Review of Polar Star, Cody Townsend’s latest mission in the “Ski the Fifty” project
Having been an avid follower of “The Fifty '' since the beginning, Polar Star was always one of the episodes that defined the series, we thought. The distance alone to reach the bottom of the line. The true wilderness nature of Baffin Island. The roll of the weather dice that accompanies any line on a ribbon of steep snow squeezed between monstrous cliffs on the edge of the Arctic ocean. We were ready, already contemplating the stories of horrible weather, tough choices, dicey conditions, and polar bear encounters. The movie started as expected from this point of view, chronicling the inevitable loss of ski bags, the scramble to retrieve them necessitating an expensive charter to ensure arriving within the window.
As Cody Townsend explained the need for a local guide and the inability to book one beforehand we were expecting days of searching, leading to a rush to the line. This would then surely lead to squeezing the days left on the trip down to one or two, making choices difficult and the option of backing off a viable possibility. The guide was found quickly, and the trek on snowmobiles across the frozen ocean to the camp relatively close to the bottom of Polar Star Couloir looked like an incredible experience befitting of the line. This was an epic, after all, in the fashion of Split couloir (spoiler alert), which took the team 4 years and numerous attempts to complete, or Mt St Elias, which has still not been ticked off. Right?
What followed, seemed, at first, like a let down.
None of these lines are easy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was ticked off in the same fashion as some of the easier lines. There was no fuss, minimal drama, and left deflated a little, we asked ourselves: “What are they going to do with the rest of the film?”.
Looking back, we should have known. There had been a few hints on Instagram a while ago about how incredible the rest of the skiing was on Baffin Island. From the ether there were mentions of possible first descents, and a name: Vivian Bruchez.
What followed was enlightening, and reminded us that there exists in skiing a different breed of person. One for whom living among the highest peaks in Europe is family history. One who, whilst working through what looks like rotten ice and rock mixed cruxes, seems to be in his element. One that enjoys sharing his passion with others by teaching, whether first turns or IFMGA guides. Watching Vivian Bruchez in his environment was a joy. His childish excitement in finding a hole to ski through, was incredibly infectious. His focus and incredible technical ability are incredible, and his passion in teaching a local guide how to make his first turns inspiring.
The technical ski mountaineering in Polar Star is incredible. The filming, as usual, with Bjarne Salen shooting most, if not all, of it, was amazing. The finished product brought it all together in a way that kept our interest all the way through. Another great film from Summit Lunch Productions. We were expecting an epic, and instead were treated to a celebration of one man and his enthusiasm for his craft.