Last season, Salomon freeride team athlete Cody Townsend started a new adventure to climb the 50 most classic lines of North America, as listed in the book Fifty Classic Descents of North America by Chris Davenport, Penn Newhard and Art Burrows. Along the way, Cody has encountered various snow conditions, from the knee-deep powder of Mount Superior to the icy slopes of the Grand Teton, and his go-to ski for this adventure has been the very versatile Salomon QST 106. Watch the video below to see why he relies on this ski, which has a new construction for the new 2019/20 season.
The new QST 106 is the ski you can bring anywhere. Whether you want to carve turns like a slalom racer on hard pack or float through knee-deep pow, the QST 106 will give you the control and the precision needed. Its new shape for the 2019 winter season provides even more stability, plus Cork Damplifier Technology was added in the tip and tail of the ski for a more stable and predictable ride. "When I’m lining up a line on The Fifty and don’t know the conditions, the 106 is my ski of choice because I know it’s the best tool in my quiver to handle any scenario of snow," Cody told us. "It’s by far my most versatile ski."
To follow Cody's epic adventure climbing the 50 most iconic ski lines in North America, be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel and watch the latest episode below.
Here's a list of the gear that Cody has been using on The Fifty project:
- QST 106 his most versatile pair of skis
- MTN Explore 95 his lightweight touring skis
- S/Lab X-Alp skis his smaller and lighter touring skis
Two pair of bindings, one lighter than the other:
- MTN bindings when the journey is mostly uphill and he wants to save a few grams and be super lightweight
- S/LAB SHIFT MTN bindings when he knows the downhill will be worth charging
Two pairs of ski boots that he customized to his liking:
- S/Lab MTN for when he wants to ski hard on the downhill after touring up
- S/Lab X-Alp boots for a day built more around touring
