Cody Townsend’s The Fifty, Episode 39, Line 38/50 – The Sphinx, Cordova, Alaska
Mountainwatch | Video
One of the best things about this time of year is that Cody Townsend releases episodes of this excellent web series every two weeks. In this episode of The Fifty, Cody Townsend’s project to climb and ski all of the lines names in the book the 50 Great Ski Descents of North America, Cody and filmer Bjarne Salen head to the Church Range in Alaska to take an infamous line known as The Sphinx.
Cody and Bjarne attempted this line during the first series of The Fifty in 2019 but during the climb they pulled the pin a few hundred metres from reaching the top, the hard-packed snow and increased exposure making conditions too dangerous to continue.
So, The Sphinx was put on the back-burner and Cody has been watching and waiting for conditions to line up for the past three years. Last April a stable snowpack and a good weather window opened and they headed back to Points North Heli in Cordova to have another shot at The Sphinx.
This second attempt represents possible redemption for Cody and he is joined by Nick Russell, a regular (and reliable) partner in The Fifty, and Points North Heli guide Ed Shanley.
The Sphinx is an 550-metre nearly vertical wall, as Cody says, “as steep as it gets” and the climb is radical, the exposure hard to comprehend. The footage of the climb and the ride down is epic, the drone angle giving a perspective of just how huge a line the Sphinx is and why it has such a revered place in big mountain freeriding.
Another awesome episode in this great series.
“This line represents not only a monumental moment in the history of freeriding when it was first ridden in the late 90’s but also a measuring stick for the progress of The FIFTY. Returning to its legendary steeps to climb again highlights just how far the project has come since its inception in 2019.”
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 website Instagram page.
