Donkey...

The NW Snowboard community mourns this week as news comes out that Sean Mansfield, aka "Donkey," and Gunther Frank have presumably drowned after their sailboat capsized near Chuckanut Bay.

Donkey has been a fixture in the NW Snowboard scene for as long as I can remember. Every single contest I ever showed up to, Donk was there...ripping! What I loved about Donk was that when it came to determination, he was never short of any. Whether it was a booter, rail, pipe, or anything that you could boost off of or slide, Donk would be in the first group to kick the session off, and still be killing it with the last group to close out the day. Whenever he set his mind to dialing a trick, he would keep going at it until he nailed it perfectly.

The other thing I most loved about Donk was how he would always find a line, discover a transfer, or try a trick that no one else was seeing or thinking of. I'll never forget the first contest I ever rode in with Donk because in one of his runs he decided to cut across a table that everyone was going up and over and boost left to land on the side like it was a hip! It blew everyone's mind to see that, such sick vision!

Donk had a unique style and swagger that made him one of the most well respected and talented riders in the area. He killed it in every which way on the snow year after year and truly was a firm example of the NW's pride and snowboard strength! Donk was a great soul and his presence on the NW hills will be greatly missed. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and also to Gunther Frank's family.

YOU WILL BE MISSED LIKE CRAZY DONKEY!

Here is a link to the Transworld article about the accident, which also contains links to a blog that was set up for Donkey and Gunther, and other articles about the tragedy.