Twenty-seven-year old Cody Townsend is one crazy, hot-doggin' SOB. Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, he's a fan of both the snow, and the surf. Whichever way he gets his jollies, it doesn't really matter – for this man it's all about the fun.
Cody is gifted with that sort of contagious positive attitude that spreads to everyone around him. He's a former high school quarterback, a world traveler, he's engaged to female athlete-extraordinaire Elyse Saugstad, and he's a star of the recent MSP film "The Way I See It." Of course, he's also a successful competitor, and a master shredder of all things gnar; to say the very least, this guy's got it going on.
Speaking of GNAR… for all that Cody has accomplished, I'm pretty surprised he's a pro skier. I work in the office five days a week, and I'm way better than he is.
Nevertheless, we caught up with the man this week via Skype to check in on his whereabouts, his happenings, and his thoughts on facial hair.
Maybe this is the same facial expression he'll have when he sees the aforementioned GNAR callout.
Where are you from and when did you start skiing?
From Santa Cruz, California and I started skiing at Squaw Valley when I was two years old.
Who are your current sponsors?
Salomon, Swatch, Smith, PortersTahoe.com, The Levitation Project, ABS Avalanche Packs, Hestra, Squaw Valley, HiBall and Arcade Belts.
Who are your favorite people to ski with?
Honestly, anyone that is having fun and stoked to be out on shred sticks in any condition… but for a non-vague answer I'd have to go with Elyse Saugstad, Greg Lindsay, George Hjelte, JT Holmes, Jason Abraham, Tristan Queen and all my other best buds from Squaw Valley.
Where have you been skiing so far this year? What have been the highlights?
Well Tahoe had an amazing start to this winter so I actually got to stick around home for once and ski pow for more than a month before Christmas. Did a quick jaunt to Colorado with Abma, Windstedt and Elyse to ski some park.
Then it was off to Selkirk Wilderness Lodge with the Matchstick dudes and dudettes and finally wrapping it all up with some shooting in Whistler and the PNW with Salomon Freeski TV. So yeah, this season has been kick-yo-mama-in-the-head good.
What are your plans for the rest of the season?
The pinnacle of the season will be heading back to Alaska with MSP. AK is like crack, except that crack is cheaper, less dangerous and less addictive. Shout out to D.A.R.E.
On the in between I'll be filming around the West Coast, heading to La Grave and Switzerland for
a bit and possibly competing in the Verbier Xtreme again.
Now that you beat out Henrik Windstedt for a coveted spot on the Salomon team, how has your life changed?
Well considering the fact that Henrik lives in Monaco and I still live at my parents house in the summer, I'd say life hasn't changed much for me and we all need to work on our definition of who is actually "winning."
Do you have to buy an extra plane ticket for your mustache?
No. But they do wave me through security faster. Nothing about a blonde mustache says threatening.
Who do you think has the best mustache in the game?
Well there are lots of wiry and thin mustaches out there, and a pencil stripe is no respectable way to wear a 'stache. Otherwise Dan Treadway can rock a decent pickle broom.
If you could go with a Tom Selleck or a Handlebar, which would you choose?
Tom Selleck. Tom Selleck's mustache is Victoria's secret.
Any shout outs?
To my parents, wouldn't be a skier having fun and living a great life without them.
Cody's Blog
@codytownsend
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*In case you were wondering what GNAR is… it's a game, and below you'll find the inspiring film by Scott and Robb Gaffney that describes the history and evolution of the phenomenon. We're slapping a Freeskier guarantee on this: this movie will encourage you to have more fun on the mountain than ever before. The game is inspired by the life of Shane McConkey – so naturally, it's pure gold.
