The FIFTY - Line 27/50 - Mt. Moran, WY - The Best Line Yet?!?!

At the northern tip of the Teton Mountains lies a ski line that in one continuous streak, stretches from lake to sky. The six thousand vertical foot Skillet Glacier route on Mt. Moran is a classic ski line that begs to be skied. But with a six mile lake crossing, a mandatory overnight campout and an arduous and dangerous climb to reach the summit, the barrier to entry for this classic is high. Yet even with the challenges of the line present, sometimes every detail can come together to make for what is possibly the best, most fun line of The FIFTY so far.
Joined by Hadley Hammer and Ming Poon.
This is Episode 27 for The FIFTY, and line 27 of 50 completed by Cody Townsend. The FIFTY is 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 along with the people that dedicate their lives to the mountains.
Title Screen Photo by: Ming Poon Photography
Music Licensed from Artlist.io
GEAR Used Throughout The FIFTY:
Salomon QST 106: alnk.to/6bRkaUX
Salomon MTN Binding: alnk.to/dLdUm1C
Salomon Carbon S3 Poles: alnk.to/87VEXX0
Yeti Rambler 20oz: alnk.to/gzS237q
Swatch BioCeramic: bit.ly/3gQhCzo
Hyperlite Porter 5400: bit.ly/3XJVCHC
Smith Summit Helmet: alnk.to/ehYjxBD
Smith Wildcat: alnk.to/d3ySqO7
Smith Pursuit Glacier Glasses: alnk.to/7M6hfmL
Smith Squad Mag: alnk.to/hDmzW2F
LeBent Cody Pro Sock: alnk.to/cHJmtdU
LeBent Base Layer: alnk.to/58mMi9D
Arcade Capture Belt: alnk.to/4MxozAr
Mammut Carbon Probe 280: alnk.to/cHJmtfT
Mammut Alugator Pro Light: alnk.to/8iQpWSn
Mammut Barryvox S: alnk.to/2uDpzVA
Pomoca Free Pro 2.0: alnk.to/aeUKJS9
Thule Duffle: alnk.to/9IatNqU
Thule Ski Bag: alnk.to/gKMN24C
Hestra Falt Guide Glove:
Hestra Overmitt:
Hestra Merino Touchpoint Liners:
Honey Stinger Energy: bit.ly/3sPpX9g
Strainge Beast Kombucha: bit.ly/3sK6vLj
TinCup Whiskey: bit.ly/3FvbSpb

[@ronjohnson7388]

8:26 has to be one of the coolest shots in the whole series!

[@CodyTownsend]

Such an amazing time-lapse.

[@sortac08]

@@CodyTownsend Really Great Stuff Cody

[@pfscanna]

The fact that you (with the help of Bjarne and others obviously) are providing the backcountry community with this series is something that should not be taken for granted by us viewers. We're lucky to be able to be watch you tackle this amazing challenge, all while spreading the stoke and education of the mountains. Whatever your sponsors are paying you it's not enough

[@CodyTownsend]

Thank you. Many people probably don't know just how crazy the workload behind producing and publishing this video series is. It's the busiest I've ever been in my life and I've already started a company as a comparison. But it's worth it on the back end and nice comments like this are appreciated.

[@Chris_Pucci]

Is it weird that I'm watching this while riding my indoor bike in a garage that is almost 80F? I'm hooked on this series!

[@nartcara4560]

"Touring at night is overrated, and touring at night is very lowly rated" By far the best quote by Cody

[@Joepvn]

I don't really agree though... Touring in the moonlight in the mountains is magical, and seeing the sun slowly light up the ski while the stars are still visible is something else. Also, you get to ski first thing in the morning, powder with no sun crust.

[@reagan.wallis]

lol, I rarely skin in the day.

[@darryld9333]

Thought the exact same thing. Laughed out loud.

