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What we owe to McConkey

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triebby
Posts: 8670 - Karma: 2,189
Hearing about the death of one of the greatest skiers of all time is truly heartbreaking. Shane has done more for this sport than most of us can ever comprehend. I'm devastated to hear about his passing as I'm sure most of you are, and it has gotten me thinking. We never know when our time will come, Shane seemed invincible. I feel that NS as a community and as individuals owe so much to Shane, and that we should do our best to keep pushing, keep shredding, and keep having a damn good time doing this sport. Even if it is only for one day, I hope the people of NS truly stop and think about what they are saying and how they conduct themselves both on NS and as ambassadors for the sport on the hill. Just for a day go out and go ski as hard and as fast as you can and have a great time with your friends. I feel that this is the least we can do to honor the memory of one of the greatest and most influential icons that this great sport has ever seen.
Mar 27 2009 9:56AM
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PopsicleStand
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 147
Im not sure if anyone remembers that freeskier thing that timelined his life, but i remember the picture of him as a super stoked 2-year old with his arms up over a tiny jump. made me want to cry or laugh last night.

Sad that he is gone, but happy to remember how stoked he was on skiing for damn near 40 years.
Mar 27 2009 9:59AM
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9927 - Karma: 9,360
:.(
Mar 27 2009 10:04AM
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radskier
Posts: 685 - Karma: 16
Well said! He was one of the biggest impacters of our sport and his legend will condtinue to inspire many ahead. His positiveness and abiliy to never stop playing was what skiing should be all about. I was truly saddened to hear about this and all my love and thoughts go out to his family and the the people that were close to him. Rest in peace.
Mar 27 2009 10:15AM
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9927 - Karma: 9,360
I dont think I can watch "Theres something about McConkey" anymore w/out crying :.(

He was (and still is) my skiing idol and I still am in shock over what happened. You truly dont know what you have untill its gone, and what the skiing community had was a true legend. Ski In Peace Shane, we all miss you
Mar 27 2009 10:18AM
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soulskier
Posts: 17806 - Karma: 3,841
he's got a wife and daughter, keep them in your prayers
now ii'm gonna go watch all of his segments and get drunk of red bull n' vodka in memory of him
at least he went out skiing
Mar 27 2009 12:31PM
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cool.
Posts: 3457 - Karma: 1,724
+ vibes to Shane's family. McConkey was big mountain skiing. he's been doing it ever since i can remember.

RIP
Mar 27 2009 12:35PM
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cams
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 26

Wasn't he banned from Squaw valley for doing a huge backflip under the tram?

Then he hiked up and ran a mogul course in the nude.

He is the man

Mar 27 2009 12:38PM
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TheBeardedOne
Posts: 2286 - Karma: 58
I can't believe he's gone... :( I owe him for every day that I go skiing, and the skiing community, no matter what part of it, owes him so much. Shred some endless pow Shane. R.I.P.
Mar 27 2009 12:42PM
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sander_h
Posts: 1698 - Karma: 5,770
if i remember correctly he fathered the volant spatula. which was the first rockered ski.
Mar 27 2009 12:48PM
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T-Holt
Posts: 5020 - Karma: 639
I need to find that again.

RIP Shane
Mar 27 2009 12:53PM
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k-rob
Posts: 14217 - Karma: 2,891
i wonder if K2 will make a new ski and name it after him like they did for Coombs, where the profit went to Coombs' family for support. It would be an awesome thing to do on their part.

i never met Shane but i miss him.
Mar 27 2009 1:07PM
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cashdebt
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 349
thats actually a good idea. i hope they do that
Mar 27 2009 1:11PM
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Bjello
Posts: 31 - Karma: 34
At least he died doing what he loved to do..
Mar 27 2009 1:35PM
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ShredtillURdead
Posts: 2024 - Karma: 93
OP said it best, shane seemed absolutely invincible. 

K2 making a McConkey model would be an incredible tribute, but I feel this man deserves an entire line skis as a tribute.  perhaps K2 can run a whole line of his ski ideas, practical and wacky....like the SM Big mountain snowblade or the SM big mountain water ski and obviously a tribute model of the pontoon....I dont mean any disrespect to the man with those ideas, i just feel it is something he would have enjoyed and would have gotten a kick out of. 
Mar 27 2009 1:49PM
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Jwenz
Posts: 8893 - Karma: 7,633
I cant emphasize this more...best wishes to his family and may he rest in peace
Mar 27 2009 2:04PM
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9927 - Karma: 9,360
With all those ideas about skis named after hi
, they should make the Pontoon the "McConkey" cuz that's his ski
Mar 27 2009 2:23PM
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PopsicleStand
Posts: 6890 - Karma: 147
page 46, makes me laugh with happiness for his sick life...

Mar 27 2009 2:23PM
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Goku
Posts: 8119 - Karma: 4,221
Theres a teacher at my school who coaches are rival schools ski team and i have him as my first hour teacher so today i asked him if he knew he shane was and he said ya he used to ski with him 10-15 years ago in utah and i told him what happened and he diddnt believe me and was in absolute shock
Mar 27 2009 3:17PM
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ESB
Posts: 9273 - Karma: 10,647
Anyone riding a fat ski, or a reverse camber ski, or a rockered ski, owes their ski experience to McConkey. He was an innovator, a visionary, an unquenchable spirit and a constant reminder to never take things too seriously.
Mar 27 2009 3:18PM
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IXIEASTcoastIXI
Posts: 342 - Karma: 27
more park skiiers should progress the sport in his direction kind like Tanner is doing..
Mar 27 2009 3:27PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
THIS.

