About 15 years ago, in the days before iPods and MP3 players, the people at Mount Snow in Vermont decided to deliver some high-amp energy to skiers and snowboarders.

On its Beartrap bump trail, they installed 900-watt speakers on lift towers that blasted heavy metal tunes. The trail's remote location allowed lifties to play headbanging songs by bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden without fear of offending the purists who desired more peaceful sounds, like the wind in the trees or maybe the delicate chirping of the Golden Crowned Kinglet.

When Killington launched its Skyship gondola in 1994, the plan was to have music broadcast into cabins as passengers sailed through the Vermont woods. It never worked; all people heard was tinty static. Besides, who was going to choose the kind of music to play?

Credit the Sony Walkman, released in 1979, for being the first portable music player that could be used by skiers. Drawbacks included the inability to select specific tracks and a tendency for the cassette tape to break and batteries to drain in cold weather. The first CD-based Walkman, released in 1984, was an improvement, but early models had the annoying habit of skipping with the slightest vibration. Impossible in a mogul field. Today, Mount Snow is still playing music on Beartrap (with newer bands) but fewer people are listening. Why? Because many are listening to their own soundtracks on Apple iPods, Microsoft Zunes and other MP3 players. A recent survey by Skiing magazine

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found that 41 percent of people ski or ride with music and 65 percent think it's wrong and potentially dangerous. No surprise here, since skiing and snowboarding are inherently dangerous. Snow sliders often challenge themselves, go fast, make jumps and try something different. And music provides a different dimension, almost like being in a music video. Like adrenaline, it can provide a rush, sending the spirit soaring as you cruise down the hill. It can also create a kind of grace where every turn seems perfect and so sweet. Go online or in any snowsports store and you'll find hats, helmets, jackets and accessories all designed to make skiing or riding with music easier. Some gloves like the Sonic Control R-Tex A ($225) or the Kombi iRip ($150) have a transmitter in one glove and a receiver for your iPod. It gives you wireless access to your tunes without having to fumble around, get frostbite or get killed by not paying attention. The Giro G9 Wireless Audio Series helmet ($299) has an integrated wireless system that works with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone or MP3 player. With controls for volume, track select, play/pause, and you'll never have to go through the process of unzipping your jacket to get to your electronics. Those who need to be "on" all the time can also talk on their cell phone hands-free, using the call-connect feature and the integrated microphone. A more inexpensive route is the Smith Skullcandy Twin Tip Cell Phone and iPod Link accessory kit ($59) that not only lets you access your iPod, but talk on a cell phone. All this electronic gear is very cool, but there are some downsides, among them safety. Common ski/snowboard courtesy says you should call out (on your right, on your left) to someone if you're about to pass them on a trail. But what's the point in doing that if the person you're passing is deep inside their musical cocoon?

Chairlift conversations, once a cherished tradition in the ski world, are often on pause because the person sitting next to you is in a zombie-like state, totally absorbed in their musical Nirvana.

Ski resorts, while acknowledging the safety concerns, have no rules on skiing or riding with earbuds. "It all boils down to personal responsibility. Staying alert and staying in control," said Troy Hawks, of the National Ski Areas Association. "We already have the Skiers' Responsibility Code that gives guidelines, like staying in control, practicing safety and knowing your limits. Essentially it comes down to this: There are elements of risk in skiing and snowboarding that common sense and personal awareness can help reduce. Your safety will be directly affected by your judgment."

Hawks said the code that is posted at ski resorts (and even on napkins in the lodge) "could end up being fifty guidelines if it addressed more specific concerns like skiing with music; it's intended to be more general than specific."

Rock on!

HOLIDAY OUTLOOK — Ullr, the Norse God of Snow, has been kind of us. So good, that ski conditions, heading into the busy Christmas/New Year's week, are the best they've been in eight years. Last week's storm dumped up to two feet of snow at some northern New England resorts. Ski Vermont reports 79 percent of trails open in the Green Mountain State, some areas like Stowe 100 percent open. As of last Friday, Vermont had 979 trails open, compared to 512 in Utah. If there is any downside to this, peak holiday rates are in effect. One of the rare bargains: Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills in Highmont, N.Y.,will be selling lift tickets for only $25 on Christmas Day.