Cody Townsend was honored Saturday at the 2014 Powder Awards for skiing what was deemed the most challenging line of the past year: a ridiculously steep and narrow tunnel-like chute in the Alaskan wilderness.
The accompanying footage is provided by MSP Films, which describes Townsend's chosen route as the “Most insane ski line EVER.”
Most viewers, whether they ski or not, probably will agree that it requires a high skill level and a touch of craziness to even contemplate negotiating a chute so ominously vertical, dark and narrow, with rock walls only inches away, and with an exit window visible only as a thin crack of light.
Townsend, before his descent, can be heard saying, “Oohh, I’m getting nervous,” but his run was completed stylishly and without consequence, other than to further establish the freeskier as a major talent among his peers.
The chute is located in the Tordrillo Mountains in south-central Alaska. Townsend was honored, along with other top male and female skiers, by Powder magazine during its annual awards gala on Saturday night at Salt Lake City.
Townsend, who lives in Squaw Valley, California, claimed three awards, including Best Male Performance, based on his many segments (including the footage shown here) in MSP Films’ “Days of My Youth.”
The night was a validation of sorts for an athlete who needs to update the Awards section of his Facebook page, which at the time of this post read: “Three-time Powder Award nominee … Zero-time winner.”
Of a year that also included cover appearances in four different ski magazines, Townsend told Powder, “It’s one of those things where the snow ball just picked up speed real fast. I never skied to win an award. I’ve always just kind of followed what I want to do. So many things that went into it this year, it was because that’s what I thought was going to be the most fun.”
As for reaction to the accompanying footage, which is being widely shared via social media, perhaps a comment by Brian Cano on the MSP Films Facebook page sums up the general feeling: “Good GOD!!!”
A bad intermediate skier like me sees that, and wonders "how?!". Really awesome to see.
Posted by: Wandering Justin | Dec 15, 2014 at 03:04 PM