Daron Rahlves Pays Tribute To Shane McConkey With Spicy Summer Snowblade Descent
Even the pros are having a hard time letting go of winter.
Daron Rahlves, of Hahnenkamm and Red Bull fame, recently descended a narrow, steep couloir in an undisclosed location in California’s Sierra Nevada.
Now, that probably doesn’t sound headline-worthy as is, but when you consider he did it on snowblades, well, that was enough for this ski writer to get to work.
Tap or click below to watch Rahlves slice and dice his way down the couloir towards a pristine alpine lake. This is truly what summer skiing is all about.
Keep watching and reading for Rahlves and his ski partner Uncle E’s tribute to the late and great Shane McConkey.
“We had more fun than anybody today,” says Uncle E before he and Rahlves plunge headfirst into the alpine lake after making their descent. Sitting on this side of the screen, it’s hard to deny the claim.
Savvy skiers may have noticed something odd about the gear Rahlves was using in the video above—Since when did Rahlves’ longtime sponsor, Atomic, make ski blades? That’s the thing, they don’t.
Instead, Rahlves is rocking a pair of Chipotle Banana Blades from Reno, Nevada-based ski-maker Moment Skis, and it’s not the first time this season he’s been spotted with the short and fun planks. Rahlves took second place at the 2026 Pain McShlonkey snowblade race at Palisades Tahoe on the Chipotle Banana blades.
Speaking of the Pain McShlonkey, the oddly-named snowblade race that honors the late Shane McConkey, Rahlves and Uncle E took time at the end of the video to pay tribute to their friend.
While removing a vile of McConkey’s ashes from his pack, Uncle E tells the legendary story of how McConkey’s disqualification from a moguls competition was the catalyst for the rest of his career:
“Shane went up there, did a backflip, and he was kicked out of the event. So, he went (back) up there, took his clothes off, then skied naked and did a spread eagle, and was banned for life from Vail. That’s the last mogul competition he skied in, then he started the IFSA, and because of Shane, the IFSA exists.”
The IFSA International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Association) is the main organizer for freeride events in the United States to this day. McConkey’s legacy lives on.
It’s no secret that McConkey was a fan of snowblades, and it’s a comforting feeling, similar to drinking a massive hot chocolate after a brutally cold day on the hill, that his friends are keeping his spirit alive.
If you don’t own a pair of snowblades, change that before next season. Sure, you’ll get some odd looks from the hardos who don’t understand actual ski culture, but you’ll have more fun than them out on the hill, and that’s all that matters.
Plus, when rocking a pair of snowblades, you get unlimited opportunities to fire off my favorite ski-themed Dad joke. Simply ski up to somebody using regular skis and ask them incredulously, “Why are your skis so long?!” It’s the best.
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