Shane McConkey Interview
Jan 07 2007 / Los Angeles, CAShane McConkey is my hero. Let me explain. In 1997 I was a junior in highschool and had been ski racing for the better part of a decade. I was burned out. The breaking point was a downhill race in Jackson Hole. It had dumped snow the night before, covering the entire mountain in 18-20 inches of fresh powder…and I spent the whole morning boot packing the course. I was pissed off I didn’t snowboard. Then I saw Shane McConkey ski and everything changed. I remember it vividly; Shane was flying down some un-named mountain in Alaska, ripping super G turns on a pair of fat skis, busting a giant back-filp off a 50 foot cliff, stomping the shit out of it and straight lining the rest of the face. I quit ski racing, bought a pair of fat skis and fell in love with skiing again, all because of Shane McConkey. All because Shane and his buddies gave the finger to F.I.S and skiing’s geriatric upper-class establishment, changing skiing forever in the process. That’s why he’s my hero…he made skiing cool again.
PHOTO GALLERY
Check out photos of Shane McConkey
Now it’s 2007, and instead of jumping off 50 footers he jumps off the Eiger (Think Matterhorn) in Switzerland and launches double back flips off 800 footers with the help of a parachute in a hybrid sport he invented (unless, of course, you count James Bond) called Ski BASEing He has been at the forefront of nearly every progressive development in ski design, and has pushed skiing forward with his imagination, dedication, and at times, just his balls. He has redefined what is possible on skis, and continues to do so. From skis shaped like pontoons to water skiing on waves, Shane McConkey is always looking forward. I caught up with him recently and got to ask him just what he sees in skiing’s future.
SM: I have been able to watch the development of skiing closely for the last 15 years. Skiing has come a very long way in the last 10 years.
Lat34: How do you envision skiing in the next 50 years? Will everybody be wearing a parachute?
SM: I certainly hope not. Parachute assisted line skiing is very dangerous. There will without a doubt be many back country skiers with parachute knowledge and skill by then. It simply adds too much to the possibilities out there. We are already seeing a lot of ripping skiers learning how to use parachutes just for this reason. Hopefully in 50 years we will have figured out how to put shock absorbers on our skis. People always laugh when I mention this but I'm serious. Mountain bikes have them, snowmobiles do too. I want to stick an 80 footer to uphill ice dammit!
Lat34: Where do you think ski BASE is headed? Any new stunts you have planned or new places you would like to ski BASE?
SM: As far as it relates to skiing I believe that using parachutes is headed primarily in the direction of back country lines. Lines that otherwise would not be able to be skied. However, it would be really cool if over the years it developed to the point of there being designated ski base areas. Just like certain areas on the mountain are designated for the terrain park. There are many places in Europe where there could be a ski base resort. How bitchen would that be! I have not yet done much base jumping in Norway. Even though this is the place that base has developed the most in recent years I have notmanaged to get there. I hope to do some ski base jumps in Norway this season.
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Lat34: You've always been on the cutting edge of progressive equipment in skiing, any ideas you want to share about new equipment designs? Do you use any specialized gear when you ski BASE?
SM: Well, my new ski called the Pontoon is finally out in stores now. K2 and I worked long and hard to create this next step in Powder specific ski design. It is truly a pleasure to work with such a progressive company. The whole rest of the ski industry is going to be following in our footsteps over the next few years with all this rockered ski design. It will be funny watching them try and claim that their rockered ski is new and different than the stuff K2 is doing when inreality they are all just scrambling to keep up with the ones who are leading the way. It all will just lend more credibility to my ideas and K2's reputation as the most innovative company in skiing.
Lat34: You don't seem to scare easily, tell me about something that scares you?
SM: That's not true actually. I get scared shitless, a lot. Base jumps scare the hell out of me. The sport is dangerous. The possibility of an avalanche scares me. Steep lines with exposure scare me. The possibility of getting injured probably scares me the most. However, after being in any of those situations and then nailing it without the worst happening is perhaps the most satisfying feeling in the world. That's why doing scary stuff is so fulfilling. If it wasn't dangerous or scary then it usually isn't going to be very fun.
Lat34: What's your schedule looking like this winter? Any particular trip that you're really excited about?
Shane: I hope to go back to Alaska again this year and shred some lines up there. I also plan on heading back to Europe to nail some ski base stunts that we have been claiming we are going to do for like 3 years now but haven't yet pulled off.
Lat34: I heard somewhere that you've spent some time in Hawaii surfing...I even heard you towed into a couple of waves. Is that true? and if it is what did you think about that whole deal?
SM:Nope. You are thinking of Chuck Patterson probably. He towed into somewaves wearing some form of modified water skis. I'm a terrible surfer. Still struggling on a long board. You are probably confusing this with the water skis that I mounted up with snow skiing bindings and then took up to Canada and shredded some mountains with.
SM: Yea I've thought a lot about it. I spoke to Chuck Patterson about it a bit when he was trying it. I would love to try it. That kind of wacky, but totally doable, idea is right up my ally. I have done some waterskiing behind a boat with my snow skiing gear. It was quite easy. I'm sure that stepping it up to a wave could be managed with a bit of practice. The problem is that I don't have the experience in the water. I can barley read the ocean and big waves would kill me. I would have to try it on very small waves. It would be a neat stunt but I don't see it being very practical. I would have to wear a life jacket because I would use snow skiing boots and snow skiing bindings mounted on water skis and then when the ride was over I might sink. I would need a experienced tow guy. I think this could be done easily though.
SM: I'm ready.
busy when you're not skiing or ski BASEing?
SM: My wife Sherry and I have a daughter who just turned 1. Her name is Ayla. She keeps me very busy. She is hands down the most amazing little thing in the world. I was never sure if I would ever have kids. Now I feel like everyone on the planet who doesn't have one is missing out on the greatest pleasure in life.
SM: Breaking into the Hollywood stunt scene is incredibly difficult. I have tried. I even got my SAG card. I got a couple TV commercial gigs which were really great. I got paid in one day about the same as what we as skiers get paid to do in a whole year. And it was normal every day stuff that we did which was called a "stunt." Awesome! I would take any stunt job that came my way. The problem is that it simply doesn't happen often.
SM: Well I haven't picked it up yet but I want to learn how to speed fly. Speed flying is kind of a cross between paragliding and ground launching a high performance skydiving parachute. You fly very fast and very close to mountain sides. I also want to get better at wingsuiting. Wingsuits have completely changed base jumping. With a wing suit base jumpers are now mostly flying instead of mostly controlled falling.
SM: Artists can be living or
dead, and the venue is important as well. (Some of mine would be Sublime at a back yard bbq in long beach, Guns n' Roses at the beginning of their appetite for destruction tour, Bob Marley at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden, etc.)Without a doubt my daughter playing the maracas in her jolly jumper in our living room.
SM: Red Bull, K2, Oakley, Sessions, Dalbello, Marker, Squaw Valley.
