Cal Aamodt Interview: Behind the Vision for Buster 2

When Buster dropped in 2023, it felt like the start of something raw and real — a street snowboard film featuring Dusty Henricksen, Dillon Henrickson, Lauren Derminio, and Denver Orr. Behind the lens was Cal Aamodt, a Minnesota-raised skier-turned-filmmaker who’s quietly becoming an exciting creative voice documenting snowboard culture.

With Buster 2 premiering November 17th on Torment Mag, Cal and the crew come back with the same energy that made the first film so fun to watch. We caught up with Cal to talk about how it all started, what changed this time around, and what it takes to pull off a full-length project with your friends while juggling freelance work and cross-country moves.

Cal: Yo! Thanks for having me. I grew up in Minnesota, about twenty minutes from Hyland Hills — that’s where everything really started. I’m actually a skier, even though I shoot mostly snowboarding these days. Back in high school, my friends were riding every day, building backyard setups, and I was always there filming and cutting up edits for YouTube. Shout out to my OGs Cole Histon and Jack Harris.

I moved to Salt Lake for college and started filming for the Westminster Snowboard Team, and that opened a lot of doors. My title in the industry would be independent filmmaker — shooting, editing, directing, making breakfast for the crew, whatever needs doing.

I haven’t worked with too many brands besides Jiberish (big shout out to Amos and the homies), but I’d love to work with more brands. The scene’s stacked with talent, and there’s not a ton of money in it, so I try to stay balanced. My goal is just to keep learning, traveling, and meeting cool people to work with — both in and outside the snow world.

Cal: Definitely. Skiing, snowboarding, and skating were the start of everything. I’m a skateboarder at heart, and that’s what I did most growing up, but the first real videos I ever filmed were skiing and snowboarding.

I wasn’t great at skiing, so it made more sense for me to grab a camera — whereas with skating, I wanted to skate. My first snow videos were all street stuff, even if it was just a picnic table in the park. And honestly, dudes are still filming that kind of thing today, so I’m going to count it as street.

Cal: The vision didn’t change too much — we just wanted to go harder and make something more complete. The first Buster was super last-minute. We didn’t even decide to do it until mid-February, and suddenly we’re booking flights to Finland and talking to some guy at Donner Ski Ranch. Thanks to Davis Bedient at DSR! 

This time we were way more organized and collaborative. I was constantly sending rough cuts to the riders and taking feedback, which can be a double-edged sword but made for a stronger final piece. The main idea for both was to make something that feels like a skate video — and there are a bunch of skate video Easter eggs hidden throughout Buster 2. If someone finds them all, I’ll give you fifty bucks haha.

Cal: For sure. Buster 1 taught me a lot about efficiency and how to manage a crew. Before that, most of my projects were smaller — fewer riders, maybe another filmer. Buster was four riders and me, plus help from locals like Arttu and the Forre crew.

It was a crash course in logistics and people skills. Learning how to work, live, and travel with your homies — all with different personalities, opinions, and needs — is a real skill. That experience stuck with me, and I’m super thankful for it.

Cal: Nothing too crazy, honestly. Nobody got hurt, everyone stacked clips — that’s the dream. The hardest part was balancing freelance work and the project itself. I moved to Southern California a couple months before filming started, and that place ain’t cheap haha. I’d be editing Buster 2 one day, then traveling for other clients the next. It was a grind, but it worked out.

Cal: I met Dusty through Sean and Tucker Fitzsimons — shout out those guys. Dusty would come to SLC, hang at my place, skate, and we just became homies. Then he called me one day asking if I wanted to shoot his X Games Real Snow, which was our first project together.

Dillon helped on that project too, started crashing at my house all the time, and we got close. I knew Denver from working at Windells, and he grew up riding with Dillon and Dusty, so that connection was natural. Drayden joined at the last minute, and it just clicked. They’re all from California, and grew up riding together, and everyone rips. Literally a dream crew. Shout out to my gang — love y’all.

Cal: We’re probably taking this season off to focus on other things, but I’d be lying if I said there won’t be a Buster 3. Dillon mentioned maybe doing a trip or two this year and turning it into a two-year project… but I can’t confirm or deny haha.

Thanks for having me — hope everyone enjoys Buster 2! It is now live on Torment Mag.

From backyard setups in Minnesota to full-length projects premiering on Torment, Cal Aamodt is showing that authentic filmmaking in snowboarding is alive and thriving. Buster 2 feels like a celebration of that — a group of friends, some cameras, and the kind of creative drive that doesn’t need big budgets to hit hard. Buster 2 is now live, and you can watch it at the link below. Keep an eye out for whatever comes next from Cal and the crew.