Music to Shred by

Shredder Jen

   I just flew home from an incredibly fun time snowboarding with Maureen & Terry and Tracy in Steamboat Springs. Maureen and I discussed our preferred riding accompaniment: she loves the peace and quiet, and the shushing of other skiers; I get into the zone with a carefully-selected playlist on my iPod to inspire me. And though I enjoy the solitude of nature when I'm hiking or kayaking, I know from experience that I snowboard significantly better with the right music.

   So I'm on the plane back to KC now and I'm catching up on Fitness magazine. And it turns out there's science to back me up! Brunel University researchers say, "Listening to music can increase your endurance by 15 percent because your brain gets distracted and may miss the 'I'm tired' signal. Plus the beloved tunes can give you a sense of euphoria that keeps you going." Lindsey Vonn was also quoted as saying that she listens to rap before her races... So it isn't just me.

   I experience the so-called 'runner's high' (and by extension, the 'snowboard's high') more quickly and more often when I have the right music. It can't just be songs that I like; they have to come up at the right time, too. So it's actually kind of convenient that I have to pause after getting off the lift to strap in; it gives me time to cue up the next powersong.

This trip's playlist includes some favorites from past trips and some new entries:

Mann feat. 50 Cent: "Buzzin'"

A$AP Rocky "F'in' Problem"

Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida "Troublemaker"

Mutemath "Electrify"

Drake: "Started from the bottom"

Jay-Z and Kanye West "Welcome to the jungle"

Cobra Starship feat. Sabi "You make me feel"

Coldplay "Every teardrop is a waterfall"

Macklemore "Thrift shop"

Far East Movement "So what"

T.I. "Big sh** poppin'"

Chris Brown "Turn up the music", "Don't wake me up"

David Guetta feat. Afrojack "Lunar"

Jermaine Dupri "I heard 'em say"
Justice "D.A.N.C.E."
Jay Rock "All my life in the ghetto"

Flo Rida feat. Akon "Available"

And a total guilty pleasure: Taylor Swift "I knew you were trouble"

And for the last run of the day:

Paul Oakenfield "Starry-eyed surprise"

Muse "Madness"

Jarvis "Make a little room"

One Republic "Secrets"

Mutemath "Photograph"

Chris Brown "Don't wake me up"

Nelly "Ride"

Kanye "All falls down"

Future feat. Keri Hilson "Neva End"

Chris Brown "Bring me to life"

I've also noticed that a lot of these songs have lyrics that you can apply to snowboarding, even though that's not how they were intended:

Nelly "If you wanna go and take a ride with me"

Taylor Swift "Now I'm lyin' on the cold, hard ground" (Boy, do I know this well...)

Kanye: "That-that-that-that that don't kill me can only make me stronger"; "Oh when it all, it all falls down; I'm telling you ohh, it all falls down"

Dorrough: "I ride, I ride, I ride, let's ride"

Jay-Z/Kanye: "I look in the mirror, my only opponent"; "I went through hell, now I'm expecting heaven"; "I can't stop... Yeah, who gon' stop me? No brakes, I need State Farm... Now who gon' stop me? Who gon' stop me huh? Who gon' stop me? Who gon' stop me huh?"

Ciara "He love the way I ride, yeah"

Snow Patrol "Shut your eyes and think of somewhere, somewhere cold and caked with snow"

Macklemore "I look incredible. I'm in this big-ass coat."  Video

There are lots more... I just have to remember them...