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Sketchy Chugach Line Gives Cody Townsend the Pucker Factor

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An out-of-the-blue call leads Cody Townsend on a last-second adventure to Alaska. But conditions on one of the most iconic ski lines in Alaska, the Sphinx, seem to give the team the willies.

Townsend is on a very cool mission to ski all 50 of the lines documented in the book “Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America.” This video, the eighth episode of Townsend’s “The FIFTY” project, follows him as he endeavors to climb the Sphinx in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains.

For sure, Townsend and his team are world-class skiers. But even experts experience fear from time to time. This episode grabbed us. If you’ve spent much time in the mountains, you’ll likely relate.

cody townsend ski rescue

Cody Townsend, Bjarne Salen Rescue Skier After Near-Fatal Fall in Couloir

After descending a dramatic ski line, Cody Townsend and Bjarne Salen saw a skier plummet down a cliff face nearby. If it weren't for them, this fallen skier may have died. Read more…

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