27 January 2022
What are the best songs to listen to while skiing? “What a devastating question,” Zerocalcare would say. Every skier surely has their own favourite music, so there’s only one solution: aiming for as much variation as possible, bringing different genres to the playlist, so there’s something for everyone.
When it comes to winter sports, specifically skiing, we’ve tried to find a common thread, seeking some common ground among the athletes’ personal tastes and any potentially thematic songs (based on the music or the lyrics). The result: ten awesome songs for skiing that are all quite different from one another. Let’s go!
Let’s start off by setting the mood: Sweet Disposition has a light, flowing melody that hooks us and helps us feel at peace with ourselves. This is a song for skiing freely with the wind (figuratively) at our backs against a snowy landscape. The sweet, warm title, the positive vibes, the evocative and imaginative lyrics - simply perfect.
This song was chosen by Markus Eder, an Italian acrobatic skier. One Love is one of Bob Marley’s most famous songs, and the reggae tune is great for moments of relaxation and helping take things less seriously. Even on a ski slope.
There are those among the athletes who, like Tina Weirather, have stated that they ski to house music. We’ve decided to add Save The World to our playlist, one of Swedish House Mafia’s most famous songs. This song for skiing has everything an athlete needs: powerful rhythm, energy, lyrics, and music. It gets your adrenaline going.
Former alpine skier André Myhrer has confessed that he listens to Bruce Springsteen on the slopes. That’s why we’ve also included I’m on Fire on the list, a song to warm up to even in the snow. Really, though, you’ll want to listen to this song by the Boss practically any time...
American Mikaela Shiffrin, on the other hand, listens to Eminem, and we understand why. We’ve chosen Without Me, but the truth is, any of the rapper’s songs are suitable for any sport, skiing included. He slaloms through verses with words while you do the same on skis.
Here, we’re totally changing styles with the help of Swiss skier Beat Feuz, who says he prefers softer music to rock and explicitly mentions Coldplay. We chose The Scientist from the English band’s different songs, as it is wonderfully calm, melancholy, almost silent. A song to ski and reflect with no one else around.
One person who does love rock is American Ted Ligety. In his honour, we’re putting Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses on the skiing playlist. This timeless, powerful classic will give you the energy needed for the descent under “the bluest sky.”
This song is a nod to fans of dance music like Swiss Lara Gust, who has said that she listens to precisely this sort of song when she’s on the track. So here’s Lady (Hear Me Tonight) by Modjo: an enthusiastic rhythm with a ’90s feel, psychedelic lights, and an unmistakable sound that played in clubs for a long time.
We’re totally changing gears from dance music to the Icelandic post-rock of Sigur Ros. Of the group’s many songs, we picked Olsen Olsen, a song sung in “hopelandic,” which is a made-up language that has no meaning. This is because the voice is used as just another musical instrument, giving life to an even more fascinating and very Nordic melody, so it’s perfect for skiing.
We’re bringing things to a close with some light music: besides Eminem, Mikaela Shiffrin has also said that she listens to classical music when she’s hitting the snow. We looked for something more modern and decided to go with Yiruma’s famous song River Flows in You. It’s a perfect song for skiing and relaxing at the same time, letting ourselves flow along with these charming notes.