McConkey is a legend .
Mar 27 2009 3:36PM
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McLeod
Posts: 1762 - Karma: 1,582
i hope some NSers are shreddin in snowblades, saucers and one pieces today. cant forget the JD either
Mar 27 2009 3:44PM
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Goku
Posts: 8119 - Karma: 4,221
hell ya
Mar 27 2009 3:53PM
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PhaedeD
Posts: 11498 - Karma: 327
i live in the east and my mountain will be open tomorrow just the park which we have to hike all day, i will be there for 7 hours tomorrow thinking about him the whole time.

rip shane.
Mar 27 2009 4:16PM
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sick-as-aids
Posts: 3453 - Karma: 1,007
even though i had never met shane, last night i was genuinely upset to read the news about it. like many have said, he was an icon for our sport, and a rider i loved to watch...

now i woke up this morning to see joss now on the front page, and still this rail jam fella as the display page, we need a tribute to shane in some way for atleast a week, seeing joss on the front was almost like ns was moving on already, like it was old news now... NO, we need to give him the memorial he deservs..
rip brother
Mar 27 2009 5:10PM
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yourthemannowdog
Posts: 4541 - Karma: 313
my condolences go to his wife and son
Mar 27 2009 5:20PM
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grams.
Posts: 7406 - Karma: 186
Sooo true. Especially during a time when skiing on a fat/reverse camber/rocker ski is almost the norm now, even if it is unnecessary for the individual or not.  Like many I haven't met Shane, but just from watching his segments and movies he seems like a really chill guy, and obviously an innovator and incredible icon for our sport. I seriously cried today in my video class when I opened up NS and saw the news post, thats not the first thing I want to see when I go to my favorite site. Prayers to his family and child who need all the strength they can get right now. RIP.
Mar 27 2009 7:01PM
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armadajj09
Posts: 337 - Karma: 11
Corbin remembers filming McConkey doing a double back flip off the “whoopee” jump under Chair 4 on Vail Mountain.

Perhaps the most famous Vail McConkey story came from a Pro Mogul Tour event. McConkey took his run down the Look Ma course and did a flip, which wasn’t allowed at the time. After the disqualification, McConkey slipped back up Chair 3 and proceeded to poach the course naked, to the delight of the crowd. The stunt got McConkey banned from Vail Mountain, Corbin said
Mar 27 2009 7:15PM
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CT_CREW
Posts: 658 - Karma: 3,439
http://shanemcconkey.org/   memorial website....donations and message board
Mar 27 2009 8:13PM
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McShane
Posts: 270 - Karma: 145

McConkey was a great skier. He innovated skiing so much. RIP Shane. + Vibes to his family.

RIP man. You are a legend.

Mar 27 2009 9:09PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,398
tribute pontoon=great idea
Mar 27 2009 9:11PM
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3R1C
Posts: 367 - Karma: 14
word...
Mar 27 2009 9:20PM
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9927 - Karma: 9,360
Yeah name the Pontoon "The McConkey"
Mar 27 2009 9:25PM
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Ham.and.Cheese
Posts: 557 - Karma: 58
"some people call it extreme, some people call it big mountain skiing, we just call it skiing" Shane McConkey
This interview im watching is so sad to see, and then the interviewer said what do you do if the chute dosent open or you lose a ski on the top of the cliff, then she goes onto say and what it like to have a colleague die right after the movie
Mar 27 2009 9:48PM
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ax_murderer
Posts: 3322 - Karma: 30
Amen.
Mar 27 2009 10:02PM
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sander_h
Posts: 1698 - Karma: 5,770
legend
Mar 28 2009 2:34AM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,141
Click for larger image
Mar 28 2009 2:44AM
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WhiteBurd
Posts: 1127 - Karma: 98
FREEZE needs to make an issue now. i remember reading so many articles about him because he was always doing something extreme and new. anybody remember that bet or something he made with someone in a movie about who would be the oldest in a ski movie or whatever?
Mar 28 2009 2:54AM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,141
It was Mike Douglas.
Mar 28 2009 2:55AM
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The_Future
Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607
Well, since all the hills around me are closed already, I made it a goal to go out and hit an urban rail for Shane tonight.  I made it happen and I did it in remembrance of him. Every should do an epic line for Shane.  RIP dude!
Mar 28 2009 3:13AM
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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
i remember something from a magazine, i think skeeze, where they asked a bunch of pro's what they thought of no poles. i dont know the exact quote, but it was something about how he thinks its good people are doing it and how fun it is to just goof around without them, and he said something like "i dont give a shit about style, if im having fun thats all i care about" its one of the best skiing related quotes ive ever read, and i base my skiing off that.

does anyone know the quote im talking about? it would be sweet if someone could post it cause i dont remember it too well, im pretty sure its from a skeeze issue.
Mar 28 2009 5:24AM
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waterfordsam
Posts: 172 - Karma: 11
Yes.
Mar 28 2009 5:44AM
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