e are fundraising for a thirty-minute video portrait of one of Utah’s guiding and outfitting pioneers, Kent Frost. Kent’s life is entwined with the landscape of Southeastern Utah. While growing up in canyon country, the largest tract of unspoiled American landscape in the lower 48 states, Kent explored extensively, hiking hundreds of miles and floating the rivers on homemade rafts. He got to know the country intimately long before beginning his outfitting career. As a river and jeep guide, he opened the minds and hearts of outsiders to the unique people and ecology of the Canyonlands. For approximately thirty years, Kent and his wife, Fern, operated a jeep tour company from Monticello, taking numerous people into the wild lands of Southeast Utah. They recognized the uniqueness of the Needles and Maze Districts, and quietly lobbied for their inclusion when Canyonlands National Park was designated. Kent Frost was named a “Legend” by the National Park Service and Grand Canyon Environmental Studies in 1994, for his part in helping with the beginnings of the commercial boating/rafting industry. This video honors not only Kent, but the many unsung guides and outfitters who helped build Utah’s tourism.
Kent is indeed a grandfather of the eco-tourism business and a living link to Southern Utah’s past. This past comes alive as Kent tells his many wonderful stories about working and playing in the canyon country. He tells of both legendary and unremembered characters, of high water adventures and rough four-wheeling in the backcountry. During his many adventures, Kent met other pioneer explorers of the canyon country, such as legendary boatman Norm Nevills, rancher Art Chaffin and trader/ preservationist John Wetherill. Kent first met Norm Nevills as a teen and Norm soon became Kent’s mentor, good friend and part time employer, hiring Kent as a boatman and boat builder for many years. This video brings to life this rich history and increases the public’s awareness and appreciation for the role tourism continues to play in Utah’s economic development.
Producer and director Chris Simon received a Master’s degree from ucla and for the last twenty years has been working independently as a folklorist, oral historian and documentary filmmaker. Her prize-winning documentaries have shown nationally on pov, pbs’ prestigious documentary showcase, and in film festivals throughout the world. Simon’s work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Utah and California Humanities Councils, and many private foundations.

Sageland Media will distribute the video to libraries and schools throughout the state and beyond. Canyonlands Natural History Association, the interpretive/ marketing arm of the National Park Service, National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in southeast Utah will assist in regional distribution and will market copies of the video in National Park outlets throughout the Four Corners region. The film will be offered to pbs, both nationally and locally, in particular kued and stations in other Four Corners states. We expect it to be popular with tourists and locals alike.
The Kent Frost Video Project has been supported by the Utah Humanities Council, the Documentary Studies Program at the University of Utah, and by donations from private individuals. We have shot over forty hours of footage and are now trying to raise $30,000 for the final editing costs of the project. The Kent Frost Video Project is a non-profit, educational project of Four Corners School of Outdoor Education, and donations are fully tax-deductible. If you would like to donate please make a check out to Four Corners School of Outdoor Education and send it to: Kent Frost Project c/o Sageland Media, P. O. Box 211, Moab, ut 84532. Donors over $50 will receive a letter acknowledging their tax-deductible donation. Donors over $100 will have their name listed in the credits and receive a free copy of the finished film!
Please help us finish this exceptional project. The Kent Frost Video Project will honor the contributions of eco-tourism to our lives in the canyon country. Please feel free to contact Chris Simon with any questions. Thank you for your consideration.

Chris Simon
Producer/Director

Susette Weisheit
Associate Producer