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From Skiing to Speed Flying, Michael ‘Bird’ Shaffer Shows His ‘Attitude for Gratitude’

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Feel the groove of ski life with this mini-biopic on the long life and fast times of Michael ‘Bird’ Shaffer.

There’s no denying the smooth cadence and soft tone of Michael Shaffer’s voice as he tells his life story. 

Even if that story was boring — which it’s decidedly not — the life of exploration and adventure has left a permanent mark on his outlook and speech.

Long before this life-long skier strapped on a parachute for speed flying in the mountains, he grew up in the hippie hills of Washington state. His mother was a teacher and his father flew jets in Vietnam. Surrounded by nature and family, his commitment to free-spirited hijinks seems almost inevitable.

“I got to be a part of Black Crows since the beginning,” Shaffer says in the latest video from the Chamonix-based ski company. “It was all about acceptance. If you were a skier, then you were accepted. It didn’t matter where you came from. It just mattered where you were going and what you were doing. And that was skiing and loving the life.”

Runtime: 15 minutes

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