Sitting on the chairlift, beauty surrounds me. Evergreen trees decked in snow, animal tracks criss cross under the lift, leading into the woods. I glance up and see the clouds flying by the tops of the mountains. “What a beautiful day!” I say to the woman sitting next to me on the chair. She glances at me, like she didn’t really hear what I said. And that’s because she didn’t really hear what I said. I only then realize, she has ear phones in her helmet, and can hear the sound of the bass of a rock song blaring away in her ears. I just wave, as if to wave off that I’ve said anything, and we ride in silence, or pseudo-silence to the top.
In this day and age of iPods, iPhones, and other assorted electronic equipment, it seems we can never leave technology far behind. And I’m not sure how I feel about that. I see skiing, hiking and mountain biking as ways that I connect with nature. Hearing a bird call, hearing the wind blow, even hearing the hissing sound of my skis as they schuss across the cold snow is an important part of being outdoors to me. Obliterating all that out with the pulsating sound of music seems like an intrusion on the natural experience.
It also seems like a bit of a safety problem. Skiers and snowboarders can frequently cut in front of each other during busy days on the slopes. Part of the Skier Responsibility Code is to ski in control, and make sure to safety pass those in front of you. If you’ve got music blasting inside your helmet, it seems like it could be pretty hard to hear someone approaching, or even someone yelling out, “On your left!”. The same is true with mountain bikers barreling down on each other on the trail, with music making them oblivious to other users on the trail behind them.
But I would be remiss in pretending I’m completely innocent of bringing all this music into the wilderness. I frequently play my iTunes as I drive to and from the slopes, merrily singing at the top of my lungs. I even contemplate skiing the moguls to certain songs that have an exceptionally strong beat. And when it comes to running — my most unfavorite of outdoor sports — I frequently bring my iPod with me, if only to provide some sort of inspiration to keep my feet moving. In fact, when Bryon and I went for a training run the other day, I was in a state of despair over the fact that my iPod battery was dead and I wouldn’t be able to have my tunes to run with. What would I do?
Finally, I consider how hard it is to get anyone outside to engage in exercise and fresh air. It’s a nationa-wide problem that more and more kids are glued to their computers and video games, and don’t get enough exercise. So if bringing their iTunes with them, inspires more people to get outside and get active, is it really a bad thing?