[@hobmarg]

@@Joepvn Not so much if you wake up in a tent at an absurdly early hour... if it's full moon maybe not as bad but it's the nauseous feeling of not enough sleep + physical exertion that sucks.

[@devilaces]

Night touring is pretty cool! :D But that's different then waking up 6 hours early to start a pretty tough slog.

[@panthera65x]

From the sunrise at 9:18 until the end of the video, I was smiling ear to ear, laughing, and in absolute awe of the view, the mountain, and this line. As a stand alone video, this is incredible! I'd love to recomend this video to others. But I won't, I'll recommend the entire series, because to appreciate the true beauty of Ep. 27 you need to have followed the story being told through the previous 26 episodes. The highs and lows, the relentless bootpacking up, the thousands of feet of hard paked side stepping, the down climbing, all of the descents that didn't quite go to plan, the last minute cancellations that never make it to film. Next to all that this video was perfection. Thank you Cody and Bjarne for sharing this adventure with us, and of course thank you to each and every "Guest Star" that has joined you along the way. All of whom, truly are Stars!!

[@tms977]

12:10 'I'm really excited' - you can FEEL how pumped they all are! What a great feeling

[@Himynameisnapkin]

Got the chills watching everyone ski that line, such good snow t2b and wide turns

[@skyjockbill]

OMG that was so much fun! Best day I ever had in the alps started with two or three hours head torch night climbing from an already high overnight, rewarded with dawn and hours of skiing down in perfect conditions. we left a very high hut in the alps at about 3:30 in the morning and climbed with headlamps for about three hours before we got to a summit ridge. The sun came up, and a sea of clouds lay a couple of thousand feet below us. We began to ski down towards it, in glorious conditions. As we approached the clouds I watched the first of us disappear into the them, and followed with my heart in my mouth, fearing we would all be forced to slow to a snail's pace in white out. To my joy, I could see clearly for about 40 yards in front of me as we kept moving, and could safely ski at full pace until we burst through into warm sunshine about 30 minutes later. In a crazy kind of way, it made me feel like I was in a film - Brigadoon - which had bewitched me as a child. Deep joy just to recollect that experience!

[@DS-zj2on]

My favorite mountain...55 years later after nostalgic summers working in Jackson and daily forays to Colter Bay, I live thru the videos of others. BEAUTIFULLY filmed and beautiful runs. Thank you.

[@1llski]

Those perma-grins at 13:10. Bringing the joy to everyone in lockdown. Thanks!!

[@seanlayton1967]

At a time when I'm not finding myself smiling much this gave me a sustained ear to ear grin. Thank you. And thanks for the great content and inspiration. Looking forward to more.

[@connor8398]

sick vid! line looked epic. MAJOR creds to bjarne for all the work he does. it was super apparent in this vid in particular from all of the wide angle time lapses and other various “filler” clips that require a whole lot more effort than one might guess. rock on y’all 🤙🏻🤙🏻

[@gumwap1]

Having skied this line myself, This video does not do justice to the steepness of the top of that line. It’s big, steep, and very intimidating. A burly one for sure. Well done.

[@johndee1855]

… luv you guys … like every human be that ever lived … I wish I could have 20 yrs back …is that too greedy … finally getting proficient in bumps , quick turns , steeps in powder ( northeast skier here ) … ice is our snow … I envy….amicably u guys that hike , tour , ski the back country in those uncharted powder paradises ….

[@CodyTownsend]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@slimigan]

I just watched this again, 8 months later, 1) because it's awesome and 2) because I can't wait for more FIFTY content to drop. Also Elyse's TGR video that came out today reminded me to rewatch...

[@gregreynolds391]

Glad to see Ming getting some love, watching this makes me remember how much fun skiing is! Let's hope we can all get back to normal soon, can't stand the thought of another season like this one..

