By Hannah Truby
Thirty years ago, three Jackson Hole dirtbags with a knack for skiing hard and hustling harder pooled their fishing and heli-guiding money to buy a 16mm camera. Alongside their friend Corey Gavitt, Todd and Steve Jones and Dirk Collins set out to capture the then-underground progression of freeskiing and snowboarding.
What they built became more than a film company. From that little outpost in Wyoming, Teton Gravity Research (TGR) helped push the culture itself forward, shaping how skiers, snowboarders, and, eventually, surfers saw themselves on screen.
Today, TGR is still running full tilt. Last month, it announced Pressure Drop, its 30th annual ski and snowboard release, a film that doubles down on what’s always been at the heart of TGR: chasing the fall line with total commitment. The world tour kicks off Sep. 13 with more than 200 stops around the globe—another reminder that what started as a camera and a dream in Jackson has become a movement.
I sat down with TGR co-founder, director, and producer Todd Jones to talk about those early days, how the company has evolved, and what keeps driving him after three decades.
Hannah: First off, congrats on 30 years! Before we get into Pressure Drop, I want to get a little nostalgic. In 1995, you, Steve, and Dirk pooled your money from working as commercial fishermen and heli-ski guides to buy camera equipment with the goal of documenting the evolution of action sports. Can you take us back to those early conversations when TGR was still just an idea?
Still from Pressure Drop trailer
Todd: We’d all met up in Alaska—McConkie, Moles, Kreitler, Swan—and were doing the pro skier thing before it was really a thing. There wasn’t much money in it, though. Coombs was heli-guiding, and Dirk suggested we try commercial fishing—we could make ten grand in 48 hours, so that gave us a little breathing room.
There was one particular winter camping trip in the Valley of the Tusk where everything was just really clear. We were out there, dropping first descents, and at some point, we're like: “We got this fishing thing dialed, we're making all this money, and then we just go back to Jackson and we ski and we travel the world. Why don't we buy a camera and just create our own thing and actually do it the way we see it and the way we want it to be?” That September we bought our first 16-millimeter camera, and TGR was born.
Hannah: Wow. And you were just in your early 20s then. Since those days, how has your passion for filmmaking and storytelling changed?
Todd: The early years of TGR were ski-bummy, very frugal—five people in a hotel room, scraping by. Over time, I realized I wanted to make this my life, but my passion has only grown since, as the company’s evolved.
Hannah: Was there a particular moment in action sports that you now see as the catalyst for starting the company?
Todd: There really wasn’t one–it was a culmination of things. At that time, Warren Miller would show up, hand us some skis and clothes, and we were like, “No, we’ve got our Rossi gear—we want to ski on their stuff, and be who we are.” It was just this movement, the culture of the time, that we wanted to be a part of, and that was to recognize that freeskiers and big mountain skiers were real professionals.
Hannah: And TGR has always been about the athletes. On your website, it says when you started the company it was with “a commitment to showcasing the world’s top athletes—and creating a company driven by their input.” How has that relationship between the athletes and TGR’s creative direction evolved over the years?
Todd: That’s been a core part of TGR from the start. In the old days, we’d film with athletes and see the film come out, but we wanted everyone’s input. They choose locations, sit in the edit bay, pick the music. That collaborative relationship is still central today. My son Kai is up in the edit bay right now working on his segment and Parkin Costain just finished his. It really shows in the films.
Hannah: Speaking of Kai—how much does he continue to rip these days?
Todd: Kai’s about to put out his finest work to date. He’s had four dominations at IF3 for Skier of the Year, and now he’s showing up with his best segment ever in Pressure Drop.
Hannah: Okay, yes, Pressure Drop—Any epic moments or athletes that you’re especially excited for fans to see?
Todd: Absolutely. Teal Harle, who left competitive skiing, is now moving into freeskiing and, this year, we captured his evolution—big mountain chops, high-level tricks, really exciting. Maggie Voisin came out of retirement and crushed it. Molly Armanio from the Freeride World Tour has a killer segment, and McNutt and Parkin delivered too. We really pushed to capture the highest-level skiing and snowboarding while also weaving in these kinds of vignettes of TGR’s history.
Hannah: Over these 30 years, TGR has expanded from films to tours, TV, merchandise, and digital content. How do you maintain a focus on great storytelling while managing such a multi-faceted enterprise?
The Grateful Dead x TGR Collection
Todd: You work extra hours! [laughs] But along the way, we’ve built institutional knowledge and refined our craft. We’ve become really good at it. The goal is progression—never getting bored with what we do. Merchandise allows us to share our vibe globally. When HBO calls for a four-film series, we know how to execute and assemble a killer team. So I think it's just the evolution of time in the hot seat, really.
Hannah: In the age of social media and short clips, why is it still important for skiers and riders to come together to watch TGR movies on the big screen?
Todd: In the digital and post-COVID era, human interaction is becoming more important and precious. Films on the big screen bring like-minded people together. They kick off the winter, and provide an opportunity for real meaningful human interaction—not just with our crew, but with the fans themselves.
Hannah: How important is the battle over public lands for skiers, riders, and outdoor recreationists right now?
Todd: I can speak to public lands, I'm Jeremy Jones' brother [laughs]. Public lands are so important—they’re our studio, our office, where we work and play. You talk about the digital age and how important these live events and these human interactions are. It's also every bit as important now in this digital day and age to put your phone away and disconnect, walk into the woods or the mountains and experience real life, in the moment.
Without that access, that gets harder to do. I live at the epicenter of the billionaire wilderness, and privatizing these lands would be devastating. And closing key trailheads, some people can't travel the way we can, and if you knock out too much of their public land access, they don't have that place to go to recharge their mind and body and soul.
Hannah: What leadership and new perspective is TGR’s new CEO Jon Dorn bringing to the team?
Todd: Jon’s great. He has a lifelong background in media and content. He went to Harvard. He's a business man—you know?—and I'm a creative, so he brings balance to our skill set.
Hannah: Where do you see action sports media heading in the next few years, and what will TGR’s path look like?
Todd: It’s really exciting. More of our sports are getting added to the Olympics. If you told me—young Todd Jones—that skateboarding, surfing, and big mountain skiing would one day be Olympic sports, I’d be like, “Get out of here, you’ve got to be shitting me.”
And, the level of athletes now blows me away—training facilities, Woodward, airbags, social media—they’ve all accelerated progression, so it’s been amazing to see that growth and be part of it. Our mission will always be to grow these sports; to support companies, athletes, filmmakers, and marketers; and to make the world of action sports bigger and more sustainable. It’s really cool to watch it all evolve.
Teton Gravity Research’s Pressure Drop World Tour kicks off September 13, 2025, and we’ll make 200 stops around the world. Get your tickets here.
