Part of being in a community is understanding and using the jargon or slang. Knowing the right words is not the same as being able to show your stuff on the hill, but it is a good place to start. Especially when you are stuck at home, with no snow in sight.
Here are a few ski and snowboard slang terms to get you started:
Air – Jumping off the snow, as in “I caught some big air!”
Après Ski - what you do after skiing, drink, party, watch TV, soak in the hot tub, as in “Meet you at the Sidewinder for après ski.”
Biff - a partial fall, or bounce off the snow, as in “I saw you biff at the top, nice recovery.”
Bumps – also called moguls, lumps on the slope, created by people turning in the same places on a steep ungroomed slope, as in “I hate bumps.”
Chocolate Chips – area of rocks poking out of shallow snow, as in “Watch out for the chocolate chips on the right side.”
Chocolate Chip Snow
Corduroy – straight lines in the snow made by grooming machines, as in “We really tracked up that corduroy.”
Face-Plant – falling forward and landing on your face, as in “Did you see that guy face-plant?”
Faceplant
Fakie – skiing or snowboarding backwards, as in “I skied into the lift line fakie.”
Freshies – new untracked powder, as in “We caught some freshies off Breezeway.”
Gaper – a skier or snowboarder dressed in outrageous gear, either on purpose or because they are clueless, gaper is a complicated concept.
Gnar – short for gnarly, meaning tough terrain or conditions, as in “Shagnasty is gnar right now.”
Hit – a ramp, bump, log or some other terrain feature used for catching air, as in “Did you catch that hit by the tree?”
Huck – to launch of a steep section or cliff for big air, as in “Watch this guy huck off that rock.”
Liftie – a lift operator, as in “Smile and thank the liftie as you get on the chair.”
Pinhead – a telemark skier, as in “He is a die-hard pinhead.”
Planker – a skier, as in “She is a die-hard planker.”
Pow – short for powder, as in “We caught early morning pow before work.”
Rag Doll – a wild and loose tumble down the hill, as in “She ragdolled all the way down Frenzy, not a pretty sight.”
Snow Farm - a lame ski area that relies on snowmaking, as in “Monarch will never be a snow farm.”
Stylin’ - using your ski or snowboard as a form of self expression, as in “He was really stylin’ on Sleepy Hollow.”
Yard Sale – a fall resulting in gear being spread down the slope, as in “Yard Sale” yelled from the lift.
