All In, Lifestyle Film Review

This isn’t a film with big backing and sponsored product placements. All In, Lifestyle is a labour of love by Revelstoke-based film producer Donovan Skelton, who’s worked tirelessly on the project over the course of several years of filming and more in post-production to bring the film to life. The finished film is truly the result of blood, sweat and tears.

All In, Lifestyle is marked by beautiful cinematography, raw, high-energy music and, above all, hardcore backcountry riding. The film is mostly segmented by athlete, and it barely takes a breath between riders.

What you do get in those brief moments between rider segments is a consistent theme throughout—the athletes talk about what backcountry snowmobiling means to them, and why they are driven to pursue their passion with such dedication. They really are all in.

The opening shots will resonate with so many mountain sledders. Rob Alford and Jeremy Hanke are captured exploring an untouched backcountry utopia on a bluebird pow day. It’s the stuff we dream about, and what keeps us coming back for more time riding in the mountains. Say no more, All In, Lifestyle, we feel you.

But storytelling soon takes a backseat as Derek Wood, backed by metal riffs, rides deep pow and lofts airs as big and heavy as the soundtrack.

That this film was shot over the course of several years becomes evident in the footage of a few riders, including Wood, who have since “retired” from riding at a profession level. Brad Gilmore, who’s been out of the sledding spotlight for a number of years now makes an appearance with some very big drops. And later on, we see footage of Brodie Evans, who called it quits after a short but super impressive time in the limelight, due to injury and the cost of pursing his passion full-time.

Have no fear snow biking brethren, your choice of backcountry tool is represented here as well, as the dedication of snow bikers to their sport is no less. In fact, Cody Matechuk is featured tossing around his snow bike and his 4-stroke Yamaha Sidewinder M-TX both with unbelievable ease. Brock Hoyer and Morgan Kaliszuk are featured as well, dropping cliffs and hitting backcountry jumps with FMX style.

Two of today’s most progressive backcountry riders, Caleb Kesterke and Andreas Bergmark are featured in the film.

Caleb rides some tech lines, hits drops and huge jumps and does some crazy off-axis stuff in the air, including stomping what he calls a Sideflip—which Mountain Sledder featured as a Riding Tip with stills provided by the filmmaker from footage seen in the film. Kesterke’s segment alone makes the film worth a watch.

Andreas Bergmark’s appearance is shorter but just as worthy of mention as he executes a first-ever, massive backflip over the famed Turtle Gap, along with other utterly ridiculous things like barrel rolls and big, fully inverted re-entries.

Some of the most committed riders in the mountains today are women, and they are represented here by Kelsey Elliot, Nadine Overwater and Shena Thomas. Kelsey impresses, chucking it off booters and cliffs and slaying some seriously epic pow. Nadine is well-known for charging super hard, and she lives up to her reputation here.

The 57 minute-long film showcases a big supporting cast of extremely talented backcountry riders, including notables like Rob Alford, Cody Borchers, Dave England, Josh Gerber, Nick Woods, Jamie Iwaschuk and others.

The film is wrapped up the same sense that it came together, with the final segment showcasing an energy focused on community rather than corporate agenda. It closes with an exhibition of skill from a year-end gathering of sledders in Brett Turcotte’s backyard, where there are no sponsor booths and no ticket sales. Just a bunch of Brett’s sledding friends building big jumps and having fun pushing each other without pressure to perform after a busy season in the spotlight. They’re there not for money, or to sell outerwear, but because of their shared love of being in the mountains with friends.

And that’s why this film exists too.

– MS

If you’d like to watch All In, Lifestyle, it can be purchased directly from the filmmaker at https://allinlifestyle.ca in Blu-ray and DVD formats. The following promo codes will allow a percentage of each sale to go to that rider.

The film is also available at the following locations:

Revelstoke, BC:

• Full Speed Rentals
• Infinite Powersports
• Rough Country

Vernon, BC:

• Vernon Motorsports

Peace River, AB:

• Mighty Peace Powersports