THE MOUNTAIN WHY

Cody Townsend’s The Fifty Project continues… but with a twist.

The goal was simple: ride bikes, loaded down with 100 pounds of climbing, skiing and camping equipment, over 1,000 miles to ski three of The Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America. A tiring adventure and a suffer fest of course, but in the context of an ongoing global pandemic, a nation divided by chaos and a populace on the brink, a simple adventure throws the simple act of adventure into question. Why purposely suffer? Why selfishly pursue adventure? Why go into the mountains at all? All questions that a month-long adventure begins to throw into your mind. Starring Cody Townsend and Michelle Parker, The Mountain Why is a ski adventure unlike any normal escape to the wild.

This is a short film in The Fifty series and line 28, 29, and 30 completed for The Fifty, a project following Cody Townsend as he attempts to climb and ski all fifty of the lines and mountains chronicled in the book, The 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America. The series documents Townsend's journey's, travels, challenges and each line and mountain listed in the book. It's a journey through the most majestic mountains and ski lines in North America along with a unique insight into how skiers make decisions in the backcountry, how they plan, navigate and safely move through the mountains and the people that dedicate their lives to the mountains.

A Summit Lunch LLC Production in Co-Production with Red Bull Media House.

Executive Producers: Cody Townsend & Bryan Cole
Executive Producer for Red Bull Media House: Florian Moser
Written & Directed by: Cody Townsend
Principal Cinematography by: Bjarne Salen
Edited by: Hennie Van Jaarsveld & Team 13
Audio Post Production by: Will Berridge & Carlos Hernandez.
Music by: Unlimited Music

To see more episodes of The Fifty Project, click here.