Why Cody Townsend Prefers These Extended-Grip Ski Poles for the Backcountry
Townsend with his unique poles

By Jacob Schiller

OUTSIDE — Last year I called professional skier Cody Townsend just as he summited Ward Peak on skins, above California’s Palisades Tahoe. We’d set up an interview to talk about his ski poles, and he’d timed things so he was at the top, with cell reception, just as I rang.

It was odd to be calling Townsend to discuss ski poles instead of his many interesting endeavors—like tackling North America’s 50 most iconic backcountry ski lines—but he was as charismatic and enthusiastic as ever. And it was actually because of that ski project, which he calls The Fifty, that I’d landed on the subject of his gear . . .

. . . “The most questions I’ve gotten have been about my damn poles,” he said in a video while standing in his garage, surrounded by gear. “I didn’t know people cared about poles so much. Almost every time I post a video, people talk about these things. I don’t even know the name of them.”

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Tour Cody's new van

A tour of the newest tool of The FIFTY, built by Alpine Vans LLC. This van was designed to handle the harsh cold of winter, the remote trailheads of The FIFTY and the thousands of miles spent chasing The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America.

See what it takes to build a van to survive winter on the road, the new technology made to insulate and build a lightweight van and what accessories are necessary for a van. Take a look inside and see what makes this van, the "Ultimate Winter Van."

For more info on the van and to order one yourself go to: alpinevans.com.

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