The OMG Tune & Service Shop - McConkey

At OMG we consider our service department the heart and soul of our shop. It is what keeps you biking, skiing, and riding. Without our service shop, and without you trusting us with your gear, we do not exist. With that being said, we have decided to honor our culture of the gnar by naming our tunes after people that we have lost and have affected our lives and our industry in a positive way.

Today we highlight Shane McConkey. 

Photo Courtesy of IMDB

Shane McConkey had skiing in his blood. His mother was a multi-time national champion in ski racing. His father, the famous Jim McConkey, started the ski school program at Whistler. Notably, the McConkey’s chairlift at Park City was named after Jim. Shane started out as a ski racer before switching his attention to competitive moguls. He dropped out of competition skiing and college to pursue a career big-mountain skiing, something that was completely unheard of at the time.

Photo Courtesy of Gripped Magazine

Shane is credited as being the one of the first skiers to make a successful career outside of the competition scene. He coined the term “freeskiing” that has entered the modern skiing lexicon. He was known as being the face of the ski movie seen at the time. He became Red Bull’s first ski athlete, and his notoriety launched Red Bull into the forefront of unique ski videos. Beyond movies, Shane left a huge imprint on the way we look at skis. Most notably, he created the first full-rocker ski with K2 after taking waterskis out on a powder day. This concept is still alive today and has even crossed over into the snowboard market.

Photo Courtesy of SnowBrains

Shane passed away in 2009 when a ski base jump went horribly wrong. He was only 39. After his passing, he was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. The Shane McConkey Foundation was created in his memory to expand environmental education to kids who want to follow in Shane’s incredible footsteps. The Pain McShlonkey and International Snowblade Day is hosted annually by the foundation at Palisades Tahoe as a way to honor his mission in skiing: to just have fun!

(Get to know Shane a little better with Shane McConkey's Action Highlights).