Snowsaurus

Snow Cat Piste-basher. 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...

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
See 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.

Fall Line ski
The most direct route down a piste or slope.

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.

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).

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.

Author : Various Contributors: SnowChaser, Swiss Tony, Silver Fox

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