Cody Townsend has a tough choice to make, stay and ski in the Eastern Sierra or drive to British Columbia for a second attempt on Comstock. Inevitably, the decision is made and Townsend returns to Comstock for a second year in a row to attempt a line that few people have skied. Hopes are high and the crew is tosses their heavy packs over their shoulders, will they succeed? Watch the video to find out:
Q&A with Cody Townsend about skiing Comstock
1) How did you choose your partners for Comstock?
Choosing partners is one of the most essential decisions you make on any backcountry day. For me, usually the more gnarly, consequential or complex the line is, the more I’m selective to only go out with people I know, trust and have skied before. For a line like Comstock, it’s quite obvious to be out there with someone like Greg Hill, who is not only responsible for the first descent of the line, but probably knows the Selkirk mountains, snowpack and weather better than any other human. For Mali Noyes, she’s been on an absolute tear and is quickly becoming one of the best ski mountaineers around. She’s super fit, skis impeccably well and is a great hang…three very good qualities in a big line partners.
2) How do you track the weather and commit to a trip?
Tracking the weather is practically a full time job. I’m usually starting with broad, long-term forecasts from OpenSnow, then dialing down looking at patterns, temps, winds, snowfall and avy conditions. For a line that was over a 1000 mile drive away, the commitment is pretty big. So, I also talk to some of the locals to get their read on forecasts. The hardest part though is places like the Selkirks in British Columbia are wildly temperamental with weather and forecasts shift on the daily. So sometimes you just have to go and hope for the best.
3) Could you share three things this project has taught you?
I think the number one thing this project has taught me is how awesome, supportive and tight the ski community is. Traveling all over North America, I’ve received nothing but incredibly support, assistance and stoked along the way. It’s been amazing to see and I’m lucky to be a part of it.
The other two things are that completion of a line doesn’t necessarily equate to how good or bad the day was. Sometimes, just being out there with friends, having a great adventure and laughing along the way makes for a better day than checking a line off the list.
The last thing, is Type II fun is the best fun. Sure it sucks in the moment, but it’s so much more memorable, so much more impactful and so much more life changing when you have to work for it.
4) If somebody wanted to ski a 50 classics line, which one should they start with?
The three I’d recommend are Silver Couloir on Buffalo Mountain in Colorado, Avalanche Gulch on Mt. Shasta and the South Face of Mt. Superior in Utah. Those three lines each have admirable qualities to them, but they’re generally quite straight forward, not too steep and are well trafficked. Silver is the easiest of the bunch as long as the avalanche stability is solid, Shasta is a big mountain but it rewards you with some of the most fun spring skiing on the planet and Superior stares you in the face when your in Little Cottonwood Canyon and is quick and easy to get to.
5) From start until now, the tone of your voice has changed when it comes to the lines you are skiing, where does this come from?
Maybe because I’ve gotten a lot older and grayer. I mean, when I started this project I was pretty green to ski mountaineering. I took this whole project as an excuse to learn along the way. Years later, I’ve learned an absolute ton along the way. I think it’s just been the natural evolution. But the other aspect is not only evolving as a skier, but evolving as a director, storyteller and filmmaker. It’s been a trial by fire of learning how to make episodes, films and movies. Probably just as much growth in how to tell a story on film as there has been as a skier.