[@fernandog.aguirre2791]

Nothing but the privilege of lifestyle choices. You guys are awesome and inspirational. Thank you for inviting Hadley, she is a goer and such a cute smile, always! Editing, music selection, and footage are amazing. Another great job is done by Bjarne! What a team player!!!!!

[@rohanverco8717]

Hello from Australia Cody. Found the 50 series on the first day of self isolation. It's been great watching during a crap time in the world. Keep up the good work. PS, night time shots and the sunrise were awesome in this vid. Cheers

[@CodyTownsend]

Welcome aboard!

[@joemaxie4468]

that was so friggen good...I want to go skiing right now! the pure joy in Hadley's voice was palpable...love you guys.. GREAT EPISODE & SUPER FILM WORK BJARNE !

[@ondrejjanoska660]

I watched all 27 videos in i believe 4 days....in breaks of watching climbed 3000 verticals meters....And tomorrow another 1200 on the front of me....Buzzing ...Hi from Alps

[@kendalldouglass]

You the man Cody. Glad to see you got some great snow for the last run of who knows how long. Super stoked for you man. Keep up the work, I can't wait to see when you finish the project.

[@CodyTownsend]

Yeah was such a score on conditions and a great memory to end the season on.

[@michelemeixner7604]

ok, so that was epic, and so sweet at the end!!! i have just binged on 6 of your vids & this one was so satisfying to see such an awesome run!

[@CodyTownsend]

Glad you liked it!!

[@Creeder991]

Yet another epic ascend and descend. I could not believe you guys woke up in the middle of the night and did such a dreadful hike at night. That’s what’s successful people do, extraordinary things that the rest of us only dream of doing. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Love the videography and music, can’t wait for your next summit.

[@MitchPittman]

This is absolutely what I needed in my life today!

[@shmergan]

This is by far the best episode yet.

[@silencenhikes6692]

What a day. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@NorwegianXplorer]

Love this series Cody, the nature, the sense of humor, the cinema, the atmosphere, cant wait for the next one!

[@jimgooch3704]

Great remote night shots -- credit to Bjarne? What a great tour for the last of an early year. Thanks again, to all involved.

[@CodyTownsend]

Yes it was!

[@Adventuredad207]

You guys nailed that one!!! Looked like you had some perfect weather!

[@sevenzdown]

Viewers can tell when you're having a blast. That looked like huge fun before you said it was huge fun.

[@rmsmith2396]

"My legs are tired" gee I wonder why? I just discovered this series. This is the second one I've watched and am excited to see them all. Great job.

[@OnlyTheStrongSurvive712]

Thanks, excellent show. Almost felt like I was with you.

[@zbqb84a]

Wow!! I was grinning from ear to ear for your whole descent.

[@bkl8804]

Thanks for sharing. Put a smile on my face.

[@sigga3876]

Spectacular!

[@neilbower123]

one of my faves in your series. I love the descent, snow looks peachy; lucky boy

[@thetruthlives34]

Super awesome cinematography!!!

[@moritzsauer1249]

Honestly, this is giving me the best feeling, seeing and dreaming of this, given the current situation

[@LeemeSeeYaJAZZhands]

Just got back from Teton NP. Doing some modest hiking and then seeing Moran from across Jackson lake gave me a new appreciation for what you guys do.

[@almorkans3171]

Definitely the best yet. What an awesome line

[@charlesparkermertens]

Man...tears!! You guys nailed this one geez

[@liamarmstrong6093]

MR TOWNSEND! Had a dream last night that you filmed an episode with Eric Pollard and Chris Benchetler and woke up and almost shat my pants with sheer excitement. I couldn't even fathom if that were to happen IRL....

[@adamscotera2378]

And thanks for the peek into something I could never do myself! Totally amazing.

[@larssol1]

Really nice edit Cody! I so enjoy this episode, the filming, the nice friendly atmosphere among the group members, you guys are really enjoying the perfect conditions in the wilderness. Stoke level: High! Me like! (Plus of course the skiing is beautifully executed!)

