R.I.P Shane McConkey

This past week the ski comuntiy lost a true pioneer and legend. Shane McConkey will be dearly missed by all, and I have offically lost one of my heroes. This is a post put up on the k2 skis website, and here is a link to the memorial website. Please support the family any way you can.....they need the good energy right now. R.I.P. Shane, you will never be forgotten. http://shanemcconkey.org/

On March 26, 2009, Shane McConkey died in a ski BASE jumping accident in the Italian Dolomites. We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our fellow K2 family member and offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife Sherry, daughter Ayla and the members of his immediate and extended family around the wintersports world.

In countless ways, Shane defined our sport representing both the limits for which it can be pushed, as well as the idea, lifestyle and romance of skiing. His ability to bring fun everywhere he went was uncanny and the mere mention of his name always made the people who knew him smile. Such was his gift - the ability to be the consummate class clown at one moment and the next to be an absolute professional as a member of our ski development team. Everyone here loved working with Shane. You could depend on him, both to get the job done and to make you laugh. We are happy to have been graced with his presence over the past decade and appreciate his many contributions to our success.

Although McConkey's impressive athleticism and skiing ability made him a icon, Shane moved through life in humble shoes, never letting global fame change his character.

Shane was a pioneer and ringleader of the freeskiing movement in the early 90's, which has since become the de facto image of our sport. His life's work has opened the doors for countless young athletes, whom, without Shane's efforts, would have never had the opportunity.

McConkey was a creative thinker who challenged conventional wisdom in ski design, first driving the fat ski revolution, then convincing us to build him his rockered Pontoon in 2004 -- which instantly made powder skiing easier and more fun for everyone, helping spur arguably the most significant innovation seen in skiing and snowboarding in decades.

Shane was a part of our family. He was the pure embodiment of everything that K2 stands for and we cherished the time we were able to spend with him developing products around the world. In many ways, Shane has changed the way we all think about life and skiing and we will miss him dearly.

Thanks for showing us the way, Shane. It's not going to be the same without you.