Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend (March 2026)

In this episode of the Blister Podcast, host Jonathan Ellsworth and guest Cody Townsend dive into a wide-ranging conversation covering Cody's recent completion of the grueling Norman's 13 traverse—a 100-mile, 40,000 vertical foot alpine route across the Sierra Nevada with Tommy Caldwell and Bjarne Salen. Cody shares raw, personal insights into the physical and mental toll of the journey, including severe calorie deficits, celiac-related setbacks, and emotional lows, while reflecting on the profound sense of accomplishment and 'type two fun' that comes from enduring extreme hardship. The discussion transitions to the Freeride World Tour, where both hosts express awe at the unprecedented skill level of today’s athletes, citing the dominance of Mia Jones, Victor De La Rue, and Ben Richards. They also revisit the Castle Peak avalanche tragedy, emphasizing the importance of process over outcomes in backcountry decision-making, and debate the ethics of legal accountability in cases of partner abandonment in the mountains, with Cody advocating for education and empathy over litigation. The episode closes with a humorous take on British civic protest via a Manchester man who painted penises on potholes to get them fixed, and a lighthearted discussion on the 'dirty single' lift-line etiquette, concluding with reflections on recent films like *One Battle After Another* and *Sinners*, and a deep dive into slow reading and the upcoming Blister Book Club launch of *A River Runs Through It*.