Brains
Whenever you go skiing or snowboarding, your senses are working hard. The most obvious are touch and feel. The feel of putting on your boots, the cold, crisp air, and the forces on your body as you make turns down the mountain. Skiing is also a sport that gives us plenty to look at, from snow-covered peaks and perfectly groomed runs to the first tracks of a powder morning.
But some of the best parts of a ski day have nothing to do with what we see; rather, they are the sounds that tell us we’re about to have a great day.
After years of skiing, these sounds have become part of the experience, and some can get me almost as excited as the skiing itself. Here are my personal top nine sounds that seem rudimentary in the moment but are truly nostalgic if you stop to think about them.
#9 The RFID Gate Beep/Chime as You Scan Your Pass and the Gate Unlocks
There’s something oddly satisfying about that little beep followed by the click of the gate opening. It means my pass works, I’m officially in, and, most importantly, I don’t have to make the walk of shame back to the ticket office to figure out why it isn’t working. After waiting in line, that tiny beep lets me know I’ll be on the lift soon and coming back down for another lap in no time.
#8 The Crunch of Boots Walking on Fresh Snow
The crunch of my boots on fresh snow as I walk from the parking lot and toward the lifts is another sound that brings a smile. That crisp sound underfoot is a pretty good sign that the snow is cold, dry, and high quality, which usually means I’m in for some excellent skiing.
#7 The “Vrrooom” of Skis Carving on Perfect Corduroy
Not only is this sound amazing, but carving perfect corduroy is also one of the best feelings too. When everything lines up just right, I can hear my edges grip into the snow with every turn, creating the conditions that I call “confidence groomers,” meaning I can lay into the turn and not worry at all about sliding out.
#6 The Rhythmic “Vibration and Chunk-a-Chunk” as the Chair Passes Over the Wheels of the Lift Tower
This is a sound that may get overlooked, but anyone who spends time on the mountain knows it. As I’m riding up the chair, I can sense I’m getting closer to a tower, and I hear it start rattling, and then the cable hits that familiar chunk-a-chunk, chunk-a-chunk sound. There’s something oddly satisfying about that sound because I know exactly what it means: I’m one tower closer to the top and one tower closer to skiing.
#5 The Perfect Click of Your Ski Boots Going Into the Bindings
Click. There are few better sounds than the satisfying snap of my boots locking into my bindings. It’s the moment I know I’m clipped in, ready to go, and hopefully about to have a great run. I’m partial to Salomon bindings because, in my opinion, they tend to have the best click. But that’s just me.
#4 Hoots and Hollers
There’s nothing quite like hearing a “WOOOO!” echo across the mountain after someone finds a perfect line. Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s my friends, and sometimes it’s a complete stranger somewhere down the run. No matter who it is, the stoke is contagious, and a good hoot or holler means we are having a good time.
#3 Avy Bombs Going Off in the Morning
There’s something special about getting your gear on on a powder day and hearing the loud BOOM! echo across the mountain. When I’m sitting in the parking lot and those bombs start going off, I can feel the excitement building as everyone around knows that the ski patrol is getting the mountain ready. It’s a reminder that professionals are hard at work making the slopes safer, but also that it’s a legit powder day given the avalanche problems.
#2 The “Whoosh” of Your Skis Cutting Through Powder
This one could have easily been #1 on my list. Nothing beats the sound of floating through fresh powder, with that deep whoosh of snow rushing around my skis. It’s also probably the best feeling in skiing and snowboarding. It’s soft, smooth, and when the powder is deep and the turns are effortless, I could listen to that sound all day.
#1 Pure Silence
Sometimes the best sound on the mountain is no sound at all. If I’m lucky enough to find solitude on the mountain, whether it’s deep in the backcountry, a remote corner of the resort, or my favorite stash in the trees, there’s something special about being somewhere so quiet that all I can hear is my own breathing and the thump of my heartbeat. That kind of silence is hard to find, and it allows me to slow down and enjoy and appreciate the natural beauty around me.
BONUS: The Snow Phone
The snow phone isn’t technically a pure ski sound, but I think it deserves a mention. I watch the forecast religiously and usually know exactly what the conditions are going to be, so it’s really not necessary, but every time I go skiing with my boys, we still call the snow phone to hear the official report. There’s something about hearing the snow totals and conditions out loud that gets us even more excited to hit the mountain.
Honorable Mentions
- Clacking your poles together before dropping into a line
- The wind and snow during a storm
- Après music in the base area
- The skis slapping the ground as you set them down to start your ski day
- The wind rushing past you as you bomb down the mountain
At the end of the day, skiing and snowboarding are about so much more than the turns themselves. The sounds of a ski day become part of the memories we carry with us. Some are subtle, and some are just silence, but each one tells a little story about why we love being on the mountain. So the next time you’re out skiing or riding, take a moment to listen. You might be surprised by how much of the experience you can hear.
What, no love for idiots blasting bluetooth speakers? Hahaha