ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) 鈥� Needing to rock his final Olympic halfpipe run just to qualify, Aaron Blunck proceeded to pump up the volume.
With a song called 鈥淭OES鈥� featuring DaBaby blaring in his ears, the 25-year-old freestyle skier from Colorado struck just the right note to turn in the best run of anyone.
Music to his ears.
In a world filled with 鈥渄ouble corks," 鈥淛apan grabs" and 鈥渂ackside rodeos,鈥� it's the tunes that sync it all together for most of these competitors. To them, their AirPods are almost as important as the bindings on their skis.
鈥淚f someone wants to mess with me on a competition day, they'd take away my music,鈥� said New Zealand鈥檚 Nico Porteous, who will be one of the favorites in the final Saturday, which marks the end of the fun and games at the Genting Snow Park. 鈥淢usic is so important to me. Like, the most important thing.鈥�
For his qualifying run, Porteous went back in time, to the 1990s, to The Notorious B.I.G.鈥檚 song 鈥淲ho Shot Ya?鈥� It's the same tune Porteous was listening to when he captured bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. He鈥檇 forgotten all about it until a month ago, when it popped up on his play list at the Winter X Games.
鈥淚 put that song on and then ended up skiing the best I ever have,鈥� Porteous said.
So, it remained on his list of greatest hits.
Also streaming on the pipe: MF Doom in Canadian Noah Bowman's headphones. American freeskier Alex Ferreira went with 鈥淓DM鈥� (electronic dance music) to get stoked. His teammate, Birk Irving, pushed play on Phantogram鈥檚 鈥淏lack Out Days.鈥�
鈥淢usic鈥檚 huge,鈥� the 22-year-old Irving said. 鈥淚t zones me out so I鈥檓 not really focused on everything. I鈥檓 just kind of going and cruising and flowing through the pipe.鈥�
Same for Canadian freestyler Brendan MacKay, who gets into the groove with Canadian rock band Metric.
鈥淭hat was pretty fast-paced,鈥� MacKay explained of his musical choice. 鈥淪ometimes I鈥檒l go even more fast-paced, sometimes slower. I was a bit tired (Thursday morning) so I really needed some energy from my music to get me fired up.鈥�
About the time Metric gets cranking, MacKay finds himself absorbed in deep halfpipe thoughts.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I hear it much even though it鈥檚 pretty loud,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 fully focused on skiing, and not thinking anything else.鈥�
For Bowman, tunes have been a 鈥済ame changer.鈥�
鈥淭he energy gets me excited because I鈥檓 a fairly laid-back guy,鈥� Bowman said. "So I need that music to kind of hype me up. I鈥檓 typically listening to some hip-hop, because hip-hop hypes me up.鈥�
The rare exception may be two-time defending Olympic champion David Wise. He prefers the sound of silence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not my vibe,鈥� Wise said. 鈥淚鈥檝e talked a lot about, like, mental toughness, the ability to land runs when the pressure's on, and for me, I just embrace the fact that I鈥檓 actually at a high-level contest.
鈥淚 want to hear every sound. I want to hear the crowd. I want to hear the sound my skis make. That鈥檚 just, for me, how I stay more closely tied to the reality. I totally get (using music) but that鈥檚 just not how I like to compete.鈥�
Ferreira does. Another chart-topper for him is an up-tempo song, 鈥淩ed Light, Green Light.鈥�
鈥淚 need (music) because it just makes me feel good,鈥� Ferreira said. 鈥淚t distracts me, I guess, from all the nerves and pressures.鈥�
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Pat Graham, The Associated Press
