Growing up on the slopes, some of the mountain-specific terms become a part of your normal vocabulary. Have you ever wondered what some of them mean? If you want to define a few of the obscure terms you've heard on the mountain, keep reading! *this list is in no way all inclusive*
All Mountain Ski: A ski that is designed for use on a variety of mountain terrain (e.g., in glades and on steeps) or conditions (e.g., in icy conditions and fresh powder) and at a variety of speeds.
Après-Ski: The literal translation from French to English means "after skiing". Après-ski is usually comprised of socializing over drinks at the local mountain bar.
Avalanche Beacon: A safety device worn by skiers (and riders) in case they are trapped by an avalanche. It transmits a signal that can be used by rescuers to locate the skier. These are usually used in more backcountry situations, typically out West or in Europe/Asia.
Avalanche Control: Basically, this is when ski patrol detonates avalanches via explosions as a safety precaution to prevent dangerous, unplanned avalanches. Again, typically used only in the West or across Europe/Asia.
Backcountry: The areas outside of ski area boundaries. This is not patrolled or groomed terrain and typically is only adventured to by expert skiers familiar with the area.
Balaclava: A face mask worn to cover exposed skin, which keeps you warm and prevents frostbite in extreme cold temps.
Bluebird: A sunny, cloudless day, often after a snowfall the night before.
Bomber/Bombing: This can be a noun or a verb. In the noun sense, a bomber is a person flying down the slopes in an out of control fashion. In the verb sense, it is the act of flying down the slopes in an out of control fashion.
Bowl: The portion of the mountain that is a wide, snowy basin characteristically free of trees and looks like a "bowl". Bowls are typically seen at larger mountains, in the West and across the pond in Europe/Asia.
Camber: The upward curvature in the base of a ski used to distribute weight of a skier and to provide proper tension for improved response. The camber is the amount of space beneath the center of a ski when it lays on a flat surface with its weight resting on the tip and tail.
Cat Skiing: Getting to more remote areas to ski, not accessible by chairlifts, using a snowcat.
Chatter: the vibration of a ski when traveling at high speed.
Chute: A steep and narrow gully, surrounded by rocks that is usually an expert-only run, whether it’s marked or not. Again, these are usually only on larger mountains out West or in Europe/Asia.
Corduroy: Recently groomed terrain that resembles the fabric due to the grooves created by a snowcat.
Crust: The frozen thin layer covering softer snow.
DIN Settings: The setting for tension release to determines the amount of pressure required for a ski binding to release during a crash, preventing leg injuries. The higher the number, the more pressure required to release the ski binding. It stands for the German “Deutsche Industrie Normen.”
Dump: A large amount of snowfall, or dumping. A lot of powder.
Durometer: The measurement used to determine the hardness of a plastic ski boot shell; the lower the durometer, the softer the shell.
Dust on Crust: The frozen thin layer of snow covered by a light, fresh dusting of snow.
Earning Your Turns: Hiking up a mountain or using skins to reach the peak before skiing down. Not riding a chairlift.
Fall Line: A trail's downward pitch. It is the most direct line down a trail or slope, AKA, if you fall it's the direction you’ll slide.
First Tracks: Being the first skier to ski through fresh snow, leaving your tracks as the first.
FIS: French acronym (Fédération Internationale de Ski) for the International Ski Federation, the main international organization of ski sports.
Flat Light: When the dim light paired with gray skies and low clouds make it difficult to see terrain change.
Flex: The stiffness of the outer shell of a ski boot, or the stiffness of a ski. Usually, the more expert a skier, the stiffer the ski and boot.
Free refills: A powder day where it keeps on snowing, offering continuous fresh snow.
French Fries: The skiing technique where skis are positioned parallel to one another. Often faster than the "pizza".
Glades: A grouping of trees to ski in and between.
Knuckle dragger: A snowboarder, especially one whose hands touch the snow while carving turns.
Liftie: A slang term for a ski lift operator.
Magic Carpet: A conveyor-belt like surface lift found only on smaller bunny slopes where beginners learn to ski.
Mashed Potatoes: Wet and heavy snow, has the appearance and "feel" of mashed potatoes.
Never call last run: It's common among skiers to "never use the L word" (AKA, last). Saying "the L word" embodies a superstition that announcing one’s last run invites injury.
No friends on a powder day: An expression that means a ski bum won't wait for any friends in order to get first tracks on a powder day.
Off-piste: Out-of-bounds, often off a trail and other areas not marked on trail map. Similar meaning to backcountry.
Piste: On the trail, in-bounds.
Pit Zips: Jacket zippers located under the armpits to help cool off on warmer ski days.
Pizza: The skiing technique where skis are tilted together like a slice of pizza to snowplow down a slope.
Poaching: When a person ducks a closed trail rope or ski area boundary to find stashes of fresh snow.
Powder Skis: Skis that are designed specifically for a good amount of fresh snow (AKA powder) to float on top of the snow.
Sidecut: The inner curvature of a ski measured by the difference between the narrowest point to the widest points at the tip and tail. Basically, the sidecut is the main component in creating a turning radius. The more drastic the sidecut, the sharper the turn.
Skier’s Left: Used to describe the area to the left of someone heading downhill.
Skier’s Right: Used to describe the area to the right of someone heading downhill.
Skins: Strips of material that can be temporarily attached to the bottom of skis for climbing up hills. The material prevents the ski from slipping backwards and assists in climbing uphill to access higher elevations when off-piste.
Snow Guns: The machines that create man-made snow
Tracked out: This is when fresh snow has been skied by many people and there are no fresh lines or tracks available.
Tree Well: The dangerous hollow space formed around the base of a tree after heavy snowfalls. Fatal accidents can occur by falling into one and becoming trapped.
Vertical Drop: The distance between the base of a mountain and its tallest point.
Whales: The large mounds of snow created by snowmakers, often used to stockpile snow. They are often pushed out when more snow is needed but are sometimes left on the slopes early in season as whoop-de-doos until the groomers push them out late in the season.
Yard Sale: A big wipeout or crash in which a skier’s gear ends up scattered around the slope.
And there you have some of the common ski terms. Have any to add of your own?
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