skip to 4:40 to see the Cody land a 100’ cliff jump
There was a fad going around in the mid to late 2000’s when people were going huge. Julian Carr was doing 150’ front flips in Utah, Gunner Newquist was going 100’ on big days at Squaw, and Jamie Pierre was dropping 100’ regularly around the world. Jamie even went for the record and hucked a 250-footer in Wyoming. Unreal.
Julian Carr 100’ front flip to back.
But these guys weren’t landing on their feet. On the contrary, it would have been dangerous to do so. They explain in some videos how they calculate to land on their backs thus distributing their weight upon impact allowing the snow to absorb their energy and thereby survive the landing. In many instances, had they landed on their feet, they’d have buckled in two and likely broken their legs.
Jamie Pierre’s world record cliff drop. Cut to 1:10 for the drop.
That’s what makes this huck by Cody Townsend so impressive. Cody jumps a legitamite 100-foot cliff and stomps it. Everything came together: Steep take off, steep enough landing, very deep snow, epic AK conditions, the right skill set, and the confidence to take this air by the horns. Only pinning it at full throttle with every intention of landing this cliff could have made it work. Cody lines it up, charges in full-bore, veriably flies through the air, opens up, and stomps this thing!
Gunnar Newquist going big in Tahoe
It’s impressive no matter how you look at it. I’m kinda surprised more of big deal hasn’t been made about this. If I was Cody, I’d have had T-shirts made about it and passed them out for free at Le Chamois. Well, maybe not. But this was a truly impressive feat and I wonder if anyone else has ever gone bigger and landed?
Now, just for fun. Lets do some Math:
– Gravity works at 32 feet/sec² straight down
– In the video, it appears that he’s in the air for about 1.8 seconds
– So, 32 feet/sec² x 1.8 seconds = 57.6 feet/sec
– So he is going at least 57.6 feet/sec (39 miles/hour) straight down when he lands
– It’s the speed horizontally that helps him make the landing, that horizontal speed was likely about 20 mph when he takes of and somewhat less than that when he landed
– His velocity in the horizontal plane combined with his velocity in the vertical plane traces a line that matches the slope of his landing damn well. This is what really helped make that landing work.
– How he calculated all this in his head as he was about to take off to ensure a perfect landing, we’ll never know
Congrats Cody, that was a big big air to stomp. Don’t see that too often. How good where those conditions?
is a backslap a stomp?
Norwegian Fred Syversen broke Jamie Pierre’s world record with a 107m (351ft) drop, unintentionally!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkZ7Tyf7_YM
Thanks for the comments guys. While I personally wouldn’t say it was a hundred foot drop it was still pretty damn big. Without some wacky photo diagramming, measuring, angle calculation it is hard to truly ever know. Personally 85 feet is what I would guesstimate. But to me, all I really care about is the fact that it was an insanely scary line, was the highest I’ve ever felt off the ground (with intentions to not side-plop) and was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done on skis. I’ll never forget that line.
Dont forget about this one… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY6ibSz-3mE
What!? who was that? He almost hit that rock? wtf?
Anyone have any info on that clip? Never seen it before.
Those Salomon boys look pretty (over?)confident, like they are untouchables..
Is that 100 feet? It’s close i suppose. Ridiculous Big air regardless
That looks like a hundo to me! Damn! Props, when was this?