I grew up in the south east. Mostly Tennessee and Florida, by far the last place you would expect to find a die hard skier… but I managed and in 2000 I found myself moving to Lake Tahoe… the place that I had dreamed about living for most of my life. I read countless articles in Ski and Powder Magazine growing up… watched Warren Miller films, and did everything I could to go ski as often as possible at the rinky dink slopes that were close enough for me to get to. If I ever had a dream… as kids do… it was to live and ski as those guys in the magazines did… the guy who dies with the most toys wins! Right?

In those days my heros were mostly fictional, primarily coming from comic books and cartoons. As I grew older and my passion for skiing festered,  my comic book heros began to fade and one by one were replaced with real people…  I remember waiting for the snow to come and being so impatient that first season in Tahoe.  I had no idea that a real life super hero was planning his next adventure just down the street.

Occasionally I would find myself strolling down Tiger Tail with my roommates dog and would wave to a slightly quirky guy with a huge smile, who had introduced himself as Shane. We would pass each other in town or in the neighborhood occasionally, and Shane would always offer a "hi", or "what’s up". Never thought much about the guy… just thought he was cool and friendly. Seemed to be quite down to earth.

I never was blessed with the opportunity to grow up with Shane, but his bubble quickly surrounded me and little by little I became aware of his superstar status around Tahoe. That winter I would see Shane waiting… occasionally with me… the only other person in the cable car building at 7:50 am. We would nonchalantly discuss the upcoming powder day over a breakfast burrito or something… and randomly chat about the usual b.s. In 2002, by happenstance, I took over the management of the Matchstick Productions web site, and was honored to meet many of the folks that I had looked up to for years including some of their star athletes including Seth Morrison, Wendy Fisher, as well as several well known Squaw Valley locals Scott Gaffney and yes, Shane McConkey…

That spring, one of my closest friends, Jared Rosner passed away in a tragic skiing accident. Jared had head trauma from a fall and spent 2 weeks in intensive care at Washoe Medical. Shane offered a pair of autographed spatulas for Jared in hopes he would make a come back. Sadly, Jared did not pull through and passed away, but the fact that Shane showed his compassion for a fellow skier who had been injured doing what he loved really stood out in my mind. Shane did not know Jared, he was just another kid who loved skiing.

The following year I ran into Shane in Aspen at the Matchstick Premier which Shane was featured after having a few bad years of injuries. Out of all the people chilling in the corner nursing their drink, Shane called me out and pulled me right into his interview… saying "this guy knows what I am talking about"… I nodded. I have no idea what he was talking about, I assumed it was about Tahoe or something, but it was a pleasure to be in his presence. That is just how he made you feel.

Unfortunately, there is not just one thing that set Shane apart from the rest of the many pro athletes out there, it was the whole package. His skiing skill is undisputed. His aspirations for the furthering the sport… unsurpassed. But for me, it was his true humanity, love, and compassion for others that made a hero out of the guy down the street.

Shane was as down to earth as anybody could ever hope to be and I never saw him act like a celebrity, many could learn from his easy going, live life to the fullest attitude and he will be dearly missed. My thoughts and best wishes go to his wife Sherry, their daughter Ayla and to Shane’s family. Peace be with you bro…