“He did a double backflip off the jump and he has these releasable bindings so they come off in the air and then he flies off in his wing suit,” filmmaker Scott Gaffney, a longtime close friend of McConkey’s, told ESPN Action Sports.

“But one ski did not come off. And when that happens the drag on the skis causes you to flip over, so the skis go over your head. So he was struggling with the one ski. Then he also got into a bad spin. So he may have never even pulled his pilot chute”, said JT Holmes, who Shane was with in Italy and who reviewed the footage of the accident.

Shane McConkey’s death reported world wide

The fact is that Shane has died, but it’s not easy to swallow. He was so good and gifted that we really didn’t believe this could happen, even though the risks were usually high. Shane McConkey, who appeared in several ski films such as Steep, was one of the brightest stars in the industry. He was a role model to many of us. I really admired Shane’s positive mindset, smile, kindness and courage to live his life exactly the way he wanted. He lived large, every minute. Shane McConkey was truly an inspirational person whose lifestyle so many people followed, but now he is gone. Shane will be missed, just like Doug Coombs, Trevor Petersen and many other great skiers who died young.

Shane McConkey was known as the father of reverse camber powder skis, starting with the Volant Spatula and the more recent K2 Pontoon. He was a pioneer and motivator to thousands of skiers across the globe. Shane also won numerous awards and competitions. He started as a competitive freestyle skier, but moved on to be featured in a long line of extreme skiing movies.

Shane McConkey, 39, of Olympic Valley, Calif., is survived by his wife, Sherry, and their 3½-year-old daughter, Ayla. Our thoughts go out to McConkey’s family and friends.

Here are few videos of Shane.

Photos: Graeme Murray/Red Bull Photofiles

Courmayeur ski resort is a combination of awesome landscapes, good skiing and tasty Italian food. In Courmayeur you can enjoy the best Italian wine and pasta, but also tons of powder snow and sunshine.

Skiing in Courmayeur

Courmayeur has 100 kilometers of slopes, out of which there are four black slopes, 15 red and six green slopes. The rest are blue slopes. Longest run is 7,3 kilometers, while the biggest vertical difference is 1335 meters. 18 lifts of Courmayeur carry skiers ad snowboarders to the slopes, and the highest ski lift station is located in 2624 meters of altitude.

The main skiing area is at Plan Checrouit and, with over 80% of the skiable terrain covered by snow cannons, snow here is virtually guaranteed. You can get to Plan Checrouit by a cabin lift directly from the center of Courmayeur. Other skiing areas in Courmayeur ski resort are a bit more challenging Lago Chécrouit, nice and easy Cresta Youla, modern La Thuile, and Cresta d’Arp and Punta Helbronner that provide access to the best off-piste runs in Courmayeur.

Courmayeur ski resort is much like Chamonix on the other side of Mont Blanc (in Italian side they call the mountain Monte Bianco), but much less crowded. If you get frustrated with crowded Chamonix, just drivee through the tunnel of Mont Blanc and ski Courmayeur. We have noticed that sometimes when there is a bad weather in Chamonix, the sun is shining in Courmayeur, so it is really worth of checking. Also the rush in Chamonix during a powder day is sometimes unbelievable and most of the new snow is skied in two hours. If you want to ski more powder hit the road and drive to Courmayeur where you can ski powder all day long, and maybe even the day after.

Courmayeur dining, afterski and shopping

There are 2971 inhabitants in the Courmayeur ski resort town. Although the town itself is pretty small, there are plenty of choices when it comes to dining, afterski and shopping. 93 restaurants, 20 on-piste restaurants and 48 bars and discos make sure you get what you need.

Take a walk in the car-free center of Courmayeur and enjoy the diversity of window-shopping. There are a number of good shops and boutiques offering quality clothing, jewellery and souvenir.

Enjoy a beer or a glass of wine while looking at the magnificient peaks of the high mountains of Mont Blanc massif. Afterski in Courmayeur ski resort is lively, but not rowdy. If you are looking for great skiing with a nice atmosphere, Courmayeur might be a good choice.

Other activities in Courmayeur ski resort

In addition to skiing there are many other things you can do in Courmayeur. For example there is a weekly market where you can buy things made by the locals. You can also take a bus and drive to Chamonix or other ski resorts or towns in Aosta valley. In Courmayeur you can go ice skating, curling, swimming, cross-country skiing, snowshoe walking, or you can just enjoy the fitness centre.

Downsides of Courmayeur?

There is no perfect ski resort and Courmayur is no exception. What are thethe downsides? For experienced skiers Courmayeur does not provide too much challenges, and also there is a lack of very easy slopes for beginners and first time skiers. Courmayeur is a relatively small ski resort with short runs, so if you are looking for big something then consider resorts like Les Trois Vallee in France. Slopes in Courmayeur are pretty crowded on Sundays, but not as much as in Chamonix. There is also a tiresome walk and cable-car ride between Courmayeur village and the slopes.

Pictures: dirkgroeger, tmesis

The second one in Alta Badia was Austrian Benjamin Raich, 0.42 seconds behind Kalle Palander, and the third one was Swiss Marc Berthod, 0.45 seconds behind Palander. For Kalle Palander this was 14th victory in the world cup, from which four are from Giant Slalom races.

Kalle Palander was truly amazed with his victory. He repeated word “unbelievable” often and was very surprised with his victory. “I cannot believe that I had velocity enough to win. I was really amazed after the finish line“, said Palander in Finnish media. Kalle tried too much and made few mistakes during his run, but he was still able to win.

Ted Ligety, who leads Giant Slalom sup, was penalized for being late from getting his number, was fifth in Sunday’s race. Ligety has 235 points, Raich 212 points and Palander 200 points. Raich leads the whole cup with 241 points ahead of Palander who is in position seven.