The FIFTY

[JayPowHound]

Props Cody for bagging the peak before the film.. knocked it off the list and then still tried and suffered with Alex for the crazy trip. Sorry you got sick but glad you got it done and checked it off!

[Clownshoe]

Great episode! Especially enjoyed Alex’s deadpan “I wouldn’t be surprised if Cody dies”.

Bonus episode coming with the previous day’s actual summit? (Video or it didn’t happen!)

Keep it up!

[east or bust]

Cool episode. Although the ultimate goal wasn't achieved I think you guys did a good job of documenting it to show that sometimes it ain't all sunshine and rainbows.


Also, congrats are nearing the 100k subscribers mark. If I'm not mistaken I believe that accolade comes with a fancy youtube plaque.. or maybe thats a million. I forget. Either way, hell of an achievement and I think really speaks to the content you're creating.

[schwerty]

Cody - I know you get a lot of compliments in this thread but hell…another won’t hurt.

I have really enjoyed watching everything you’ve put out for this project! Really excellent stuff. My 13 yr old daughter is way into it also. Keep it up!

[Alkasquawlik]

There was enough grief about the black kit given on the Tube so I'll leave it. From years of racing in the dead heat of flyover country, I'll say there's not much you can do - big dudes just suffer. If you HAVE to ride in it, podium chill bottles full of ice on the bike, and nylons (as in your mom's socks) full of ice wrapped around your neck and down your back do wonders.

Was anyone else on the edge of their seat for Alex, waiting to hear "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE A PRO I'M WAY BETTER THAN YOU."

I got a stern talking to when I called her that night. I didn't disagree with one point.

[cat in january]

Yeah it was actually a bit scary watching you in that condition. Don’t go dying on us. Appreciate you taking the time to stop in to the forum

[yeahman]

Great episode. Honnold is a funny dude.

[hutash]

If you aren't sweating, you are about to die...been there on road bikes a few times, it's a hard lesson to learn.

I didn't see any sweat on Cody, so glad he stopped. Still too many boxes left to tick to die now.

[old goat]

Mountaineer's route with frozen snow is a serious place for a less than expert skier. Not that he's a bad skier--I expect very few of us would have looked any better.

[Shred Baron]

Seeing Alex side slip the chute definitely made me feel less crazy for hoping to ski the mountaineers route. He seemed a little embarrassed but with the conditions and his skills, it’s definitely the safe decision. He’s smart enough to not over estimate his abilities.

I also think it’s good that Cody shows his failures along with the success. It doesn’t set an image that crushing it is the only option. He backed out on pontoon, and got beat by heatstroke here. Good to remind people it’s ok to turn back, or not succeed.


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[The SnowShow]

Seeing Alex side slip the chute definitely made me feel less crazy for hoping to ski the mountaineers route. He seemed a little embarrassed but with the conditions and his skills, it’s definitely the safe decision. He’s smart enough to not over estimate his abilities.

I also think it’s good that Cody shows his failures along with the success. It doesn’t set an image that crushing it is the only option. He backed out on pontoon, and got beat by heatstroke here. Good to remind people it’s ok to turn back, or not succeed.


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One of the reasons I love this series vs your typical ski movie these days.

[yeahman]

One of the reasons I love this series vs your typical ski movie these days.

Yep. I gain more respect for the guy when he shows the failures and realities, even when it makes him look less core and invincible. He's smart enough to know that content is king, and that's what he ultimately will be judged on.

And in any case, he's succeeded on a lot of difficult routes. All things considered he and Bjarne are kicking ass on this project.

[yeahman]

And how fucking ironic that Honnold is getting asked to pose for selfies while he's side slipping down the Mountaineer's Route. That has to be one of the most awesome moments captured on outdoor video, ever.

[bonewrenched]

Damn Alka that ride looked brutal. Glad you made it through that one alive. I was watching on my phone and all of the sudden my wife pops her head in and says "what the fuck is Cody doing now? Don't you dare get any stupid ideas!"

[old goat]

At the risk of being pedantic--that was heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is worse--basically you go to the ER or you die. Fortunately Cody had the sense and humility to cool off and then quit.

My son and DIL climbed the E face and glissaded the Mountaineer's (no axes). I believe the snow was better. A lot better.

