Syracuse.com - Music-loving Central New Yorkers hitting the ski slopes

[HuntingNY-News]

Greek Peak bans skiers and snowboarders from listening to music on the slopes. There's no restrictions at Song, Labrador and Toggenburg mountains. Meanwhile, five skiers/boarders shared their playlists. Check it out.

Labrador snowboard instructor Dennis Duvall said headphones are popular with his students and can make the experience of skiing or snowboarding a better one as long as the wearers are careful.

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Dick Blume/The Post-Standard

Syracuse, N.Y.—In a time where new technology is constantly showing up, every skier or snowboarder seen slicing through the snow at your local ski slope may not be simply enjoying the scenery.

Skiers and boarders of all ages can be seen wearing some sorts of earphones inside the ski lodge at Labrador Mountain in Truxton, whether it's small earbuds protruding from their jackets or large headphones wedged over their winter hats.

"People have wanted to listen to music on the slopes for a while," said Rick Bunnell, Labrador's director of marketing and snow sports.

Listening to music back in the days of Walkmans was a hassle, Bunnell said. "When they came out with the first Iphone and the smaller devices that they can use...they're able to listen to whatever they want to listen to," he said.

Iphones and other music-playing devices can hold thousands of songs at a time, but they are small enough to stow in a spare pocket, he said.

With the ease and entertainment of playing music on the slopes, people can forget that headphones block out surrounding noise, which can be dangerous on a crowded ski hill. However, officials from four local slopes interviewed recently said that they knew of no accidents that have happened this year as a result of a skier or snowboarder wearing earphones.

Because of the potential safety hazard, Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland does not allow headphones on its trails, said owner Peter Harris. All other ski mountains in the greater Syracuse area—Labrador, Song and Toggenburg mountains—allow their use.

Labrador snowboard instructor Dennis Duvall said headphones are popular with his students and can make the experience of skiing or snowboarding a better one as long as the wearers are careful.

"I see kids wearing headphones every day," Duvall said.

What's his policy on his students wearing headphones while he's teaching them?

"I at least ask them to only wear one earbud, so that they can hear me, because we just need to be aware of what's going on around us," Duvall said. "We have five senses, so we should use them all."

That's just part of being on a ski mountain, said skier Patrick Walsh, 24, of Syracuse, N.Y. "I always keep my head on a swivel. You should do that whenever you're up there, headphones or not," he said.

Rachel Fisher, 16, of Central Square, N.Y., said she keeps her music at a low volume.

"I have mine really quiet," Fisher said. "If you can't hear other people around, that's bad."

Jacob Fati, 16, of Cato, a snowboarder and headphone-wearer, said the noise level doesn't make a big difference.

"When you're out there you can't hear the people around you anyways, because you're going and you make noise," Foti said.

Having music on actually helps concentration when there's others tearing through the snow around you, said Jessica McConnell, 18, of Central Square..

"It helps me focus on what I'm doing by blocking out other sounds around me," she said. But if there's a lot of people on the hill, she won't put music in at all for safety reasons, she said.

Although Labrador Mountain does not have a policy against earphones, the safety of wearing them depends on the situation, Bunnell said.

"Do I think it's safe? Yes and no," Bunnell said. "Kids are listening and sometimes they lack awareness.It's like using your phone and driving. You're not supposed to, but everybody does."

Labrador has a Responsibility Code, which is a list of slope rules affixed to all season passes at Labrador. The second rule on the list is, "People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them."

As long as skiers and snowboarders follow that code, headphones shouldn't pose a safety hazard, Duvall said.

"We all enjoy listening to music," he said, "and if we can do it while making turns, it's that much better."

THOSE INTERVIEWED AND THEIR PLAYLISTS:

Jacob Foti

Dylan Brann

Patrick Walsh

Jessica McConnell

Rachel Fisher

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog