Shane was one of the most innovative B.A.S.E. That means: If you do not see your comment posted immediately, it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly, generally within an hour. A 600-metre cliff was no longer out of bounds. "It's in his blood," the narrator in a vintage movie intones as Jim McConkey carves turns in the snow. McConkey was a leading figure and shaper of the action-sports ecosystem the network of sponsors (Red Bull, Oakley), film companies (MSP, Teton … As the first North American Red Bull, he proved to be the perfect ambassador; a dominant competitor with outlandish athletic objectives that often proved the impossible, possible. Understanding the drive that carried his son off that cliff has not diluted the pain. In 1969, his then-wife, Glenn, gave birth to Shane in North Vancouver. It was a life lived in the mountains and one that inspired countless fans. Written by Red Bull Media House It was the BASE jumping he feared. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. Visit mcconkeymovie.com for more information on the film. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. “What is perhaps most remarkable about McConkey is how much potential it has to appeal past the extreme sports set. Jim would see Shane on holidays and during longer visits in the summer, in Whistler, or on trips they took together. He saw it: It is a waste of my time. Visit mcconkeymovie.com for more information on the film. "Talking about relationships, about sons and fathers, I said it's a waste of time to be angry at somebody for something," Sherry says. Several weeks later, reeling, Jim suffered a slight stroke. Shane never made the national ski race team, but, in the 1990s, living in Squaw Valley, Calif., he began to establish his reputation among a group of young skiers whose feats were glorified in a new generation of ski films. Given the risks involved, where's the appeal in extreme sports? Review: 'McConkey' is a worthy ode to pro skier Shane McConkey - Los Angeles Times Through interviews with friends, family, and other action sports legends, the film celebrates Shane and the way he lived. "[Shane] really took that in. I don't know the answer. "There was such a wealth of material. After the Second World War, he worked and taught at resorts across the continent and became known as one of the era's most daring skiers. "There didn't seem to be much of a relationship there.". Shane McConkey is revered as a pioneer of freeskiing and ski-BASE jumping, and inspired countless lives. The mountains of sponsorship money make it possible for someone like Shane – and many others – to make a living risking his life. We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate. "He didn't talk about his dad a whole lot," says Mr. Gaffney, who was filming at the time of Shane's death and is a co-director of the new documentary. "It was pretty clear it had to happen, just days after Shane died," says co-director Scott Gaffney, one of McConkey's closest friends. It became his standard mode: Shane had a wingsuit on for his final jump in Italy. Few films so succeed in showing us what makes someone like that tick.” –Freeskier.com, “There is joy and wonder in this movie, but it is tempered with loss and pain. He remembers the man who came close to flying. Shane soon also learned to use a wingsuit – a webbed body suit with webbed fabric between the legs and the arms and body that makes soaring flight possible before a parachute is pulled. Some information in it may no longer be current. We're not around right now. Shane McConkey shows off during one of the training runs at Red Bull Snow Thrill of Alaska in Haines, USA on March 26th 2002. The stunts he pulled off were epic and he is a true inspiration to the type of human being it takes to do these types of things. When I think of what he accomplished in his lifetime, he lived 10 lifetimes. Today, extreme skiing is fuelled by the likes of Red Bull, the energy-drink company that pours millions of dollars into dangerous sports of all kinds and was the principal backer of Shane's exploits. Live it.". “Shane was so much more than just a skier. He was 39. The film follows Shane from growing up as the son of skier Jim McConkey to his days as a professional freeskier. They say [he was] addicted to it. Sarah Burke's death leaves a deep scar in the sport of freestyle skiing, Calls for safety grow louder after ski cross death, Due to technical reasons, we have temporarily removed commenting from our articles. Cameron P: “THE TITANS (no particular order) Shane McConkey, Hoji, ... Shane McConkey shows off during one of the training runs at Red Bull Snow Thrill of Alaska in Haines, USA on March 26th 2002. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators. But the puzzle of how to go bigger was always on Shane's mind. If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators. Shane McConkey is revered as a pioneer of freeskiing and ski-BASE jumping, and through his talent and ability to use his trademark irreverent humor, he inspired countless lives. "It feels," said one after Shane's crash, "like Superman died." “McConkey,” a 90-minute documentary to be released in 2013, is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane was a toddler when Jim and Glenn went through an acrimonious divorce. The sheer amount of footage, of actual documentation of Shane’s life, is staggering. If you are looking to give feedback on our new site, please send it along to, To view this site properly, enable cookies in your browser. Matchstick Productions, which produced the film along with Red Bull Media House, brought its entire 17-year archive of McConkey footage to bear, ensuring that everything from his massive naked spread eagle in the Crested Butte backcountry to his defining ski BASE … He came to resent his father's absence. His effervescent and often-adolescent personality added to his appeal. Through interviews with friends, family, and other action sports legends, the film celebrates Shane and the way he lived. Four and a half years after Shane crashed in Italy, his father has no answers. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of … Shane McConkey's life is the subject of a new documentary, McConkey, that frames the skier's career and effusive personality around scenes before his death in Italy. A lot of these kids can make good money but it's the, you know, like Sherry, and little Ayla, and us, we're paying the price. We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner. "I think about that. "It's tough. Shane McConkey was 1 of a kind and the world is a sadder place without him. In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, McConkey celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators. This article was published more than 7 years ago. Jim is, has always been, inspired by his son. "I can see him going through the air, working with that thing, trying to get it off," Jim, 87 and hale, says in the living room of his summer home on Denman Island in British Columbia. All proceeds from the film will go to a trust set up for the McConkey family. All proceeds from the film will go to a trust set up for the McConkey family. His voice is quiet, and his eyes turned downward. We hope to have this fixed soon. He met the woman whom he would marry, Sherry (their daughter Ayla was born in 2005), and she helped to bridge the gap of time and distance. "The movie is a documentary on Shane -- it's basically going to show the man behind The Man," said MSP's Scott Gaffney, a longtime friend of McConkey's who's helping shape the … "I used to do things that people thought was crazy," Jim says. McConkey, a documentary film produced by Red Bull Media House and Matchstick Productions that chronicles his adventures, is premiering around North America. Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted. "It comes with a cost. He taught himself the fledgling sport when he was a boy in the 1930s in Barrie, Ont. The stakes keep getting higher, the stunts more daring. The tag line for the McConkey documentary is: "You have one life. The film also focuses on Shane's 2009 death during a ski base jump and his … In a new film from Red Bull Media House in association with Matchstick Productions, “McConkey” celebrates the life of one of the world’s ultimate innovators. His son, Shane, who pushed skiing to far greater extremes and starred in numerous cult ski movies in the 1990s and 2000s, work that elevated him to an icon of his sport, did not. Jim understood the skiing and the danger, having scraped the edges of death on his 22nd birthday when he plunged 25 metres down a crevasse on a glacier.
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