ST. GEORGE —A mountain biking film will premiere in St. George, uniting the biker community while raising funds for a nonprofit trail advocacy organization. And here’s why you should go see it.

Kevin Christopherson, who serves as president of the Trail Alliance of Southern Utah, a 501(c)3 nonprofit trail advocacy organization, said the nonprofit consists of volunteers who focus on maintaining, fixing and creating new trails.

“We’re not going to take full credit for all the trails, but many, if not all, wouldn’t have been built without our help,” Christopherson said.

The alliance has maintained and developed a variety of bike trails in the area, including their hand in Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Ringer, More Cowbell, Cryptobionic and Wire Mesa Trail, along with restoring the Ice House Trail in collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management.

Three years ago, the alliance worked with Red Bull during the Red Bull Rampage, where they premiered a movie and had a pizza party. They were able to raise money for the nonprofit while also bringing the biker community together. With the success of the event, the organization began to look at other bike movies to premiere. That’s when they came across a film by Teton Gravity Research called “Esperanto” and instantly loved the theme.

According to a press release issued by Teton Gravity Research, the film explores how mountain bikers can share their enthusiasm for the sport through the universal language of two wheels, no matter what native tongue they speak. The film is named after the universal second language, Esperanto, created by a Polish-Jewish doctor in 1887 and intended to end the war and bring people together through a common tongue. 

With an athlete list that includes 21 different mountain bikers from around the globe, “Esperanto” showcases a variety of riding types, with rockstar names in the industry and up-and-coming heroes ready for their next challenge.

The film acts as a visual tapestry of next-level riding with names such as Cam Zink, Brage Vestavik, Emil Johannson, Brandon Semenuk, and others while expressing the idea that a shared language is still alive.

“Esperanto” made its world premiere on June 16 at the Red Butte Amphitheatre in Salt Lake City. The film will be shown at 120 locations around the world, including St. George, during an expansive global tour. See the movie trailer here.

“They go all over the world – they go to Spain, Guatemala, with this theme of mountain booking being the common language of the world,” Christopherson said. 

A section of the film highlights women in the sport, he added, which is still a relatively new thing and stands as an inspiration for girls who may be interested. The female-focused section of the film was shot near Virgin and features Hannah Bergemann.

“We want to raise money because we still have a lot of trails we’d like to build,” Christopherson said. “But the ultimate goal with this movie is to bring our awesome bike community together.

“It’s surprising. We have a lot of people in this community, and I run into bikers all the time that have never heard of the Trail Alliance of Southern Utah,” he added. “There’s a whole audience out there that we haven’t even connected with yet, and we want to find them.”

As for current trail projects, the Pine Valley Trail project, as previously reported by St. George News, is still in the works. Christopherson said it originally was initiated by the alliance four years ago and that the planning, environmental review, public comment and fundraising efforts were completed earlier this year.

With a goal to complete phase one around May of next year, he said they still need roughly $1 million to finish the entire trail plan. The trail has been a group effort, with support from the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, recreation planners, the Greater Zion tourism office and county commissioners, along with Trails Utah and the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.

“We’ve seen the value these trails bring, not only by improving the quality of life for those that live here, but the economic value of people coming in,” Christopherson said. 

Every penny the nonprofit makes above cost goes directly back into the trails including T-shirt sales, movie premieres, memberships and more, he said. 

To help fund the movie event as well as fundraise for the Pine Valley trail project, Christopherson said local bike shops such as Bicycles Unlimited, Bike Fix, Red Rock Bicycle, Fasst Company, Over The Edge Sports and Rapid Cycling gave significant contributions that will be auctioned off at a later date. He said he is thankful for the continued support of local businesses and individuals that allow for the organization’s mission to continue.

“Esperanto” will premiere on Friday, with a special showing the following Monday for coaches and kids of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association. 

Event details

• What: Trail Alliance of Southern Utah presents “Esperanto,” a Teton Gravity Research film
• When: Friday, Aug. 19, and Monday, Aug. 22. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., film starts at 7 p.m.
• Where: Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle St., St. George
• Admission: Aug. 19 donation: $20 per person,  Aug. 22 donation: $10 per person
• For more information, along with the movie trailer, see the event page

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