I am a product of heroes.
The first ski magazine I ever read was the Powder tribute to McConkey.
To a clueless young gaper he represented everything cool about skiing.
I watched his segment in Claim over and over again.
On the surface it seems a little ridiculous.
I never met them.
Heroes are, by nature, like that.
Heroes are people whose personalities transcend normal barriers.
As I grew as a skier I quickly found other heroes.
Emulation is an integral part of skiing and our sport has no shortage of leaders.
As I became part of the larger ski community I quickly realized that my heroes consistently left too soon.
I was left trying to deal with their exits.
These people knew the risks they were taking.
They knew that any financial reward was negligible but they still chose to put their life on the line.
Tanner Hall summed it up: “At the end of the day it’s just skiing.
They understand, they know what they are getting themselves into.
How do we deal with it though?
We are left sitting, stunned, unable to comprehend.
Eventually we pull ourselves together.
We have a go at honor them with the joy they gave us.
Our greatest tribute to them is our enthusiasm for the sport they loved.
Shane said, There’s something really cool about getting scared.
I don’t know what.”
But they left doing what they loved.
Not getting hit by a train, or a drunk driver, but skiing.
Someone up there was looking out.
Too often we wallow in our sorrow.
We mourn men and women who would not wish to be mourned.
We respect these people because they lived their lives to the fullest.
We should not use their passing as an excuse to stop pushing, to stop living.
Sometimes people outside of the skiing community don’t get it.
Sometimes we embarrass ourselves.
Should that movie about a man you never met make you feel all emotional?
Is it stupid to holler This ones for you!
before you drop in?
Don’t be too cool to mourn and dont be too sad to celebrate.
Just ski down there and jump off of something for crying out loud!
Who becomes friends with their childhood idol?
We can all ski on, knowing that we are shaped and inspired by those who have gone before.
We are their legacy and as long as we push on their influence remains.
Maybe Shane was a little prophetic when he proclaimed, Im Shane McConkey dammit, and IM NOT.
Our heroes will never be done as long as we are stoked about the mountains and sport they loved.
Do something better with their inspiration.
Strive to be like these heroes, don’t just settle for remembering them.
