Shane passed away on March 26th in a tragic accident, it truly is a tragedy both to the community and his family. He was a Canadian hero, born in Vancouver, and will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this time.
This is a tribute to the life of an amazing individual, and contains only a snapshot of some of his incredible accomplishments. I’m sure that’s how he would want to be remembered.
A link to footage from the Blizzard of Aahhh’s which Shane talks about
Shane McConkey was the son of Jim McConkey, a Whistler legend and member of the Ski Hall of Fame (Jim McConkey was head of the Whistler ski school, there is a run named after him in Harmony Bowl). Some say Shane was the best skier on the planet.
Along with teammate Miles Daisher, Shane was the first to base jump off the new Peak-To-Peak gondola in Whistler.
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Shane McConkey (December 30, 1969 – March 26, 2009) Born in Vancouver, British Columbia[1] , was a professional skier based out of Squaw Valley, California. He won numerous awards and competitions. McConkey started as a competitive freestyle skier, but moved on to be featured in a long line of extreme skiing movies. McConkey was known for combining base jumping with skiing, as seen in such feats as skiing into a BASE jump off the Eiger. McConkey went to Burke Mountain Academy. He was also known for his contributions to ski design, notably being the father of reverse side cut and reverse camber skis (aka: skis with rocker), first with the Volant Spatula and, more recently, the K2 Pontoon ski design.
Death
On March 26, 2009 McConkey was killed while skiing in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. He and his skiing partner JT Holmes were skiing off of a cliff while wearing parachutes; after doing a double back flip, McConkey was unable to deploy his parachute and crashed to the ground. He died on the scene.[2]
Film appearances
* Claim (2008)
* Seven Sunny Days (2007)
* Steep (2007)
* Push (2006)
* Focused – Season One (2005)
* The Hit List (2005)
* Warren Miller’s Higher Ground (2005)
* Yearbook (2004)
* Ski Movie III: The Front Line (2002)
* Ski Movie 2: High Society (2001)
* Ski Movie (2000)
* There’s Something About McConkey (2000)
* 1999
* Global Storming (1999)
* Sick Sense (1998)
* Walls of Freedom (1995?)
* TGR’s The Realm (1994)
* Immersion (2002)
* Alpine Rapture (1993)
* Ski Theater (1992)
Competition results
2000:
* Nea Award Winner – Freeskiing Male
* Bridge Day Championships – 5th.
* 3rd Exit Style Winner of Judges Choice Award
* Gravity Games Big Mtn. Champion, Gravity Games Skiercross – 6th
* Gravity Games Big Air – 7th
* X-Games Skiercross – 5th
* Japan Core Games Skiercross Champion- 3rd.
* Jonny Moseley Invitational – 3rd.
1999:
* ESPN X-Games Skier Cross – 2nd.
* IFSA World Tour of Freeskiing – 5th.
* US Freeskiing Nationals – 5th
* World Tour event at Andermatt – 3rd.
1998:
* IFSA World Tour of Freeskiing Champion- 2nd.
* European Freeskiing Champion- 2nd.
* U.S. Freeskiing Nationals – 2nd.
* Canadian Freeskiing Championships-4th.
1996:
* IFSA Overall World Tour Champion – Unofficial tour- 4th.
* European Freeskiing Champion
* U.S. Freeskiing Championships-4th.
* World Extreme Skiing Championships-6th.
1995:
* U.S. National Freeskiing Champion
* South American Freeskiing Champion
* Pro Mogul Tour Overall – 16th.
* 1st seed and Japan Super Mogul – 7th.
1994:
* South American Freeskiing Champion
* World Extreme Skiing Championships-2nd
* Pro Mogul Tour Overall-8th
* 1st seed and Pro Mogul Tour Event at Copper Mtn. – 1st.
Career accomplishments
2005: Nominated for Laureus World Sport Award – World Alternative Sportsperson Of The Year, Ranked #1 Powder Magazine Reader Poll and Won Powder Magazine’s Full Throttle Award again.
2004: Ranked #2 again in Powder Magazine’s Reader Poll, Won Powder Magazine’s Full Throttle award, Won Powder Magazine’s Best Helmet Cam award, Went ski base jumping all over Europe and even got to bust a double front off the Eiger and Got Married in Thailand!
2003: Ranked #2 in Powder Magazine’s Reader Poll, Won the Chinese Fruity DH at my own event! (Beat Daron Rhalves!) and Skied bitchen lines that closed out to 500ft cliffs and then aired off em with my parachute!
2002: Ranked #1 in Powder Magazine’s Reader Poll and Invented world’s greatest powder ski! The Volant Spatula with reverse camber and reverse sidecut!
2001: ESPN Action Sport Awards Skier of the Year, Red Bull Ultra Cross’s Big Air Comp – 1st and Ranked #1 in Skiing Magazine’s Top 25 skiers in North America.
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More videos of Shane:
A link to the Shane McConkey Memorial Website
A link to Shane’s fan page on Facebook
A link to Shane’s final blog post
See ya.
March 29th, 2009 at 7:57 am
[...] Continued here: A Tribute To Shane McConkey [...]
March 29th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Shane was my cousin and an inspiration to my kids and the entire adventure seeking world. This tribute is highly appropriate as it shows Shane doing what he loved to do. We lost a huge figure from our family but we knew his family was a global one and the world morns the loss of such an extraordinary human being. He will be forever remembered for his athletism, his personality and zest for life.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:21 am
The world will mourn the loss of Shane. I know I will. We shared a common bond; pushing the envelope of the ‘Extremes’. Anyone that has played the numbers’ game knows the risk. Shane had the ability of defying the odds and proving all the mathematicians wrong. I will miss his spirit and enthusiasm for embracing life to its fullest. In my opinion, Shane was Lord of the ‘Extremes’. I feel honored to have known him. My deepest and most sincere condolences to all his family members, his daughter, and to my dear friend Sherry, who I’ve known for over twenty years. May your lost be comforted by the thought of knowing that Shane died doing what he loved. If the rest of us could be so lucky! DG
April 4th, 2009 at 7:01 am
You give me adrenalin rushes just watching you there’s always challenges but not everyone takes them. Good for you for living life your way and giving us so much! Much condolences to the family, be happy that he was one of very few who lived and died enjoying what he loved so much. He will always be remembered as a pioneer who was not afraid to go beyond.
April 6th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I met Shane at Kamp K2 in 2008, I was on the same team as him appropriatly named the Pontoons. Eventhough Kamp k2 was only 2 days, It felt like i knew him forever because he was in good spirits all the time. I think I speak for all fellow Pontoons and K2 in saying that Shane will greatly be missed.
April 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Shane’s my second cousin. The family mourns (Hey Bob. I’m Fred’s daughter Pat’s daughter).
3-2-1 See ya
November 4th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
…if there was one person on this entire planet I would have wanted to meet it would have been Shane aka Saucer Boy! His life, love and passion was skiing and he definitely showed it to the world. The ski community will always remember Shane for his uplifting attitude and drive for doing what he did best! Thank you Shane for inspiring so many people! I will be sure to make some turns for you this season and in future seasons as well. God bless and I hope your “IN DEEP” where ever you are! We’ll meet someday!