Freedom Fighters: Behind the Scenes of Freedom Riders

Teton riders prove the shovel is mightier than the sword. Photo: Derek Diluzio

Words: Chris Lesser

Five years ago, the story of the downhill trails at Teton Pass, outside Jackson, Wyoming, echoed with the same discord that surrounds many illegal trails across the country.

The trails were hidden and difficult to access, and because they were built clandestinely, often under the cover of night, the safety of stunts and features was far from guaranteed. And even if riders survived the area’s steep pitches—some topping 20 percent—and limestone-laced terrain, they still had to contend with irate hikers and equestrians.

Still, local riders had built a handful of bona fide downhill trails in the area by 2003. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the law of the land until that summer, when two injuries—one to a mountain biker, another to a lost hiker—drew enough attention to the illegal trails that the Forest Service was prompted to intervene.

The story should have ended there—another illegal trail system discovered by authorities and closed. But instead of giving in, riders brought their case to officials at the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and sought to create the unthinkable—legal, full-blown downhill trails on Forest Service land.

The unprecedented chore—and the unlikely outcome—is the subject of The Freedom Riders, a documentary to be released this spring by local filmmakers Sam Pope and Chris Kitchen of KGB Productions. The film combines gritty action footage with the behind-the-scenes struggles it took to legalize the Teton trails.

The action speaks for itself, but the politicking between riders and Forest Service officials could prove just as intriguing. Though their task was daunting, riders found an ally in 29-year Forest Service veteran Linda Merigliano, the district’s recreation and wilderness program manager who helped organize a community gathering to discuss the trails early in the process. Nearly 100 people showed up, and within months local riders had formed the Teton Freedom Riders. The non-profit group quickly forged an agreement with the Forest Service, purchased operating insurance and officially took over stewardship of the Teton Pass downhill trails.

As part of the deal, riders closed two contentious DH trails, added two new ones and rerouted the lower section of Lithium—the area’s best top-to-bottom DH track—to avoid a popular horse trail. Last summer the relationship was cemented even further when 1,000 Boy Scouts descended on Jackson to volunteer for the Forest Service. TFR board member and full-time trail builder Harlan Hottenstein helped train them in the art of trail design, and the Scouts hammered out a much-needed 3.5-mile connector trail on Teton Pass.

Teton Pass has become a model for building Forest Service-sanctioned freeride trails. The DH trails feature as much as 2,500 vertical feet, enhanced natural obstacles and an official prohibition against uphill traffic.

The Freedom Riders will premiere at the Sea Otter Classic in mid-April [full disclosure: Bike magazine is a sponsor] and then embark on a 50-stop national tour to raise money for IMBA. For more information, go to kgb-productions.com.

Text from Bike Magazine May 2009 Issue

Reader Comments

Posted Fri Apr24, 2009, 3:05 PM — By Matt Englert

Check out our website : tetonfreedomrider.org

Posted Fri May 7, 2010, 9:13 PM — By /

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