[jackstraw]

If you aren't sweating, you are about to die...been there on road bikes a few times, it's a hard lesson to learn.

I didn't see any sweat on Cody, so glad he stopped. Still too many boxes left to tick to die now.

Interesting, I did not know that. I sweat a ton and it sucks. On a skin I have to slow it way down to maintain a proper core temp otherwise I over heat and sweat out my clothes, then freeze on the transition. It's truly annoying not being able to go at my normal pace because of sweat. I assume it's tied to my ms condition or I'm just Irish af and need to be in a cool cloudy climate. Idk, but it is annoying. I cannot mtn bike when it's too hot and I learned my lesson the hard way.

Watching someone as fit as Cody, I probably would have made it a half mile before breaking. That vid hit home for me. Jeezus...hell!!

[ptavv]

At the risk of being pedantic--that was heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is worse--basically you go to the ER or you die. Fortunately Cody had the sense and humility to cool off and then quit.

My son and DIL climbed the E face and glissaded the Mountaineer's (no axes). I believe the snow was better. A lot better.

If you're going to be pedantic… the most widely accepted categories of heat illness actually include a third category between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is heat injury. That said, there are various nomenclatures and categorizations of heat illnesses and most of the ways people determine the difference are related to the person's core temperature and evidence of end organ dysfunction, which usually requires a lab to identify.

[TahoeJ]

And to the point of sweating, it's crazy how much *less* I sweat when I'm mountain biking in Tahoe vs. down at sea level, and also need way less water (even when it's hot). I split time about equally so I'm accustomed to both, but I imagine if someone was predominantly in Tahoe it might take some time for your body to adjust how it regulates itself to that kind of heat and the balance of water in vs. sweat out.

[thefrush]

This episode got me thinking of Matchstick's 2006 movie Push. The theme of that film was that people in the professional extreme sports category were possibly pushing things too far with the rate of extreme injury and death everyone was seeing around them. It asked the question of where the line is. While this is not a new or unfamiliar theme, I thought that film did a great job presenting it and it's one of my all-time favorite ski films. Cody was just getting his start chasing Shane & JT around Squaw and getting film parts with Rage at this time. Since then, I think we've definitely seen a good shift in the industry. We're losing less of our friends, mentors, and idols, and I'm seeing less season-ender injuries amongst he population. This episode of The Fifty is a perfect example of that shift we've seen, where everything doesn't have to be the biggest, baddest thing ever done, and when you do try to push to that limit, bad shit can happen. Thanks to both Cody & Alex for allowing us to see their weaknesses, it allows all of us to connect in a much different way to each of you.

Cody, I'm glad you pulled the plug when you did, but I'm wondering if that plug shoulda been pulled when Alex was joking about you dying from a heart attack, rather than getting back on the bike 'just to be sure.' Hindsight and armchair quarterbacking, no doubt. As you mentioned, you heard enough about it from the Missus.

My other critique is, from my skier and longtime fan perspective, I woulda been perfectly fine with an episode about yours and Bjarne's day on the mtn the week prior. Hope we get that as a bonus release sometime perhaps? I get wanting to make a story about it and appeal to a wider audience, and it was entertaining no doubt. But we see what the ultimate result was from that endeavor. I sense in this season so far that you are paying a bit more attention to how each line will come across in the video. I hope your focus is still on the skiing. The video is nice for us to come along for the ride, but it should not be the priority. Stay safe, looking forward to the rest!

[Creeker]

At the risk of being pedantic--that was heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is worse--basically you go to the ER or you die. Fortunately Cody had the sense and humility to cool off and then quit.

My son and DIL climbed the E face and glissaded the Mountaineer's (no axes). I believe the snow was better. A lot better.

Echoing our resident Surgeon, heat stroke or exhaustion is not a joke. Have experienced it one time on a golf course in HS with my Dad and others who knew to get me in the shade and ice around my neck. You can recover pretty quick!

[Alkasquawlik]

Yep. I gain more respect for the guy when he shows the failures and realities, even when it makes him look less core and invincible. He's smart enough to know that content is king, and that's what he ultimately will be judged on.

And in any case, he's succeeded on a lot of difficult routes. All things considered he and Bjarne are kicking ass on this project.

