Anyone Watching Cody Townsend's ski video series "The Fifty"?

GoJeff!

Member
SoSH Member
May 30, 2007
2,011
Los Angeles
I'm not a big fan of ski porn, but Cody Townsend has been doing a weekly youtube series (The Fifty) that I have found extremely enjoyable.

It's him (and his cameraman Bjarne) trying to ski all 50 lines listed in the book "50 Classic Ski Descents of North America" over the next three years. The lines range from stuff I could manage to crazy descents that have been done only once or twice in history.

What I find fascinating is that most ski porn is done in perfect conditions, with only the best runs even making the cut. In this series, conditions are far from perfect (partially because they need to climb them, partially because they can't wait it out). As a result you get to see one of the best skiers in the world really scared or even backing off in bad conditions. You also get great insight into his decision making in some very difficult situations.

On top of that, Cody is a likable guy, and the filming is well done. The episodes have improved over the season as they have figured out how to capture and say what they need. Anyway, even my non-skiing wife likes it, so I thought others might enjoy it as well.