| The Worst News: Ski Legend Shane McConkey Dead at 39 |
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| Written by Graham Gephart | |
Thursday, 26 March 2009 20:10 |
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 Dolomites, Italy (Ski Press)-Not much to add to this terrible news sent in from Graham Gephart: I really want to see someone confirm otherwise, but Scott Gaffney is saying on the TGR forum that Shane McConkey was killed
in a ski base accident in Italy today:http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155628. When his passion shifted to BASE jumping and ski BASE, I think a lot of people wondered quietly and uncomfortably if this day might come. Tragedy is inevitably hard to avoid with that level and frequency of risk, but over time the outrageous became the norm, another invincible Superman of skiing. There is little margin of error in the things that fueled McConkey's adrenaline, and today it seems that fine line simply ran too thin. Another legend of skiing passes on to a different world. An idol of another generation, his humor was unique - the class clown of the ski industry - and his legacy undisputed. He was one of the pioneers of freeride competition, founding the IFSA organization, and at 39 was still a fixture in the freeride scene, always looking at the mountain with a unique perspective. One of the most creative minds in skiing, his perspective changed not only how we look at the mountain, but how we look at ski design. If Coombs and crew unlocked the big mountain experience, McConkey was arguably the first to explore it at full throttle. Shit. Matchstick just confirmed the news in an article the Sierra Sun as well now: http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20090326/NEWS/903269961/1066&ParentProfile=1051&title=Report%20%20Shane%20McConkey%20dies Sad day today. |
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