From the Official Statement at Matchstick Productions:

[...] J.T. Holmes , a close friend and long-time jump partner of McConkey who had jumped the 600 meter cliff moments before Shane, said McConkey performed a double backflip from the cliff and planned to release his skis and then fly in his wingsuit [...] But when both skis failed to release upon tugging on straps leashed to his legs, McConkey went into an upside down position as he manually attempted to release his bindings. Because throwing a chute while inverted poses the likelihood of the canopy and lines becoming entangled in the skis, McConkey used valuable seconds to focus on removing both skis and succeeded [...] but after 12 seconds of freefall he struck snow immediately [...]

McConkey’s passing leaves an entire industry reeling from the news. He starred in 15 MSP movies including the heralded “There’s Something About McConkey” and was honored as “The People’s Choice” for Male Skier of the Year three years in a row. As one of the most versatile skiers in the history of the sport, in his 17-year professional freeskiing career McConkey won everything from mogul tour events to big mountain competitions to skiercross races to big air events. One of the most forward thinking individuals in the sport, in the mid 1990s, McConkey singlehandedly convinced the ski world to get on fat skis [...]

Trip report to come …

Smith Brook (FS 6700) Trailhead:
To reach the trailhead, drive six miles east of Stevens Pass on US 2 and make a u-turn at the Mill Creek exit. The parking area is less than 1.5 miles away, on the right-hand shoulder just east of Smith Brook Rd.

On October 15th, I saw “Let It Ride: The Craig Kelly Story.” It is hands down the best snowboarding movie I have ever seen. It is also one of the best documentaries I have seen in a long time. For me, watching “Let it Ride” was an intensely melancholy experience, and the movie’s affects on me continue to increase and intensify the more I reflect on Kelly’s words and life in general. Outwardly Kelly had so much going for him and so much opportunity … yet he often looked distant, lost, and detached. His reflective nature has been inspirational not so much in stoking me for the upcoming winter, but in causing further introspection in myself. At times, I felt like he was speaking for me – for beliefs I have that are difficult to deal with in terms of living them and making them mesh in this world. I sometimes felt like his eyes were my own, and I identified with his longing to connect to the world yet at the same time feeling most connected when he was far from society and so immersed in physically challenging moments that nothing else mattered. I have already cried several times.

This poignant film came to me at a time of great flux in my life. In other words, it came to me at the “right” time to be more than just an entertaining movie – it came to me at a time when I need to make decisions. I currently face the opportunity (and the responsibility) to shift my life in a way that can give it deeper meaning and bring me closer to the essence of living, and in that light I have a feeling “Let it Ride” will be influential.