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The seasons are starting to change. Snow is melting, days are getting warmer, and spring skiing is almost upon us. Which means only one thing: International Snowblade Day and the Pain McShlonkey Classic are on the horizon!
Every year hundreds of people across the world don their wackiest threads, strap on their snow blades (short skis, figgles, ski skates, snowler blades — whatever you want to call them) and take to the slopes. The annual celebration is dedicated to one of the most influential snowbladers of all time, the man they called Saucer Boy or Cliff Huckstable, the legend and father of ski BASE-jumping, Shane McConkey.
McConkey died on March 26, 2009. Every year on the anniversary of his death, his fans shred gnar irreverently and hilariously on their snowblades in his memory. Just like he would have wanted them to.
Enter the International Snowblade Day Photo Contest
Now through March 25, anyone is welcome to enter the Shane McConkey Snowblade Day photo contest. All you need are a pair of snowblades, some silly clothes, and a playful pose and you’ve got a shot at winning $10,000 worth of prizes from brands like Jones Snowboards, K2, Sierra Nevada Brewing, GoPro, and many others.
To enter: simply take of photo of yourself or a friend doing the most Shane McConkey thing you can think of. (Although, the rules require that you keep it clean. So no full frontal spread eagles in the nude.) The only other requirement? That you’re wearing snowblades. Beyond that, you can let your imagination run wild.
Enter by posting the photo to your Instagram or Twitter, and tagging it with #SnowBladeDay. If you don’t have a pair of snowblades, you can rent a pair from Mountain Mike’s in Olympic Valley any time before March 24.
The winners of the contest will be announced on March 25, 2023.
The contest’s highly respected panel of expert judges will review and analyze all the photo entries. They’ll then select winners based on their rigorous criteria. The award ceremony will be live-streamed from Palisades Tahoe, and hosted by the esteemed Rusty Reemes and his band of hooligans.
The Pain McShlonkey Classic
Also on March 25, the Shane McConkey Foundation is hosting its annual Pain McShlonky Classic.
The downhill, costumed snowblade race is the climax of International Snowblade Day. The event raises money to benefit the Shane McConkey EcoChallenge, a program that challenges kids to identify and help resolve an eco issue in their school or community. Snowblade racers, decked out in costumes and gaper outfits, compete for glory and the venerated “Golden Saucer” award. Check out the video below to see last year’s highlights.
If you want to enter the photo contest, you have until 1 p.m. on March 25 to submit your entry and tag #SnowBladeDay on social media. If you want to enter the Pain McShlonkey Classic, well, you’re too late. The race is full. But you can still watch it live at Palisades Tahoe, or live-streamed from the Plaza Bar Deck on the Shane McConkey Foundation website.
And, even if you don’t want to enter the photo contest, you can still enter to win awesome prizes. You can register online, and names will be chosen and prizes divvied out during the awards ceremony on March 25.
Regardless of where you’re at, if you’ve got a pair of snowblades and have been waiting to dust them off and bust them out, the time is nigh. International Snowblade Day is almost here. Wax those suckers up and sharpen your edges.
