There are three cruxes of The FIFTY. Three lines that are the most daunting and challenging of them all. Three lines that ski mountaineers from around the world dream about, have tested themselves on and more often than not, fail on. One of those lines is the second tallest mountain in the US, a mountain renowned for violent storms and the longest skiable line on the planet. That mountain is Mt. St. Elias. In the spring of 2021, Cody Townsend, Nick Russell, Dan Corn and cinematographer Bjarne Salen set out to summit and ski Mt. St. Elias. What they got was an adventure of a lifetime.
The FIFTY is 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 along with the people that dedicate their lives to the mountains.
