Revelstoke, British Columbia
Three generations of Ski-Doo
Having grown up at his father’s Ski-Doo dealership, Kevin Fleming eventually became the guy in the company’s ads
Fun with papa Terry: Fleming’s five-year-old son, Colton rides his Mini-Z with his grandfather. —photo courtesy Kevin Fleming
Kevin Fleming grew up in Revelstoke as the son of Terry Fleming, a Ski-Doo dealer who was also the first president of the snowmobile club, as well as Snowmobile Federation Dealer of the Year in 1993. Kevin Fleming was destined to get involved with the sport. Back in the 1970s there wasn’t the selection of children’s snowmobiles there is now—so he rode on the back with Terry.
Maxxing out an Elan
Once Fleming turned five, he got his first ride, a Ski-Doo Elan. At the age of seven, he was challenging the limits of his sled.
“I wouldn’t have been very big, but I was riding my single-cylinder Elan up Boulder Mountain,” said Fleming. Fleming’s parents insisted that he take outdoor safety and survival training before he went on extended adventures.
The arresting terrain of Revelstoke
The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club entered a contest in 1986—seeking to become snowmobile club of the year. The club’s entry included a video that showed local riders and terrain. Ski-Doo was involved in the judging, and some of their people were so impressed by Revelstoke’s terrain that they decided to do an advertising shoot there.
Fleming entered his resume to ride—but didn’t get called.
During the shoots, one of the riders recommended Fleming again. That was the start of a career that has lasted 22 years.
Fleming does photo shoots for up to three weeks every winter (he owns a Napa Auto Parts store in Sicamous as well).
Riding for the camera
“The camera only sees what it sees,” said Fleming. “The sled needs to be at the right place at the right time—at the right angle. Lots of guys can ride—there’s a lot of good riders out there, but they need someone who has an eye for the camera as well.”
Fleming loves being able to ride the new sleds a year before they are released. He also likes the fact that he witnessed the evolution of Ski-Doos over the course of his lifetime.
“That’s probably the most exciting part,” said Fleming. “Seeing the changes before anybody, being in the Ski-Doo industry for so long, seeing the snowmobiles evolve.”
He gets to work with some of Ski-Doo’s race team members, such as father-son hill climbers, Mark and Scott Thompson.
Although he finds it hard to spend time away from his wife Bev and two children for photo shoots, Fleming feels that the experience has been positive.
“The best thing about it is doing something you like to do,” said Fleming.
Sharing the sport with family
Fleming is now passing his love of sledding on to his five-year-old son, Colton and two-year-old daughter, Addyson. Colton has already had three seasons on his Ski-Doo Mini-Z, and is getting ready for a bigger sled. Last winter, Fleming ran behind the Mini-Z, with the kill switch attached to a 10-foot tether, on the ready to stop the sled if Colton started to lose control.
“Mostly, I’d just run behind him and pull the tether when I got tired,” laughed Fleming. “Eventually I had to remove the tether and just let him go.”
Fleming had Addyson sitting on the stationary Mini-Z and anticipates that she might ride a little bit this winter. Fleming feels that more should be done to encourage family riding and women in the sport. He endorses women’s rides and feels that snowmobile clubs should do everything they can to encourage entire families to ride together.
Fleming referred to the women’s ride out at Enderby in the Hunters Range last year. He said that the instruction offered to female riders is very positive.
“The more independent they feel, the more they feel a part of it,” said Fleming. “It’s a good deal. More of that type of thing can make the sport grow.”
Rebuilding Dad’s vintage Blizzard
Fleming’s new hobby is collecting and rebuilding old racing sleds, like his dad’s old 1973 Blizzard and a 1966 Ski-Doo.
“My wife doesn’t like that addiction,” he laughed.
Fleming’s father was a racer all over British Columbia and in Beausejour, Manitoba over the course of the early 1970s, so the old sleds give him a sense of nostalgia. Fleming is restoring Terry’s Blizzard so that he can race it in the vintage races in Beausejour. Fleming had a Beausejour win in 1992, the Pro Sprint Championship.
“We’ve been involved in snowmobiling for so many years,” said Fleming. “It’s been a huge part of everything for three generations now.”
