Is your MP3 player too loud? Lets talk about safety on the slopes ~ Jammin' on the hill ~

Skiing and snowboarding are sports based around a rhythmic motion, so when portable music players became smaller, it was natural for more people to listen to their favorite tunes while riding down mountains.

"A lot of skiing and snowboarding is about balance and rhythm and music helps with that," Scott Molenaar, 44, of Folsom, said recently while getting ready to go skiing at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Like Molenaar, Josh Teter, 18, of Gardnerville, enjoys listening to music while snowboarding. He said it helps get him pumped up and gives him confidence.

While some riders feel music enhances their experience, others worry that skiing with headphones could lead to more accidents. Now that many helmets and beanies have integrated earphones it makes it hard to tell who's in the groove.

At Heavenly, Cassandra Smith, 40, of San Francisco, worries that if people are playing music too loudly, they won't be able to hear what's going on around them and they might hit one of her two 7-year-old children.

"When I was a kid, I was hit by somebody who had ear muffs on, and I broke my collar bone because he didn't hear that someone was below a jump," Smith said.

Russ Pecoraro, director of communications at Heavenly, said he isn't aware of any accidents that have occurred because someone was listening to music.

"I think we still offer a very safe experience on the mountain," Pecoraro said. "We've got ski patrol up there, and they are taking people aside if they see people who are skiing recklessly or not in a safe way, and who are kind of oblivious because they're listening to an MP3 player."

Kirstin Cattell, communications manager at Sierra-At-Tahoe, said the resort is looking at the issue of safety in regards to portable music players, but there hasn't had any accidents related to their use. She said employees are not allowed to use MP3 players at any time, but the resort does not regulate guest use of music players.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort also prohibits staff from using personal music devices. Allon Cohne, director of marketing, said the resort tries to inform guests about the National Ski Areas Association's safety guidelines, which include watching where you're going and being alert at all times. He said there haven't been any accidents related to MP3 players at Kirkwood.

Steve Camera, a 24-year-old from Hollister who was getting ready to go snowboarding at Heavenly, said he doesn't listen to music while riding because it can be a distraction and it means carrying more gear. He said people who listen to music on the slopes should be proficient riders and they should keep the music at a safe level.

People should be alert and aware of their surroundings at all times, Pecoraro also said. The resort tries to educate people about the skier's responsibility code which includes a section on portable music players, he added.

Heavenly asks guests not to have their music playing while they're loading and unloading on lifts, so they can respond to commands from the lift operators, he said.

Pecoraro said he doesn't listen to music while skiing because he likes quiet moments on the mountain.

"When you're out in the woods and you're by yourself and all you hear is the stillness of the forest, that to me is the best music you could ask for," he said.



Shaun White's Top Ten Playlist as reported by Motorola

1. "Comm Breakdown" Led Zeppelin

2. "Love Me Two Times" The Doors

3. "Fortunate Son" CCR

4. "Fade to Black" Metallica

5. "Hardest Button" The White Stripes

6. "Andy Warhol" David Bowie

7. "Back in Black" AC/DC

8. "Heart of the City" Jay Z

9. "Dance Macabre" The Faint

10. "Tangerine" Led Zeppelin



Getting in the groove

High-tech ways people are listening to music in the mountains:

* Helmets with integrated headphones

* Jackets with integrated speakers/control panel

* Beanies with earphones

* Sunglasses with integrated MP3 player/earpieces