The sound of silence

Until 2015, Tom Klocker was an elite snowboarder, competing wherever mountains, snow and world-class competition presented themselves. Now retired from the sport following an injury, he has adopted another passion, photography, thrilling thousands of fans with his regular posts on social media. But although the competitive snowboarding is now a thing of the past, his love of the mountains remains a constant in his daily activities and is still central to his focus.

For Tom Klocker, the mountains have always been his home, so now when the day is just dawning and most people are still in bed, the photographer is already at the mountain top - always on the hunt for the most spectacular sunrises. 

"I'm addicted to the silence of nature," says the former professional snowboarder, so it is an added benefit that the very silence he seeks in the mountains is now a part of the trip there as a result of his Audi Q4 e-tron. 

"I'm time and time again surprised how differently I perceive the surroundings in this changed soundscape,” he says of what was an unexpected benefit of driving an all-electric model – the silent operation of the car.

"With the electric car, I'm sure I'm not disturbing anyone,"  he says of the trips up and back with just the sound of the wind rushing by the open window and the gravel crunching under the tyres.

"In general, I sometimes wish the Audi Q4 e-tron offered even more range," says Klocker, although his charging arrangement back at his home base is more than up to the task of delivering him a fully charged vehicle for the drive each morning. And of course, when Klocker drives up the mountains, he obviously has to drive down again, and it is above all here that he’s able to take full advantage of the Audi’s recuperative properties.

"I regain quite a bit of range while driving," says the photographer, “In the mountains, recuperation is a huge advantage for me," says Klocker.

But while Klocker has always embraced the outdoors and particularly the mountains, his choice to  go with a fully-electric model wasn’t originally driven just by his environmental leanings.

“First and foremost, I was simply curious,” he says of the decision.

“Since I also photograph a lot of cars in my job and electromobility is becoming more and more popular, I just wanted to try out for myself to see how it felt to drive with an electric motor and whether I'm even the right type of driver for it. And I have to say that so far, I'm very satisfied.”

His eye for the aesthetic though did play a role in the choice of the Q4 e-tron, the vehicle’s styling and finish appealing to his visual senses.

“Personally, it was very important to me that it appealed to me visually. After all, I am on the road with the car almost every day. I like the darkened windows and the black Audi rings, trim, and rims on my white Audi Q4 e-tron. I think it all fits together well.”

The more practical side of ownership was less important at the time but Klocker says he has come to embrace it, although he certainly doesn’t let planning each trip dominate his travel plans.

“Before I hit the road, I take a quick look at my route. But I don't plan any charging stops,” he says.

“Since I've already driven several thousand kilometres with the Audi Q4 e-tron, I know how far I'll get. And there are now public charging stations almost everywhere on highways. I'm not worried about it.”

That part of the ownership process has quickly become a part of the routine, but it is the absence of vehicle noise that continues to delight on a daily basis – an unexpected bonus that fits perfectly with his lifestyle.