I’ve wanted to do a BN (butt naked) for a long time but I have to admit after seeing the movie Gnar, I was more inspired then ever. I originally wanted to dedicate a BN run to my hero’s who died doing what they love. I wanted to celebrate the beautiful lives of Shane McConkey and Ryan Hawks in my own way. Shane McConkey was always my hero but after seeing that movie I really got it. He knew how to have fun, A LOT of fun, and he did what he wanted, when he wanted. I love that. I didn’t want to just ski a quick groomer though, I was thinking Main Chute on Baldy or Superior.
I have to say I was shocked by all the attention I got. Both my brother and I didn’t really think it was THAT big of a deal… and if you knew my family, it’s really not. I wanted to do it because I thought it would be a fun rush and hoped that my lost loved ones would be watching and laughing. SO to the lovers, the haters, the people who know me and the people who don’t, I didn’t ski Superior naked so people could see how sexy or un-sexy my backside is, I just wanted to have a little fun… and trust me, I did.
Here’s how It went down….
My twin brother, Tony and I set our alarms for 4am on June first. Tony had to be downtown to work at 9 so we didn’t want to cut it too close. I wasn’t too worried about my BN until we reached the ridge where 40 mph winds were whipping! It was an icy, sketchy climb up and by the time we got to little superior we were running out of time. We had to drop there. It was really tricky getting my clothes off on a icy, windy knife edge ridge, but eventually I took my pants and lastly my coat off.
Being naked on a mountain was the weirdest, craziest feeling ever! I was yelling and laughing non stop, and I’d scream every time a strong gust would drill icicles onto my bare skin. About half way down I called my mom for the “pick up.” As we got further down it was much warmer and the snow got really creamy so I started letting go and skiing really fast! I was hollering and laughing and jumping off rolls in the snow. For the last part I had my arms in the air and waved to my mom who’s jaw was dropped. We skied up to her laughing and she said, “OH MY GOD! VANESSA!!!! YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL!! Hahaha!!!!
When I got home I uploaded a photo on face book and passed out for a few hours. When I woke up I already had tons of “likes” and comments! Instead of packing for New Zealand I spent the day with my family poring over comments and forums about me. By the end of the day 7,300 people viewed the photos on Unofficial’s website, 700 people posted the picture on their face book, 1,000 people visited my website, 30 people tweeted about me, including Red Bull! BUT, the best event of the day was when one of my all time favorite hero’s, Scott Gaffney himself (Shane McConkey’s best friend) sent me a message saying, “Shane is raising a beer to you today. Well played.”