Here's what he learned from it.

By Kade Krichko—”When professional skier Cody Townsend embarked on his quest last year to climb and descend all of the lines in the iconic book Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America, he knew he was signing up for his most ambitious mission to date.

His project, dubbed the Fifty, is taking him from Denali in Alaska to the remote backcountry of Nevada’s Ruby Mountains and up to British Columbia, with lots of lonely road in between. ‘Each line has its own aspect that gets me pretty stoked: physical challenges, mental challenges, or incredible aesthetics,’ says Townsend. ‘Every line is a stepping stone. You have to adapt throughout the year, continue to evolve.’” READ >

By Heather Hansman—"When Cody Townsend set out to ski British Columbia’s 8,927-foot Joffre Peak—part of the Fifty, his project to descend the iconic lines collected in the 2010 book Fifty Classic Ski Descents in North America—he thought he might miss the window of skiability.

It was late February of this year, and the unusually thin snowpack and low visibility turned him around on his first attempt. But three days later, Townsend succeeded, sidestepping and jump-turning down the line, despite crummy snow (‘Holy shit, this skiing is gonna suuuuck,’ he tells his cameraman) and an emergency helicopter rescue for a skier on a neighboring couloir (‘Dude, dude, somebody just fell down Central).” READ —>

PART 1—”Cody’s most recent endeavor, aptly named the “The Fifty Project” is perhaps his most crowning achievement to date. It’s a YouTube web series documenting his journey to ski mountaineer the “50 Classic Ski Descents of North America”. You may remember my conversation with Penn Newhard from a couple of episodes back, who is one of the authors of that book, which is starting to build a cult classic following, in no small part due to Cody’s web series.”

Part 2—”Tons of practical, detailed advice on building the project you’ve always wanted, Death in the industry, Reinventing yourself after a big success, the transition from ski porn to backcountry ski mountaineering, genesis of the 50 project, the business of skiing (treating it like a job) , why it’s easier than ever to build a successful project, how to work with and create a value proposition for sponsors and brands.”

Penn Newhard // [o] @bjarnesalen

This conversation with Penn is a deep dive into his story and his perspective on the world, and explores topics like having a healthy perspective on death within the outdoor community, choosing location over vocation, the importance of patience and commitment, why you need to be bold and sometimes even naive, and parenting while also leading a life of risk and adventure.

Cody Townsend has been at the top of the ski food chain for over a decade but he wasn't supposed to be a skier, he was born into a football family with surfing and skiing habit. Well, Cody bucked the family tradition and chose skiing over team sports. He became one of the best of his time, married another one of the best skiers of our time, has created brands, projects and so much more. Another do not miss episode.