Sponsored, Episode 10: Cody Townsend

On this episode of the "Sponsored" podcast, presented by Powder Radio, host Mike Powell interviews Cody Townsend, who was fresh off a "jungle skiing" shoot as the stunt double for Vin Diesel. Townsend talks about how, as a kid, he followed the stars of Squaw, like Shane McConkey, JT Holmes, and Kent Kreitler, until they let them ski with him.

"I literally would tail them, two or three chairs behind them, and follow them around," says Townsend. "I remember I had a pair of GS skis, and I bent up the tails with irons so that i had my first pair of twin-tips, and those guys are on fat skis on a pow day, ripping turns, and skiing lines and I would just straightline everything because I had such skinny skis on, to try to keep up with them. Eventually, that day, JT came up to me and was like, 'Dude, you got to get some fat skis.' The rest is history. JT and Kreitler took me under their wing."

Townsend is also candid about his setbacks and doubt of fulfilling his dream.

"I remember going to Shane McConkey's house... putting the VHS in... watching it and just wanting to cry because [my footage] was so bad," he says. "I definitely remember, man, maybe I'm not going to be a pro skier, because I suck. I was really down at that moment. This has been my dream since I was 6 years old, since I watched Scot Schmidt movies and was like, oh my God, I want to be a skier."