A breakout performance in 509 Films put Turkey Reinheardt on our rad radar some time ago, but catching up with him hasn’t been easy. From the backwoods of Nowater, B.C., we were finally able to track him down for an interview. And here’s how it went:
Ring, ring, ring.
TR: Go for Turkey.
SR: Hi there, this is Kirsten from SnoRiders magazine.
TR: Never heard of her.
SR: OK, well I’m based in Cranbrook, B.C., and SnoRiders covers the snowmobiling scene in Western Canada. We’re always on the lookout for new talent to showcase . . .
TR: Of course you are calling me because the Turkey’s on top right now.
SR: I’m wondering if you had time and are interested in answering a few questions.
TR: Well I’m kinda like in the middle of a bush hunt right now with my buds, but uh, yeah we could chat.
SR: So are you getting excited for winter?
TR: Turkey’s always excited when he sees the snow falling on the trees, ya know. But I gotta put some food on my plate so I’m really, well I don’t even have a snowmachine right now. Uh, I’m hoping work picks up here in the back so I can put my name on something that’s really gonna get me over the top this year.
SR: What’s the plan?
TR: Well I don’t know. Tom’s a little pissed at me for burning his sled down last year so gonna have to figure out if we are gonna be friends and then go from there, I guess. I mean, I’ve been looking at Powder Specials again and some more Thunder Cats and I did see this nice M1000. I’ve heard the more cc’s, the more monies that’ll follow you around, so I’m thinking more cc’s this year.
SR: Once you get a sled again, what skills are you looking to progress?
TR: Well, you know I’ve actually contacted Brett Turcotte and uh, he’s offerin’ these clinic deals, ya know. I was thinking first thing I’d do is come down from work there and sign up for one of his clinics and see if he can’t really help me push myself. I’m having a hard time gettin’ over that 25-foot mark, and I’m pretty good at drinking beer so maybe he could teach me how to put the beer can down and get more airtime on my snowmachine.
SR: Right now, what’s your best trick?
TR: I mean, I got a pretty sick superman, but the tailstander, ya know, that really, uh, drops the panties, you know what I’m sayin.
SR: Sure . . . so what’s the biggest jump you’ve done?
TR: Uh, ya know, the tape broke on me last time so I kinda eyeballed it, so probably around 30 foot.
SR: When it comes to riding gear, what do you never leave home without?
TR: My Wranglers.
SR: You find that they are moisture wicking?
TR: Well, they last a lot longer than Levis. Not very waterproof, but I’m working on a Carhartt deal. Maybe they can throw the Turkey some new overalls or something.
SR: What’s your favourite food you take with you when you’re riding?
TR: Usually, I can’t eat on the trail because I’m usually not feeling the best in the morning so I just bank on that I’m going to run into someone that I know on the mountain that'll have some food for me.
SR: What do you pack in your backpack?
TR: Wildcat Strong. Emergency beers ’cuz if you’re going to get lost, you might as well get drunk. And uh, really it just kinda calms you down a bit. If you’re looking for spare gas, a can of beer on a mountain is worth about a gallon of gas.
SR: What kept you busy in the summer?
TR: Well, I've been running the shovel quite a bit, just trying to pay my bills, save up for a new sled. Remember we talked about that earlier. It’s pretty tough, it’s a recession. Good work is hard to find and really, I’m just tryin’ to do my best.
SR: Are there any non-motorized sports that you are good at?
TR: Hmmm, underwater basket weaving is pretty good. I just took it up this summer and uh, I really like huntin’.
SR: So if the sledding thing doesn’t work out, what’s your plan?
TR: If all goes as planned, I'm gonna make millions and be a snowmachiner, like that Chris B-Rant guy. He seems like he's got it goin’ pretty good. But, there isn’t a backup plan. I’m the best. I’m going to become a snowmobiler.
SR: Is there anyone in the sport you look up to?
TR: Oh, you’ve got Brett—he’s really good, terrible in the trees. I’ve seen him, he sucks. But really at the end of the day, that Chris Brown guy has done it all, and uh, I heard he got nominated for Senior Snowmachiner of the Year last year so I mean, from an age perspective, you gotta look up at that guy because he’s the oldest guy doing it.
SR: What about the riders who are looking up to you—do you have any advice for them?
TR: If you’re lookin’ to be an up and comin’ guy, you gotta keep your mind out of the gutter, stay focused, keep your wallet out of the beer store—I mean, price of beer these days—you need a lot of gas.
SR: Good advice.
TR: And really work on your tailstanders. Tailstanders are really impressive.
SR: That’ll get filmmakers like Tom Delanoy turning their heads?
TR: That’s where snowmachining started, and everybody knows a good tailstander when they see one.
SR: What do you enjoy most about “snowmachining”?
TR: You know, just the cold breeze on your mustache in the mornin.’ It’s beautiful, it’s British Columbia. That’s why we live here. It’s the greatest.
SR: Before we hang up, is there anything else you’d like to add?
TR: I should probably brown-nose Tom a bit, say thanks for the past video parts. Lookin’ forward to the next one. If anybody sees any sleds out there that would be good for the Turkey, hit me up on my Instagram. I got this thing on my phone, it shows me when people put photos on there, captions and stuff. Have you heard of it—Instagram?
SR: I have.
TR: So I just got that on my new iPhone 3—it’s a great step above my flip phone. So hit me up on my Instagram if you see any sleds for sale—I could be in the market for a new one for the Turkey. Other than that, I don’t really have any other sponsors. My Wildcat Strong deal kind of went down the toilet and I’m trying to clean myself up a bit.
SR: We’ll try to get your name out there.
TR: Awesome. Keep ’er pinned.
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