Cody Townsend’s The Fifty, Episode 30 – Mount Whitney, California
Mountainwatch | Video
Sometimes I wonder about Cody Townsend and his tendency to make something that is already really difficult that much harder and he does it intentionally, not through accident or chance.
This episode of The Fifty, Cody’s ambitious project to climb and ski all the lines named in the book, The 50 Great Ski Descents of North America, is a good example as he and filmer Bjarne Salen take on Mount Whitney in California’s Sierra Nevada Range, which at 4421 metres is the highest point in continental USA.
The plan is to climb and ski the mountaineers’ route on Whitney, which at almost 13ks and vertical of 1981m, sounds challenging enough, but pretty straight forward. However, Cody decided it’d be a good idea to make this trip more of an adventure and link the highest point in the US with the lowest spot in North America, Badwater Basin which is located in the California’s Death Valley desert at 85.5m below sea level and do it via a 217km bike ride. Death Valley is not only dry, but also hot, very hot.
Cody is joined on the trip by legendary rock climber Alex Honnold, subject of the documentary Free Solo (one of the most amazing docos you’ll ever watch), who is at home on the climb, but not on the descent as he’s a recreational skier at best. Like Cody, Alex thrives on challenges and isn’t afraid to try something new.
“We’ve done some dumb stuff, but this might be the dumbest,” Cody says at the start of the bike ride and as the midday heat takes its toll 50ks into the trip it is a point with which you will agree . Heat stroke is not something you’d normally associate with a ski mountaineering expedition.
Mt Whitney is line 33 of The Fifty and this is another great episode. Looking forward to seeing how Cody and Bjarne approach the next 17 lines.
The Fifty documents Cody Townsend’s journeys, travels, challenges and each line and mountain listed in the book, The 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America. It’s a journey through the most majestic mountains and ski lines in North America along with a unique insight into how skiers make decisions in the backcountry, how they plan, navigate and safely move through the mountains and the people that dedicate their lives to the mountains. Stay up to date on Cody and filmmaker Bjarne Salen’s progress on The Fifty Instagram page.
