Follow us on... FB FB Search the site...  

SK   You are here:   Home > Snowsaurus FB FB
 

Icon   Snowsaurus - Skiing and Snowboarding Terms and Phrases

Ski Image Photo: Bohringer Friedrich


Are you new to the piste and wondering what the hell everyone is on about when they're talking about snow ploughs, parallel and carving ? Then this is the place of you.

All the terms explained in English. Simple English...


If you have any other good ones, email them in. The more unusual, the better...

Apparel ski

Clothing, particularly outerwear. The phrase is commonly used in the skiing industry, especially over in the States.


Carving ski

An adavanced ski turn technique, that allows you to turn without any major loss of speed.


Corduroy ski

Not the material that your dads flares were made of in the 70's, but the appearance of the pistes after they've been groomed by the piste-bashers into lovely parallel lines. A great feeling to be the first to ski over them !


Corn Snow ski

Spring Snow.


CrazyCanucks ski

The Crazy Canucks was the nickname given to group of Canadian ski racers who burst onto the world scene in the 1970's and 80's and became famous for their fast, risky and often reckless style of skiing. The members of the group were Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, Steve Podborski and Ken Read. Their risky style produced not only plenty of dramatic falls but also plenty of success - the group earning more than 100 top 10 World Cup finishes between 1978 and 1984. Journalist Serge Lange lays claim to coining the phrase after watching Dave Irwin fall in a race, and the nickname stuck with the rest of the Canadian skiers after that. The Crazy Canucks are amongst the best loved sportsmen in Canada and a film based on them was made in 2004.


Dump ski

No, we're not talking about what you might need after a bumper plate of rosti, but the term given to a big fall of snow. As in a fresh dump, or a decent-sized dump. Good dump, huge dump
See also a good dump, a huge dump and a fresh dump


Fall Line ski

The most direct route down a piste or slope.


FIS ski

The Federation Internationale de Ski (in english the International Ski Federation) is the world's governing body for skiing and ski-related wintersports and is based in Oberhofen-am-Thunersee in Switzerland.


Freestyle Snowboarding snowboarding

A discipline of snowboarding where the boarder uses man-made terrain and features such as half-pipes, rails and jumps to perform aerial tricks.


Freeriding snowboarding

The term given to a form of snowboarding where there are no restrictions or rules but the focus is on dealing with whatever natural terrain the mountain throws at you. Don't get this confused with freestyle snowboarding which is more about man-made terrain such as half-pipes, rails and jumps.


Fresh Dump ski

See dump.


Good Dump ski

See dump.


Huge Dump ski

See dump.


Mashed Potato ski

Sticky, sloppy, snow that you get in warmer weather. Often ungroomed and hard to ski in.


Parallel ski

The next stage in skiing after you've mastered the snow plough. As the name suggests, the idea is for the ski's to point in the same direction.


Piste Basher ski

Large caterpillar-tracked snow vehicle that groom the snow on the slopes into condition so that we can all ski and snowboard on them.


Piste Grooming ski

Getting the snow on the pistes into a nice fresh condition, such as the corduroy effect. Usually done by a piste-basher.


Pizza ski

Being stood on the slopes hearing cries of "Pizza! Pizza!" you could be excused for wondering what on earth is going on. Whilst it is possible that a hungry thief has made off from a mountain restaurant without paying for his midday snack, it's more than likely to be some poor ski instructor screaming instructions at a group of 5 year olds, as it's the term used on youngsters to describe the snow plough.


Schuss ski

To ski straight down the fall-line of the slope, skis parallel, therefore achieving high speeds.


Seasonaire ski

Someone who spends the entire ski season in a mountain resort, usually getting work in a chalet, in a bar, or as an instructor. Hard work, but worth it for all those days out on the white stuff.


Snow-Plough ski

Usually the first thing a skier is taught on the slopes, the snow-plough is a basic technique that allows you to slow down or turn. Basically, the front point of the skis are brought together and then ends are pushed wide apart. See also Pizza.


Spring Snow ski

The description of snow conditions during the warmer Spring months. The freeze-thaw process from night to day results in softer snow around noon. By late afternoon, if the sun's been on it all day, the snow can be really wet. It then freezes overnight and the process starts again. Also known as Corn Snow.


Telemark ski

A style of skiing created in Norway back in the 1800's. You'll know it if you ever see any skier doing it as the inside ski is pulled along with a bent knee and a raised heel. Therefore the equipment is totally different as only the toe is connected to the ski (as in cross-country skiing).


Webcam Addiction ski

A common disease that can effect skiers, boarders or basically anyone who has spent time in the mountains. It's not just confined to the winter months of December to March but can strike badly during the Autumn as the afflicted desperately search the live cameras on the web for signs of fresh dumps of snow. You don't just get addicted to web cameras of places you've recently visited either, as you end up trawling for every resort you've ever been to or basically everyone you've ever seen in a ski brochure, advert or an episode of Ski Sunday.


White Circus ski

The White Circus is the nickname that's been given to the FIS World Cup tour as it's skiers and accompanying coaches, technicians, media and fans sweep around the world from ski resort to ski resort as the race calendar gets ticked off.


Wicking ski

You'll often read this term when reading about winter sports clothing - it's the name given to the way the material transfers moisture away from the skin and through the clothing.


Winding Down the Windows ski

Term often used by ski-racing commentators to describe the skier's mid-air arm movements (going round and around, like ..err winding down a window!) just after hitting a jump as they desperately try to retain their balance.




YOUR FAVOURITES
The most viewed pages from visitors to the site over the last 7 days are currently...


Keywords: : snow ski terminology : skiing phrases, snow and snowboarding phrases : ski terminology skiing terms