There has been significant talk on the trails this week about the upcoming debut of KGB Productions film Freedom Riders. 22Local sent correspondent Chris Dickey to catch up with the boys behind the lens and see what the motivation, film and story are all about.

Rewind eight years ago to the origins of Jackson Hole’s freeride mountain bike scene with a handful of rogue enthusiasts hell bent on blazing the first freeride trails down Teton Pass. As illegal trails popped up and notoriety of the venue grew, Forest Service and Freedom Riders got together and forged a plan for how to sustainably manage the trails and satisfy the conflicting demands of various Teton Pass interest groups.

In a nutshell, the movie’s narrative follows a squad of rebellious mountain bike cowboys (later known as the Teton Freedom Riders) as they discover a new way to live with a South-Park-esque “I learned something today” speech at the end. The movie nicely lays out the importance of constructive dialogue, progressive land management and compromise to accommodate the emergence of new sports and evolving outdoor recreational demands. (And I haven’t even mentioned the film’s killer cinematography…)

With such a great success story of sport enthusiasts and land managers reaching mutual agreement, let’s hope a page from this book circulates into future land use debates.

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Film showing at The Center for the Arts, Friday, June 19 - screenings at 7:00 (doors open at 6:00 p.m.) and 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 7:45 p.m.) $10 Admission. In addition to the film, there will be a benefit raffle, beer from PBR and the Snake River Brewing Company and an afterparty with pizza, drinks and DJ Mr. Whipple at Café Ponza.

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