The sound of music.

By Wendy Clinch •  Updated: 01/26/07 •  1 min read

Seems like a lot of people can’t do anything without some musical accompaniment. So I probably sound like an old fart, but I don’t get skiing with headphones.

For me, one of the great pleasures of skiing is the absence of noise. I enjoy the silence and the gentle whooshing sound of my skis against the snow. Besides, I need all the audio cues I can get. Without music, I can hear if there’s a snowboarder coming up behind me or whether or not I’m skidding my skis. Plus, I like to be able to carry on a conversation, either with the friends I’m skiing with or with strangers on the chairlift. Maybe I’m too distractable, but I can’t do this with music playing in my ear.

Some people tell me they keep the music very low so they can hear everything that’s going on around them. If that works for them, fine. But as for me, I’ll keep it quiet.