Steeze and Monoskis: The Shane McConkey Interview

When and in what circumstances you decided to combine skiing and
BASE-jumping?

2003. I'm a pro skier and an experienced base jumper. It would have been irresponsible of me not to combine the two! The first one I did was with JT Holmes here in Lake Tahoe California off a 400-foot cliff. It was much easier than we expected.

What did you feel while you jumped your first BASE?

Scared shitless! That’s what makes it so fun!

You often declare that you’re skiing just to finance your hobby, BASE-jumping. And what about financing your own family? How do you earn your living?

I ski for the fun and passion of it. I am very fortunate that skiing as well as BASE-jumping earns me a living for myself and my family.

Tell me about the moment whet you’ve felt fame?

Well, "famous skier" is kind of an oxymoron. Nobody in America knows who skiers are. I only feel that sometimes in the ski community and at skiing events and functions. It’s weird because I'm just a normal guy. The only difference is that a lot of people see what I do. That's how I get paid.

Which of your deeds or jumps you consider to be the most crazy?

The ones where I screwed up really bad. I made a really bad decision to BASE-jump off a cliff once in horrible wind conditions. I got slammed into the cliff wall twice and almost died. Had to get rescued. My dad and wife were watching. That really sucked.

You’re fanatic about monoskiing: a sport completely unknown in Russia. Tell us what is monoskiing itself? And what are its advantages and disadvantages if compared with snowboarding, for example?

Monoskiing was mildly popular in the 1970s before snowboarding was invented. It’s basically a really fat ski. It looks like a snowboard but longer. You stand on it with your feet glued together. It works really well in powder. It’s like skiing in the way that you are facing forward and wearing ski boots and ski bindings and poles but like snowboarding because you are standing on one board. It is faster than
snowboarding, but not as versatile. It’s better than skiing for powder but that’s about it. The technique for riding the things is exactly the same as mogul skiing technique - plant your pole, drive both hands forward, wiggle your hips, get laughed at by everyone. If you can be comfortable with the fact that everyone out on the hill is laughing at you then monoskiing is actually pretty fun.

Can you calculate how much times you’ve been close to fatality?

Five times BASE-jumping. One time skiing.

How do you amuse yourself when injuries prevent you from skiing?

Whenever I am injured I dive full on into the business side of skiing. My desk finally gets clean. All that stuff that I am normally way behind on gets done. I own a few rental properties so those get neglected less when I'm injured. I do things like start the International Free Skiers Association and design new powder skis and dream up weird new BASE-jumps to do. Does anyone remember Saucer Boy? That was an extremely successful idea bred from an injury.

Considering your biography, I have a feeling that you’ve ridden on everything that’s rideable. Is anything left?

I've never used an Airboard yet. Really want to try that. I have never done any speed flying yet either. That to me looks like the coolest and most fun new sport in the world.

What do you consider to be the marker of skier professionalism?

When your sponsors take you to a function and introduce you to any and all of their business partners you should have the ability to act like a responsible adult and make a positive impression on everyone you meet. There are a lot of spoiled bratty pro skiers out there who expect to be treated like royalty all the time. No one likes an asshole. I have seen many top level pro skiers ruin their career
simply due to their behavior off the mountain. I too have made this mistake a couple times.

High level athletes have their own style. What does your riding style look like?

Well, I'm old for a pro skier. I'm 38 so I would guess that my style is considered old. I have no problem with that. I'm not going to change my style. What's more important to me than style is to keep on doing interesting, new things.

Tell about your favorite place for powder skiing and the place for BASE-jumping.

The best place for powder skiing is anywhere there is a helicopter and  a maritime snowpack. In my experience, that usually means anywhere along the Coast Range of British Columbia all the way up to the Chugach Range in Alaska. However, as far as lift-accessed skiing goes I would have to say any of the little ski resorts in Europe that most people haven't heard of. I love skiing in Europe. I love the Alps. For BASE-jumping the best place I have ever been is Baffin Island, but access is very difficult and expensive. Norway and the Alps are a close second.

What’s the most useful advice you’ve got in your life?

Don't take yourself too seriously. No matter how much you shake and
dance, the last 3 drops go in your pants.

Let’s talk about goals. How do you plan to surprise
the world in the near five years?

I think if I am able to maintain the level of skiing and exposure I'm at right now for the next five years that would be pretty surprising. I have a couple tricks up my sleeve though. Keep your eyes on the Discovery Channel around August and you will see what I mean.

You are not a young athlete. What’s the main difference that you see between young Shane and 38-year-old Shane?

Without a doubt the answer is seeing possibilities. Now I see possibilities: interesting ideas and different ways to do things. When I was younger this was not the case. It was all just skiing down hills and jumping off cliffs. That’s what skiing was to me then. I think as you age you develop the ability to see the sport and the world a bit more creatively.