work; it keeps me going and sparks creative thought. I like being competitive in a sporty kind of way. I'm in it for the pursuit, not the finish line.

Victoria Jealouse.

What about some of the younger photographers who are now getting shots in the magazines? Whose work stands out to you?

Like I mentioned, there is a shitload of photographers out there these days and it's hard to keep track half the time. There is a lot of hit and miss. There really isn't anybody consistent that stand out to me. Or is it the photo editors that aren't consistent?

TJ Schneider, Calgary, AB.

I am sure you've been asked for plenty of advice over the years by aspiring photographers. What's the number one piece of advice you've always given out?

When pouring vodka shooters, put water in your glass when nobody's looking.

Lisa Filsmoser, Mustang Powder, BC. 

You're known as a photographer, and I can vouch for this, that can combine work with fun very effectively. How do you deal with it when it simply isn't fun?

I generally get pretty sarcastic when things fall apart. I know: it's one of my downfalls. But if I'm in a situation that's under my control, I'll stop everything and get everybody turned in a different direction. Change locations, go for some runs, do something fun, open a bottle of wine, take my clothes off, you know...

Louie Fountain, Monashee Powder Adventures, BC.

You've worked with the best of the best in snowboarding. But outside of snowboarding, I know you've had your share of encounters with famous people.

I signed up for a photo workshop in NYC back in 2001, so I called Mark Seliger, who was the photo editor of Rolling Stone at the time. I slept on his couch for a week. We had sushi with Chris Rock, a barbeque on his roof top with Denzel Washington, and we partied with Lenny Kravitz for two days.

Shandy Campos, jumping over his dog Randy, in the BC Interior.

Not bad! If you had to cut all of your gear down to just one camera body and only one lens, what would that be?

For shooting action it would be my Mark 3 with the 70-200 2.8 "bread and butter" lens. For just shooting life, I would carry around either my Leica M6 with a 28 mm or a Mamiya 7. The Leica feels soooo right, but I just love medium format print film and the Mamiya is light and quick. Mind you, I haven't shot the film cameras for years, but I'll never sell them in hopes of pulling them out one day and seeing where they take me.

Dwayne Wiebe, Mustang Powder, BC.

Write your own epitaph in one sentence.

He has gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on,
Big Mountains heaved to heaven, which the blinding sunsets blazon,
Searched the vastness for something lost,
Heard the challenge, learned the lesson, paid the cost.

(From Robert Service, The Call of the Wild)