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The Landry Line off Pyramid Peak near Aspen, CO is considered a test piece of ski mountaineering in the Rockies. First skied by Chris Landry in 1978, it was a futuristic, world-renowned and seemingly unrepeatable line. 28 years later, the second descent by Chris Davenport, Ted Mahon, and Niel Biedleman ushered in a new generation of skiers and snowboarders making it the top of their bucket list.
It’s a line of dramatic exposure, puckering steepness and necessitates an entire package of skills to get up and down. After a historic avalanche cycle in Colorado, the conditions turned stellar and stable, leading Townsend to join up with the author of the book, “The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America” Penn Newhard and local ski mountaineer and randonee racer Pete Gaston.
This is Episode 13 of The FIFTY, a project following Cody Townsend as he attempts to climb and ski all fifty of the lines and mountains chronicled in the book, “The 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America.” The series documents Townsend’s journey’s, travels, challenges and each line and mountain listed in the book. 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.