Thanks man. The thing is, I've always considered myself a not that talented athlete, in no way the superhero the movies make us out to be and just a pretty normal skier. So I've always felt more uncomfortable putting on an air that I am one of those freak, superhero athletes and showing the real side of myself makes me more comfortable that trying to live up to some manufactured hype. Showing myself being scared, failing and the reality of the situation is just me being me and that's the only thing I care about being judged on is if I'm honest and authentic or not.

[Danno]

It shows. And people appreciate the films because of that.

[Alkasquawlik]

Cody, I'm glad you pulled the plug when you did, but I'm wondering if that plug shoulda been pulled when Alex was joking about you dying from a heart attack, rather than getting back on the bike 'just to be sure.' Hindsight and armchair quarterbacking, no doubt. As you mentioned, you heard enough about it from the Missus.

My other critique is, from my skier and longtime fan perspective, I woulda been perfectly fine with an episode about yours and Bjarne's day on the mtn the week prior. Hope we get that as a bonus release sometime perhaps? I get wanting to make a story about it and appeal to a wider audience, and it was entertaining no doubt. But we see what the ultimate result was from that endeavor. I sense in this season so far that you are paying a bit more attention to how each line will come across in the video. I hope your focus is still on the skiing. The video is nice for us to come along for the ride, but it should not be the priority. Stay safe, looking forward to the rest!

Oh I totally should've pulled the plug earlier. But what that showed was my lack of experience in the heat and endurance challenges in such heat. But at the same time, there are so many times when you can push through the pain and suffering and go far further than you think. So without the desert experience but with having experienced that second part many times, it added up into near disaster. Luckily I was astute enough to pull the plug when I did and the fact that we had multiple support cars and people to attend to me when it got serious. If I didn't have the AC, ice and the ability to cool down quickly, I definitely would've died.

To the second point about the earlier mission, if I can find the time to get it edited up, it's not out of the question to make a second bonus edit.

Lastly, to whether it was heat stroke / injury / exhaustion...I'm not a doctor and wasn't diagnosed so really don't know. I do know that experienced nearly all the symptoms of heat stroke including not sweating at all, delirium and confusion, nausea / vomiting, a super elevated heart rate and rapid uncontrolled breathing. I was on the edge of whatever it was and felt really really close to what felt like "popping". It felt like my heart was about to explode for 20+ minutes even in the cool van. Oh and probably had a bit of organ damage from that one because lets just say my pee had some fucked up colors for the next week or so. Took my about a month to feel fully recovered from that one.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I had symptoms like this a couple years back on a long run. The temp was around 60 when I started but rose to the mid 90's with no clouds or breeze at all. I wasn't expecting it to get nearly that hot and I didn't carry much water. Toward the end of the run I wasn't feeling very good. I looked at my watch and saw I was running 13 minute miles on a flat stretch of trail (insanely slow). I tried to speed up, but I couldn't. Soon I passed an older fellow (who happened to be a doctor). He took one look at me and knew I was fucked up.

He asked me if I was ok and I said something like, "I think.... I feel..... terrible." My heart was pounding and my legs weren't doing what I told them to do. I wasn't having trouble talking clearly. He gave me water and walked with me the mile or so back to my car. Once I stopped running and drank water I felt much better, but my heart wouldn't stop pounding. After I drove home from the trailhead my heart was still pounding and I felt hotter than ever. I took my temp and it was 103. I chugged more water but nothing changed. Finally I took a cold shower and that did the trick. My temp went down and my heart rate slowed. But I felt pretty sluggish for a couple weeks.

The scariest thing about the whole experience was that I became so disoriented and incapacitated without really being aware it was happening. By the time I was aware of what was going on I wasn't capable of making good decisions or taking care of myself. If I had been somewhere remote It could have ended badly.

[Dantheman]

Oh and probably had a bit of organ damage from that one because lets just say my pee had some fucked up colors for the next week or so. Took my about a month to feel fully recovered from that one.

Dude, that's rhabdo: https://www.healthline.com/health/rh...lysis#symptoms

You probably should have been hospitalized and on IV fluids for that week. The color is from your muscles breaking down and leaking myoglobin into your bloodstream. Your kidneys filter it out into urine but it's really, really hard them. You should get some blood tests done to check your kidney function, seriously.

Dark/weird urine color after intense exercise and/or heat injury = hospital