Incident with the Red Bull Team today in Italy

[mknutson]

I just heard, 2nd hand from reliable source.

Shane McConkey was involved in a Ski-BASE-Jump incident in the Italian Dolomite's today.

All I know, is that on the jump, one ski released, and one did not release. This put Shane into a spin that got out of control. The witness thinks there was a reserve chute toward the end of the jump, but not completely sure.

Hopefully will have more details later, but the truth is, this is a VERY, VERY Sad day!

Hell, I remember going on some of Shane very first base jumps EVER off old Greeny.

[mknutson]

Shane McConkey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_McConkey)

Shane McConkey - Google Image Search (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=Buc&num=50&newwindow=1&ei=k_XLSdn4MYiO6gPtutCrBw&resnum=1&q=Shane+McConkey&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=lfXLSZeSMJiy6wOd74yMBw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title)

[mknutson]

YouTube- Shane - Ski & Base Jump (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtXt_UsZ4YQ)

[mknutson]

YouTube- Shane McConkey Canyon Flight POV (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjGgyciXyBk)

[hamsandwich]

I just got a call too and the TGR forums are confirming it...

FUCK!!!!!! the ski world will never be the same - Teton Gravity Research Forums (http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155628)


I'm really sorry to hear this. I'm sorry for his family, and his friends. There's a lot of BS that was talked about Shane in the BASE world, and I even beleived it until I met the guy. Shane was a good person and a very talented athelete.

cya


-a

[lifewithoutanet]

Fuck. All the best to his family and friends. This sucks.
-C.

[Tree]

Thanks for trying to get me hooked up on the wire jump. My best to your wife and daughter.

BSBD

[Mac]

Thoughts to family and friends

[mknutson]

From:
Freeskier Magazine: Shane McConkey Killed In Base Jumping Accident (http://www.freeskier.com/articles/article.php?article_id=3666)

Shane McConkey, one of skiing’s truly legendary figures, has reportedly died in a base jumping accident. Word has been floating around the internet all day, and sources at K2 and Sessions confirmed the tragic news.

Details are still sketchy, and we’ll update as soon as we hear anything, but the Tahoe Daily Tribune (http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090326/NEWS/903269991/1068&ParentProfile=1056&title=Freeskier%20Shane%20McConkey%20dies%20at%203 8) reports that the accident occurred in Italy.


McConkey was 38, and leaves behind a wife, Sherry, and young daughter, Ayla. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him and those who were influenced by his infectious energy for skiing and life.

[mknutson]

I just heard, 2nd hand from reliable source.

Shane McConkey was involved in a Ski-BASE-Jump incident in the Italian Dolomite's today.

All I know, is that on the jump, one ski released, and one did not release. This put Shane into a spin that got out of control. The witness thinks there was a reserve chute toward the end of the jump, but not completely sure.

Hopefully will have more details later, but the truth is, this is a VERY, VERY Sad day!

Hell, I remember going on some of Shane very first base jumps EVER off old Greeny.
From Moved Temporarily (http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog?post=4018726)

Decorated big mountain skier and BASE jumper Shane McConkey was killed earlier today in a ski-BASE accident in the Italian Dolomites.
A member of the Red Bull Air Force and pioneer of the ski-BASE-ing phenomenon, McConkey experienced problems in the air after launching off a cliff with the expectation of deploying his parachute canopy and then gliding down to the ground—as he had done successfully some 700-plus times before.


"He did a double backflip off the jump and he has these releasable bindings so they come off in the air and then he flies off in his wing suit," filmmaker Scott Gaffney, a longtime close friend of McConkey's, told ESPN Action Sports in an interview this afternoon via phone.


"But one ski did not come off. And when that happens the drag on the skis causes you to flip over, so the skis go over your head. So he was struggling with the one ski. Then he also got into a bad spin. So he may have never even pulled his pilot chute. And that's coming from JT Holmes, who Shane was with in Italy and who reviewed the footage of the accident. So the combination of the ski, the spin and the pilot chute, apparently. Because you can't throw the pilot chute like that; if you throw it while you're upside down and it wraps around the ski, you're done."
http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0326/as_ski_shane2_200.jpgGraeme Murray/Red Bull Photofiles




McConkey was filming with Matchstick Productions and Red Bull at the time, according to Gaffney, who said McConkey apparently died on impact with snow on the ground below the cliff. Gaffney was not clear about the size of the cliff. "But it had to be a sizable cliff, at least 400 feet, for him to be planning on flying his wing suit away from it," Gaffney said.McConkey, 39, of Olympic Valley, Calif., is survived by his wife, Sherry, and their 3½-year-old daughter, Ayla.