[@CodyTownsend]

Thanks Lars. Much appreciated.

[@stefanbertog3960]

Hi Cody, your episodes are the best! How do you prepare physically for your adventures? Do you have an exercise routine? A bonus episode on this would be awsome!! Thank you for allowing us to participate in your cool work!

[@BarbieBurke]

Loved this! The Tetons are the best as well as Yellowstone, spent 3 summers in the late 70’s working in YP!

[@Sirskibumsalot]

Wow nice snow !! Glad you all got the goods and had a blast ! Thanks for sharing !! Happy Trails .....

[@ZonDog]

Glad sombody is still having fun! Great vidio. The ski down looked long and fun! Cant wait for more Cody!

[@L0VSKY]

Awesome! Spooky night climb, inspiring glorious big turn skiing, wow. 👏🏼 what a delightful distraction from the shelter-in-place! Thanks!

[@mrtominboulder]

Wow, perfect conditions. That was great, Thank You - Tom

[@18volkerracho]

Yeah guys another great one

[@bjaminbjamin]

what a sick line and mountain... !

[@TheJaales]

Really amazing video and skiing!

[@scottnijland1956]

Thanks Cody - loved this episode

[@TonyKorologos]

Thank you thank you.

[@TheTkrum]

I would hike that. Thanks for sharing.

[@eriknodland8352]

Love the route map you added!

[@TheCaptainA]

I wonder what program that is

[@andreaswolff2010]

Wie immer super Free Skiing, like always super Free Skiing I am sitting near Frankfurt/M Germany

[@cosmokenney]

So rad!

[@pizzagummy3040]

12:23 looks like some weird awesome sci-fi shot where theres mountains looking down over the earth

[@k2thah286]

I'm not crying, you're crying. Holy shit that was amazing! Stoooooooooooooooke!

[@DrewNorthup]

Nice, and no serious inner-nose freezing either! (Granted that might have also been related to the spontaneous partial-snowman formation...) For next season, if you don't have a sponsor conflict, I recommend the ColdAvenger. Makes going out in the stupid cold actually quite pleasant (for one's nose / lungs / face).

[@borel2]

looked like the best climb of the series

[@CodyTownsend]

Possibly the best ski but not likely the best climb. That would have to go to the Grand, Pontoon or Meteorite so far.

[@eduardherak8599]

Neskutečné krásné scenérie super super ⛷🏔🏕🏔👍❤️🌞👍

[@trevorschu]

Hadley just seems like the best

[@whitesalmon0925]

this is so awesome.

[@tommoreno9854]

Epic!!!

[@alexroseinnes]

Best one yet!

[@Velocifit]

Hell yeah dude. Thank you for the content.

[@RocNoggin]

Saaa-weet! Love the spreadys! Rockin' it old skool. Where was your wife? This is the trip she should have been on and not that "marriage test" in Idaho or wherever it was. Nicely done and another great video. Thank you. :-)

[@scottpratico1315]

Well that was awsoooooooooome!

[@charlesarnold8239]

Definitely best line yet. So cool to see a snowpack you can open it up on. When was this early April?

[@Boisecuda]

Y'all pegged the fun meter on that one. As good as pure glacier water!

[@DagemBeedeLemma]

Take me to the goddamn mountains!

[@evanmiddendorf1452]

Yall were ripping !

[@jimkleijnen332]

13:33 the stoke is so real..... holy schneikies...

[@MaxHaines]

Great job to Bjarne here 🤙

[@stevenbuck5948]

U guys r fkn badass marching up that

[@tokf33]

Best one yet

[@kapelusznik74]

Cody, I hope you're recording episode #28 right now!

[@conorjones8811]

Roller balls?! What are they? Great video!

[@CodyTownsend]

So we asked around and it sounds like just kind of like the peak of warming can release slough, avalanches and cornice failures, sometimes the peak of cold can do the same to the snow. I've never seen anything like that so it spooked me out not knowing what was above us and something spontaneously falling down on us. That combined with not being able to see was a bit freaky but ultimately ended up being nothing in terms of danger.

