Pain McShlonkey Classic returns to Squaw Valley, USA
The Pain McShlonkey Classic is making a much anticipated come-back on 26
March, at Squaw Valley, USA. In an action-packed event, the professionals and amateurs will battle each other to take home the coveted Golden Saucer trophy, as well as the bragging rights.
The organizers of this years’ Pain McShlonkey Classic includes Shane McConkey’s widow, Sherry and a group of close friends. The primary motive that lies behind organizing such an event is to pay a tribute to skiing’s ultimate goof-ball, Shane McConkey.
"The best way to keep Shane's legacy alive is to remember to laugh at yourself and live life to the fullest," Sherry says. "Shane always wanted to keep the conservative ski industry more light hearted."
This year’s Pain McShlonkey promises a massive dose of excitement and entertainment, as some of the world’s top professional skiers and riders are travelling to Squaw Valley to participate in the event and pay a tribute to the event’s original founder, McConkey.
These top winter athletes will not be bringing out their skis and boards to the contest. Instead, they will be getting into K2 Fatty Snow blade, the true McConkey style-on snowler-blade.
The star-studded line up of the winter sports athletes participating in the event includes the likes of Daron Rahlves, JT Holmes, Jeremy Jones, Scott Gaffney and Robb Gaffney among many others.
The event will kick off on Saturday with the Extreme Snowler-blading Small Mountains Invitational. A selected group of 30 athletes take on the Squaw Valley’s legendary terrain on K2 Fatty snow-blades. It will be a spectacular contest, as the big guns of
skiing and snow-boarding attempt to outperform each other on snowler-blades.
After the Extreme Snowlerblading contest wraps up, the crowed will find themselves getting entertained, as the pros take on 30 of McConkey’s biggest fans in an ‘anything-goes’ Snowler-blade Chinese Downhill. These 30 amateur competitors will be selected
through an online contest. Only the luckiest of the fans will find themselves facing the pros in an unorthodox battle. A cast of celebrity judges will be adding to the amusement and hilarity of the contest.
An after party at Squaw’s freshly renovated Bar One will mark the climax of the day. There is no better way to end an action-packed day than a raging party and indulging in a fun and carefree atmosphere. The party will have an entry fee of $25, which will
be benefiting Protect Our Winters and the Shane McConkey Foundation. Some part of the proceeds will go towards the local Tahoe schools as well.
"This is really the ultimate skiing throw down," says Scott Gaffney, who was one of McConkey's closest friends. "It's the epitome of Shane's spirit and love for all things competitive and ridiculous. I am just happy to be a part of it, and I look forward
to destroying my fruit-booting competitors. They have no idea what I'm capable of."
A behind the scenes, late-night race between competitors at the 1998 Winter X Games went on to become a full-fledge event in 2003 under the banner of Pain McShlonkey Open. The mastermind behind this event was none other than McConkey himself. The event intends
to introduce an element of hilarity and fun in skiing, and so far the response has been excellent.
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