THE FIFTY 42/50 – The Skyladder

Stop number 42 out of 50 in Cody Townsend’s quest to ski all fifty of the classic ski descents in North America brought him to the Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta, Canada. The Skyladder is a steep, exposed and hazardous run with over 5,000 vert and serous potential for wind slabs and avalanches… all pretty standard for “the Fifty”. Needless to say, conditions for this run have to be near perfect for it to be safely skiable. Cody met up with Doug Ward, the first descender of the Skyladder, to glean any wisdom from his 40 years of local knowledge to ensure his attempt of this run would be a successful one. After all was said and done, the fun snow, good people, great weather, ripping turns, a great little climb and great views made for a great day on the hill.