just posted a three-minute trailer for “McConkey,” the 90-minute film about the life and death of Shane McConkey, a pioneer in freesking and BASE jumping. The 39-year-old American died on March 26, 2009, when a ski-BASE jump he was attempting in the Italian Dolomites went bad.
His death led to a number of debates online. Was he a one-of-a-kind hero or just another selfish athlete? A driven innovator pushing the limits of his sport or a pawn of sponsors taking ridiculous risks in order to earn money and gain attention? Tim Sohn tackled those questions and detailed the skier's story in his June 2009 国产吃瓜黑料 feature, “The Life and Death of Shane McConkey.”
The trailer looks like it will examine those questions too. It features interviews with the icons of action sports, from Tony Hawk to Travis Pastrana, and is due out in 2013. That's a long time to wait. In the meantime, here are a few of McConkey's own words, published just before his death.
“I just love the feeling of catching air. It's the combination of being completely out of control yet knowing that you're in control. And your stomach going up through your chest and out your mouth. It's just the scariest, coolest thing in the world.”
For the rest of this quote, click to read the article “Why I Do It.”
–Joe Spring