The professional freeskier turned backcountry aficionado has his eyes set on something even larger than The FIFTY Project.

by Matt Lorelli in POWDER—When Cody Townsend started The FIFTY Project in 2019, ski touring and backcountry skiing was just beginning to hit the mainstream.

Gear was getting lighter, hybrid and dedicated touring bindings were getting safer, and a massive influx of skiers were thrust into the backcountry for the first time as ski resorts closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

hroughout the course of the five years of The FIFTY Project, Townsend successfully summited and skied 46 of the 50 lines laid out in the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America book, but took fans by surprise when he announced in March of 2024 that the popular YouTube series was coming to a close.

Fans didn't have to wait long, however, for Towsend to reveal his next project— The FIFTY+. POWDER covered Townsend's announcement of the new series on October 8, 2024, but the vague details of the simple Instagram post left us wanting more.

Thankfully, Townsend obliged to a phone interview and revealed some previously undisclosed details about The FIFTY+. He also teased what he'll be up to during the Winter '24/'25 season, and reflected on the success of The FIFTY Project..

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In this episode Joe and Cody discuss where Cody and Winston Churchill share similarities, the next project after The Fifty series which took him five years to complete, awe-inspiring landscapes and how it changes the way Cody views the world, advice on how to become a sponsored athlete, what he means by needing to “impress your bosses boss”, why if you want to ski as much as possible you shouldn’t be a pro skier, and so much more including Hobbes, Rousseau, John Muir, and Alice and Wonderland.

POWDER—For those willing to trade their smartphones for tangible reality, these essential backcountry skiing books have a lot to offer. Their pages have fueled ideas, adventure, and education for decades, and they remain as relevant today as when they were published.

In This Article

1. Teton Skiing by Thomas Turiano

2. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain by Bruce Tremper

3. Chuting Gallery by Andrew McClean

4. Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America by Chris Davenport, Art Burrows, and Penn Newhard

5. Wild Snow by Lou Dawson

6. Avalanche Essentials by Bruce Tremper  

7. The Art of Shralpinism: Lessons from the Mountains by Jeremy Jones

8. Beyond Skid: A Cookbook For Ski Bums by Max Ritter and Lily Krass

"Ultimately, I needed a bookend to this series."

by Matt Lorelli in POWDER—Professional big mountain skier Cody Townsend's seminal 'The Fifty Project' has entertained audiences for five years, but now, it's over.

Townsend shocked fans when he released the last episode of the series titled, '46/50 - Bloody Couloir - The End' last week. Townsend never struck me as a skier who would give up on a project. He's been through enough death-defying conditions and self-described "sh*tty snow" to simply throw in the towel so close to his goal.

Check out my short interview with Townsend about 'The Fifty' and what comes next.

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ADVENTURE JOURNAL PODCAST — Cody Townsend has made a name for himself as one of the world's best big freeskiers, but in recent years, he's mixed mountaineering into the equation. His series "The Fifty," which chronicles his attempt to climb and ski the 50 classic ski descents of North America, is one of YouTube's best adventure series.

We talked with Cody about how he decided to take on such a challenge and how a surf-stoked from Santa Cruz, California got so comfortable on the mountain.

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