Squaw Valley and the entire Freeskiing community suffers a devastating loss as news of 29 year old Pro Freeskier Arne Backstrom’s death begins to spread. Early reports state that Arne passed away yesterday after a big mountain skiing accident in the Pisco Peak region of Peru, South America.

Although the Backstrom name has been ingrained in steep and deep lovers minds for many years now thanks to his sister Ingrid; Arne was a relatively unknown name in the ski industry until the past year. With only 1 year on the USFS circuit, Arne seemed to effortlessly dominate the Freeskiing World Tour this past season clinching the overall #1 spot on the tour by edging out veteran Griffin Post by 1 point. He stepped up event after event capturing several wins on the tour this year including Revelstoke, the coveted Sickbird award and the first ever McConkey Cup.

It is always tragic when such a great talent passes away at such a young age and I personally can only take comfort in the thought that his passion and presence will live on in the hearts and minds of those who have shared it. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Backstrom family.

2010 Results:
Unlimited: Dan Hurley
Women’s Ski: Katherine Lange
Women’s Snowboard: Iris Lazzareschi
Most Creative: Derek Brown
Men’s Snowboard: Spencer Cordovan
Overall Winner and Skinny Ski Winner: Kyle Crezee

via: unofficialsquaw

Case in point: Describe your idea of a good time,

A. Jumping off 40′ cliffs into 3 feet of fresh snow

B. Base Jumping from a 2500′ foot cliff in the Swiss Alps

C. Doing double gainers off 80′ cliffs into emerald pools of water

D. All of the above

If you are looking for E. None of the above, this might be a stretch for you to appreciate, but for many of my friends, local acquaintances and Squaw Valley fixture, J.T. Holmes the answer without reservation would be D. All of the above. I have to say that it must be something in the air around Tahoe because J. T. is considered by myself and most of the folks who know him to be just as normal as they come and just an all around talented good guy who enjoys pushing the envelope wherever it may be and having fun while doing so.

Whether you’re willing to stand side by side with J. T. or not you will definitely enjoy watching him show off his wing suit in this 60′ Minutes feature which aired last night:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Below are some pics of some of my buds not quite making it. JT Holmes and his crew with the Three Man, 2 ski, 2 monoboard attempt, Eli Osborn blowing bubbles, and Travis Eckert spreading shark sugar… amazingly, Eli was able to keep his camera dry!

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…

Derek on Broken Arrow…

Eli going big on Broken Arrow…
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Winch surfing the flat water…