This afternoon Gaffney was at home in Squaw Valley, Calif., with his brother, Robb, also a close friend of McConkey's, reeling from the news. "With what Shane does," said Scott, "it's a call you always picture getting at some point, but you realistically don't ever expect it to happen."
Added Robb Gaffney, "Shane's been a part of our lives for quite a while now. I'm just sitting at Scott's house processing the whole thing. The texts and calls are coming in, and you can really even feel it in the air in Squaw right now. I'm thinking about Sherry and his little girl. But in this area people have always loved Shane, so Sherry and Ayla, they're going to have an immense amount of support around them. That's one thing for sure; that's Shane's legacy."


** TO BE UPDATED. **

[Mr-B.]

Fly Free Forever brother
Condolences to his family and friends...
very, very sad news...

[Johnny Utah]

RIP Shane, the world will miss you

[Para_Frog]

Great guy and a sick talent. I'm saddened by his loss.

My prayers go out to his wife and babygirl, and to Miles and the Red Bull guys.

I'm sorry.

Damn.

[kauhava]

He was full page featured as one of the extreme athletes in the latest edition of Outside Magazine.

[Flying_Mike_D]

Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of meeting Shane. I have lived vicariously thru him though. Truly a sad and tragic accident.

I've lost a lot of friends that I knew personally in skydiving, BASE, and the military but for some reason this one really has me shaken up.

Condolences to the family of Shane. God speed, Shane.

[Faber]

Fly free bruva.
Thourghts to freinds and family
:(

[hamsandwich]

BFL will be updated soon... gimme some time. thanks for the update emails.

[mknutson]

Not sure the validity of this yet:
Shane McConkey (http://shanemcconkey.org/)

Here is what I got from Gary:


On Sun, Mar 29, 2009 at 10:02 AM, Gary Mandy <***@shanemcconkey.org> wrote:
Hi Mick
This is Gary Mandy, 530-414-3867/530-386-7175. I am a friend of the family and I am working with Robert Bousquet of New Leaders in Truckee CA, whom has donated his companies services, to build and create a central location for family and friends to be in contact with each other and to receive condolences for Shane's family. We are in close collaboration with Toshi Corbett of Red Bull USA who is helping with the distribution of the site. This site is managed by a small group of people that are a part of helping Sherry and Ayla McConkey. Please don't hesitate to call me if you are concerned about this sites validity.

Best regards,
Gary Mandy

[mknutson]

YouTube- Shane McConkey Tribute (1969-2009) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U6XGPzLX10)

[Flying_Mike_D]

Hey Mick, while I enjoyed that tribute video to Shane it really felt like a plug for the sale of the movie production company at the end. This is just my opinion.

[mknutson]

Hey Mick, while I enjoyed that tribute video to Shane it really felt like a plug for the sale of the movie production company at the end. This is just my opinion.
Not my video. I just found it. But, he has a wife and daughter that are alone now. They will need help right now.

[Flying_Mike_D]

I'm not criticizing you Mick, and I'm glad you posted the video. I just felt a little upset that the person/persons that made the movie could have left out the "BUY THEIR MOVIES!!!" at the end of the video.

I agree the family does need help. Hopefully there are some royalties from the movies made that continue to come in to support Shane's wife and daughter.

[hamsandwich]

The whole redbull family is shaken up right now. I'm certain there will be proceeds from movies sales that will go to Shane's family.


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[diesel]

Such a sad, sad news... I showed one of Shane's video few months ago to a friend who wanted to try extreme base-skiing in France and we were both so impressed. At least he died doing what he loved doing!

[Tree]

Did my first McConkey on Sat. BSBD

[Blitzkrieg]

Right on Tree, sorry our loads were out of sync... but we also had a nice load of McConkeys in his honor.

Fly Free

[hamsandwich]

Funeral was today. hope it was as he wanted it to be. big smiles and laughs for shane as he would want! Big hugs to his friends and close ones.

cya shaun...
:D:cool::p:D:cool::p


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