When Shane McConkey was a little boy in Squaw Valley, California, he simply couldn’t get enough of the cold weather. On frigid winter days, he’d inhale the cold air as deeply as he could into his lungs. The sensation would always bring a big smile to his face. And, of course, to those around him. That memory, shared by Shane’s mom, Glen, was one of many given Sunday during a memorial service at Squaw Valley celebrating the life of one of the greatest skiers the world has ever known.

Those words are courtesy of Powder Magazine’s Matt Hansen. To my regret, I wasn’t able to attend Shane’s memorial, but Matt has filed a sweet, fitting, and funny account of the celebration and service for one of skiing’s biggest heroes and, without a doubt, its funniest jester. I mentioned to Hansen that thinking about Shane’s gathering reminded me of Doug Coombs’s service in Jackson Hole. It’s strange how you can feel such loss and then, when you consider how fully lived the life, comfort and gratitude. “Yeah,” Matt said, “It’s weird to go from laughing to tears in seconds.”

Hansen shares stories from McConkey’s closest friends, including one from J.T. Holmes, who was with McConkey when he died, that absolutely must be read. See Powder’s coverage here.

Photo by Cody Townsend

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