As for the wonderful sounds of the backcountry, I agree, a silent snow fall, running water, etc is what we get out for. Whoever, you must remember that many people end up skinning up the resorts during High Avi Danger, or only have time to bike a quick lunch loop (in the summer), both of which often sound like amusement parks and barking dogs. So a little audio distraction is nice. Or a good rhythm to get your pace going up a long slog. I definitely don’t wear head phones all the time, but these are good when I do.

As for simply turning my headphones down (as suggested by Thomas) still doesn’t account for the fact that I basically have an earplug in (or earmuffs on). You can mute your music and still have audio issues. The Airdrive’s do NOT cover your ear canals at all. so when muted, you hear everything.

Finally, regarding Alex’s story, that’s the reason that I pretty much always mute my music once at the top of a mtn, b/c backcountry communication is key.

On a recent foray into our snow drenched mountains, I was wearing my helmet for whatever reason. My partner and I had decided to ski a pitch, requiring us to break protocol and loose sight of one another for a hundred or so vertical feet. He skied first. Low and behold, as soon as he dropped out of sight, I heard a muffled scream. Seconds later, the air-born avalanche thundered to the valley floor.

Pausing for a moment to gain composure, I was certain of his doom. Spotting a safe zone just above the convexity, I skied the dozen or so stressful turns to gain a vantage point. Peering over the roll, I spotted my buddy on his skis, unharmed and hauling ass away from the belly of the beast. Panicked by the slide, he continued his traverse to a ridge, out of sight. I was able to catch him on his phone to check-in: He was okay and in a safe spot about a quarter of a mile away. I on the other-hand was now alone, part-way down the pitch leading directly to hell.

In the end, it all worked out. I was able to navigate the remaining pitches safely and we lived to enjoy the incredible snow as of late. What I learned later that day cemented my opinion on the headphone, ear covering, sense disabling matter: Once the slide had cleared, my partner was yelling up to me that he was okay and to absolutely not put myself in any danger by skiing the first part of the pitch. I really wish I had heard those words before skiing.

I will likely never know if I would have been able to hear those calls had I not been wearing my helmet. One thing is for certain however, I will never consciously hinder any of my senses while playing in our marvelous backcountry.

Great review, but I’m with Lou: when in the backcountry I love to hear the sounds of nature, including that wonderful silence after a fresh dump of snow!

Later, EZE