Cody Townsend’s The Fifty, Returns For Season Five – Line 44/50 The Split, Eastern Sierra, California. An Episode You Do Not Want to Miss.
Mountainwatch | Video
Cody Townsend and cinemaphotographer Bjarne Salen are back with the fifth season of one of our favourite web series The Fifty, which documents Cody’s ambitious project to climb and ski all 50 lines named in the book The 50 Great Ski Descents of North America.
If there is one line that accentuates how ambitious this project is, it is this one, a 45-50 degree couloir that divides two peaks, hence the name Split Mountain, a 1400ft peak in California’s Eastern Sierra range. The challenges involved to ski it are many, including ice falls, rock steps that require rapelling, blue ice and the added hazard of potential rockfalls or avalanches.
“It’s a line that requires patience, perfect timing…and many many attempts. Over the last 4 years, Cody Townsend, Nick Russell and cinematographer Bjarne Salén have been waiting, trying, scoping and learning about the history of this line, its moods, its conditions and its energy to successfully, and safely, ski it.”
This episode is something special, a 50-minute film, beautifully shot by Bjarne Salen and Ming Poon and masterfully edited by Scott Gaffney that captures the drama, skill, disappointment, anxiety and, finally, elation of those involved. Don’t miss it.
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.
