“I took Shane McConkey’s legendary Stinger waterskis for a rip today at Palisades Tahoe. 4” new of rain-saturated mank, schmoo, sludge, Sierra Cement…whatever you wish to call it.”
OLYMPIC VALLEY, California — Cheers to Scott Gaffney for dusting off a legendary pair of skis made by his pal Shane McConkey and taking them for a rip at Palisades Tahoe. Back in the day Shane drew inspiration from the shapes of waterskis and revolutionized how powder skis are made. His design contributions have truly impacted how we ski pow and we forever grateful. Thank You SHANE!
“I’ve skied these maybe 8-10 times in-bounds over the years, almost always in conditions like this. And they absolutely rule and are possibly the best tool there is in these conditions (I know they’d do great on a sick powder day, too, but I’m usually a little more keen to be on my normal gear when it’s good). Anyway, I figured a lot of people probably haven’t seen these boards in action since Matchstick Productions’ Focused a couple of decades ago (or in our McConkey documentary), so I threw a super quick edit together with some GoPro clips from the day. Maybe one of these days I’ll suck it up and take them out when it’s really firing.”
Here’s Shane talking about how water skis inspired his approach to ski design:
If you’d like to honor the memory of Shane McConkey and help the protect kids and the enviorment, please consider the supporting The Shane McConkey Foundation MORE INFO HERE:
The Shane McConkey Foundation was founded in recognition of the worldwide community of skiers, adventurers, and everyday people who share a passion for life. In Shane’s honor, we support epic causes that protect kids, wildlife, and our planet. DONATE HERE.
