Our snow experts at Sno'n'Ski Group Holidays have defined some common ski and snowboard slang so that you know exactly what people are referring to when you hit the slopes!
A
· Alpine Skiing – Downhill skiing with fixed boots on the skis.
B
· Base – The main area at the bottom of the ski resort, or, overall depth of snow.
· Bowl –Large bowl shaped basin, free of trees and good for swooping turns.
· Backcountry – Also known as off-piste or out of bounds, backcountry is unmarked or unpatrolled skiable areas that require experience, knowledge, and additional snow equipment.
· Binding – The connecting factor of a boot to a ski or snowboard. Ski bindings are designed to release upon falling, whereas snowboard bindings do not.
· Brain Bucket - Ski or Snowboard Helmet.
· Bunny Slope – Relatively easy and flat skiable area, perfect for beginners.
C
· Carving – clean turns using the edge of ski or snowboard digging into packed snow.
· Corduroy – Ridges of snow caused by grooming machines.
D
· Dump – Heavy snowfall of fresh powder.
E
· Edge – Metal strips found on the side of skis and snowboards, used for carving.
F
· Fall line – Most direct and quickest route down a mountain, if you fall, the direction in which you’d be falling.
· First tracks – When a skier or snowboarder is the first to make tracks in the fresh snow.
· French fries – Skiing with skis parallel to each other, opposite of pizza.
G
· Grooming – Common form of trail maintenance, often by snowcats dragging giant rakes over the snow.
H
· Hardpack – Densely packed snow due to repeated grooming and lack of fresh snowfall.
L
· Liftie- Ski lift operator.
M
· Magic carpet- Conveyor belt often found in beginner areas to assist beginner ski and snowboarders.
· Mashed potatoes – Wet and heavy snow.
· Milk run – The first ski run of the day.
O
· Off-piste – Out of bounds and backcountry skiable areas which are not marked on the trail map.
· On-piste- skiing on a trail or run, typically groomed, found on the trail map and patrolled.
P
· Pizza- Slow snowplowing down a slope, taught to beginner skiers.
· Piste – French word for ‘trail’.
· Powder – Ideal ski condition with a fresh dump of snow.
S
· Schuss- To ski down the slope without turning.
· Shovel – Front end of the ski.
· Ski Patrol – Trained skiers and snowboarders responsible for slope safety.
· Skiers left – Left hand side of someone heading downhill.
· Skiers right – Right hand side of someone heading downhill.
· Ski-in-ski-out- A properties location that allows skiers to ski in and out of their accommodation.
· Slush – Melted, wet snow.
T
· Tail – The back end of a ski.
· T-Bar – Surface lift that pulls you up the hill by sitting on a plastic T Shaped arm with your skis firmly on the ground.
· Traverse – Skiing across the mountain in a zig zag pattern.
· Twin Tip – Ski’s where both the tail and tip are turned up at the end, allowing the skier to ski backwards.
V
· Vertical drop – Distance between the base of the mountain and its tallest point.
W
· Whiteout – Being unable to see clearly due to heavy snowfall or fog.
· Wax – Used on skis to maintain smooth glides over all different snow conditions.
· Wind Hold – Lifts stop operating as a result of high winds.
Y
· Yard sale – a crash in which a skier or snowboarders’ equipment is scattered across the slope.
