Shane on McConkey's

KT22, Squaw Valley Ski Resort, California

Athlete: Shane McConkey

Camera: Nikon F5

What makes it special: Squaw Valley is a grand stage for the human spirit to test boundaries and the elasticity of possibility. Every day someone, somewhere on the mountain is exploring their own limits with the objective to redefine what is possible.

The story:  "On a winter morning in 1996 I watch early dawn light cascade across the fluted face of Eagle's Nest. From the top of the patrol shack, Shane peers down the steep wall. He tosses snowballs to watch their impact on the slope below to get a feeling for the snow's softness. Using his ski pole, he hacks away at the upper cornice to make his entry just a shade easier. He calls me on the radio.

"Camera ready," I respond, and he's good to go. With a quick wave of his pole he drops in, stalls on the upper ridge, tests the slope. Shane takes his time to make the most of his line. Balanced, confident, playing with gravity, he takes two more turns, then points his skis down the fall line and rides the cascading wave of snow down and out.

It's a classic moment in time. How can I make this moment completely original and unique? Not knowing the outcome of my decision, I follow my impulse, connecting deeply with what I'm trying to capture, not visually, but emotionally.

It was only much later, in the darkroom, when the elements came together. Darkness dominates the corners of the image, squeezing the light, creating tension, pressure, and the unmistakable sense of gravity. What emerges from the process is the pure, undeniable experience.

There's more. There's who it is and what it, and he, represent. Shane's intensity permeated all aspects of his world. Everything worth doing he did with purity, intensity and focus...Skiing, flying, designing, loving, joking, laughing, you name it; there were no ordinary moments, just pure power and energy.

Shane trusted instinct and set his own boundaries with scientific calculation. Blessed with humility and humanity, he never allowed his ego to control his desire to be a special person, to share love of sport and love of life. He made fun of himself and of no one else. Shane profoundly impacted so many of us on so many levels.

Shane on McConkeys was chosen by Powder Magazine for the cover of the 9/2009 Tribute to Shane."