Caleb Kesterke, 16-year-old snowmobiler from Seeley Lake, catching some air near Seeley Lake.
Kesterke films himself practicing a whip. To execute a whip the rider, while in the air, pushes the back of the sled to the side and then pulls it back before landing.
Kesterke checks the spark plugs to see if he needs to adjust the carburetor. The color of the plug indicates the air to fuel ratio. A proper ratio is important to attaining the most power and throttle response. Kesterke was still tuning and learning this snowmobile in which he had been riding for less than a week. He normally rides a Skidoo but purchased this Polaris to finish out the season.
Riding in tight spots between trees and on side hills is Kesterke's specialty. He enjoys riding in the trees more than on wide open, steep hills.
Kesterke sets up his camera on a monopod to capture his next trick.
Rather than digging out after getting stuck, Kesterke, rolls his sled over.
A Go-ProⓇ camera, mounted on the hood, shoots footage of his ride.
Seeley Lake snowmobiler Caleb Kesterke has been pursuing his snowmobiling passion since the age of two. He started shooting video of himself riding two years ago to, "record all the fun stuff I was doing out there." Last spring he gained national recognition through the first amateur video competition put on by North Road Productions out of Kenai, Alaska.
Kesterke's first snowmobile was a 120 Mini Z. His father Shane Kesterke and grandfather Ray Aberly taught him how to ride.
"I thought I was an expert [by the age of 5]," said Kesterke. "My mom and dad tell me now I wasn't so good."
With the continued support of his immediate family and grandparents, Kesterke, now a 16-year-old, is on his way to making tracks as a well-respected backcountry rider.
"My dad pushed me hard and I've learned a lot from his example," said Kesterke.
Kesterke has always loved being in the woods and fell in love with the technical and mechanical challenge of snowmobiling.
"It's about manipulating the machine into doing what I want it to do," said Kesterke.
Kesterke does all his own mechanic work. He is always modifying his sled to make it easier to maneuver and give him more power.
Kesterke's favorite place to ride is in tight trees. He said that is where he learned to ride and it challenges his riding capabilities and pushes him to learn new backcountry techniques.
Kesterke uses two Hero 3 Go-ProⓇ cameras to capture his snowmobiling adventures.
To get a good shot, Kesterke accounts for: lighting, angle of the camera to capture the technicality of the trick or line (path snowmobile travels) and background. He also searches out good powder. Kesterke mounts his cameras in various locations to capture the angle and view that he wants. Camera mount locations on the sled include the bumper, positioned to "look back" at him while he rides. A body camera mount is typically located on his helmet so the camera is facing the terrain ahead. A mono-pod placed in the snow can be positioned to catch Kesterke riding by.
Kesterke submitted an 11:30 minute video to North Road Productions amateur video competition. The video documents his backcountry snowmobiling and features himself and fellow rider Kyle Saxton of Big Fork, Mont. His video took the "Best Overall Out-of-State," award for videos more than six minutes long.
North Road Productions' mission is to encourage good sportsmanship, safe and responsible use of snowmobiles, respect for public and private lands and natural resources. The intent behind the video competition was to produce an entertaining film that looked professional but was produced by amateurs.
Nearly 50 videos were entered from all over the world and were judged by North Road's staff and professional snowmobiler riders including Cory Davis and Sahen Skinner and Schooled Films video producers George Marsh and Brenden Richards.
"Caleb [Kesterke] is a great kid," said North Road Productions owner Sean 'Sully' Sullivan. "What impressed me so much is he's humble for being so young. And for a young kid he's extremely talented. He does his own [mechanical work] and sled modifications [difficult stuff for many adult riders]. His technical riding in the backcountry is impressive."
Asked what stood out to Sullivan about Kesterke's film, Sullivan said, "He's able to see the line [he wants to take with his snowmobile] and then find the line to film to capture the shot. He's able to place his camera without disturbing his shot. Then he has one chance to film and can pull it off."
Kesterke hopes to enter North Road Productions next video competition which, according to Sullivan, is planned for the fall of 2014 during Hay Days pre-season snowmobiling kick off. More information can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Road-Productions/194047840695558
MotorFist, Powderfreaks and Between the Lines Designs currently sponsor Kesterke. He hopes to someday become a pro backcountry rider but until then his goal is to push himself and continue to improve his riding skill level. Videography will remain his hobby.
To view videos of Kesterke visit http://www.youtube.com/user/BoonDockerBoy. To view his award-winning video visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOjVRvax2dQ
Reader Comments(0)