[@michaelthiemet4829]

Should've cracked a Busch beer in honor of Mt.Moran!!

[@matthewharris3547]

5:10 "kids in the woods....!!!" Maybe a Bobcat or a Cougar instead?

[@jacksonhoran2695]

For future q&a not sure if someone already asked this but how did you meet Bjarne, why or how did you choose a camera man for this big endeavor?

[@DaveMarkelPhotography]

holy crap was that sweet.

[@Jay__EL]

Bjarne is the GOAT!!

[@drlangattx3dotnet]

Nice

[@hobbes8737]

totally a mordor vibe going on there! haha

[@alan4sure]

Anything left of that Fryingpan glacier these days?

[@aaalllen]

This is a great episode. Did you ever figure out what was causing the early snowballs to come down?

[@CodyTownsend]

Yeah, Hadley asked around and it sounds like just like with peak warming when wet slides, cornice failures and avalanches can release, the same can sort of happen with peak cold. Since it was about the darkest coldest part of the night right there, we're guessing the cold contraction of snow released small cornice failures. It's not something that is as dangerous as peak warming but when it happened and never having had experienced it, it sure felt spooky.

[@aaalllen]

@@CodyTownsend Thank you... not only entertaining, but many lessons can be learned from your project :)

[@domifrideger9766]

were you not worried about 'lanches when you were setting the skin track and boot pack right up the gut with all that snow hanging above you? No persistent slab?

[@CodyTownsend]

You’re always worried about avalanches on the backcountry, always working with mitigating them and avoiding them

[@reinkiewel7465]

another epic adventure! I've only done Moran late spring when the sun was out early morning...how do you determine the swiftest ascent route/where the hell you are when it's pitch black and butt cold? phone apps/gps?

[@thomaswills7290]

Hi Cody, do you use your salomon QST or MTN explore more often when touring?

[@anthonybonellopandp]

Yeah boys. Way to score. Shame it warmed up. The track was in. Could have gone for a second lap!!!

[@CodyTownsend]

If we didn't have to walk back across the lake or worry about the whole mountain coming down in the heat, that would've been a good call.

[@kkh8781]

wow

[@skyjockbill]

With hindsight, do you think you started the trudgefest too soon - looked more arduous than skinning?

[@jeffgribble3255]

Hi Cody. I absolutely love your series. As a fellow diehard skier, these have been a godsend during this covid mess. I have a question for you. Could you or do you stream this series on another platform besides KZbin? Their censorship on all things that don’t fit their narrative is intolerable and completely against American values. I would hate not being able to enjoy The Fifty any longer but I’m bailing on KZbin. Keep up the great work!

[@CodyTownsend]

Thanks for the kind words Jeff. For now, the series will be running solely on KZbin. I find them to be super good to work from a creator standpoint, one of the only platforms that values content creators and assists them and do an amazing job of promotion. So yeah, keeping with them.

[@tbmavengerstuka]

@@Leifdf.... Drink a beer and relax. I don't know how you're deriving Cody's skiing as deceptive, and I don't want to know. Here's a talented and passionate skier exploring skiable lines among friends and sharing it with us. He's not the first, last, or fastest up all these lines, but it's immersive and inspiring nonetheless. I applaud him and the friends he surrounds himself with that allow them to make quality art, through turns in the snow and gripping film footage. Cheers!

[@Leifdf]

I didn’t even write that comment!!!! Idk I think my account was hacked. Sorry for negativity, keep it up.

[@raviraivat]

Anyone know what snowshoes cody is using here?

[@hankharty9673]

Cody, when are you going to ski Mt Everest? :-)

[@peter.studenik]

If you didn't notice, girl's sledge went way smoother than yours :) next time you can use her system