Remarkable Women: Sherry McConkey

Sherry McConkey is a wife, mother and activist whose name carries worldwide recognition due to her tremendous work in continuing the legacy of her late husband, skier Shane McConkey.

Before ever meeting one of the greatest skiers who ever lived, McConkey was just a bright-eyed girl from South Africa trying to find a home away from home. She found it, along the snowy mountain tops and crystal blue waters of Lake Tahoe.

“The first time I came out here, I came up from south shore and the harvest moon was coming out of the lake and you know the feeling where your heart stops and it was incredible,” McConkey said. “I never left because I fell in love with the place.”

She would eventually also fall in love with Shane McConkey.

“The first time I met him I saw him at this place called Humpty’s in Tahoe City,” McConkey said. “He’s just so goofy and fun and lovely to be around.”

Sherry and Shane married in 2004, had a daughter, and went on countless adventures together.

But five years later, Shane tragically died in a skiing accident in Italy, at only 39 years old, leaving Sherry no choice but to find a new path on her own.

“With Shane being such a big name in the ski industry, I really felt like a little pressure to do something and part of me wanted to do something, and I really wanted to honor his legacy,” McConkey said.

Turning her pain into purpose, Sherry became the driving force in major projects like the hit documentary, “McConkey” and The Shane McConkey Foundation.

“We’ve given close to a million dollars to different charities, a lot of them were Make a Wish, because Shane was super close to the Make a Wish Foundation,” McConkey said. “…And then about 9 years ago we started the Shane McConkey EcoChallenge and that’s been my passion project.”

Seeing youth working to protect the environment while becoming better people is just one reason why Sherry stays smiling all the time.

“Kids are just so amazing you know…. so many of these EcoChallenge winners have gone on to do more work with their environment, become ambassadors for different clubs and gone the White House changing policy, so it’s been an amazing thing to see in just nine years,” McConkey said.

With her community of care, there’s nothing this remarkable woman can’t do.

“I think if you follow your heart and dream, and you actually do projects and make sure you’re doing the things you want to do in life, I guess you can become a remarkable woman,” McConkey said.

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